Cutting social security contributions paid by the employer and the employee by 3% (from an overall 44% to 41% of contributions for every gross salary) could lead to the creation of 100,000 new jobs, while contributions to the state budget would decline by around 380 million euros, according to specialists. read more...

A first evaluation of the first quarter of the year from an economic point of view shows that there is still uncertainty and that consumer spending has yet to resume growth, but real estate transactions have slightly picked up, with real estate investors signalling they have access to funding and are betting on a recovery in the second part of the year. read more...

Sweden's IKEA has been buying furniture from Romanian companies for decades, even before the fall of the communist regime, and this is why it is not surprising that almost 10% of the items of the Băneasa store are "made in Romania". read more...

"First Home" mortgage loans, refinancing of consumer loans and credit cards are strategic priorities for Bancpost's retail segment this year, says Kyriakos Xydis, executive vice-president in charge of this business segment. read more...

The executives of BCR, the biggest bank on the market, last year took home total salaries worth 15.13m lei (3.53m euros), up over 50% from 2009. read more...

Romconstruct Top SRL, the company owned by ButanGas Romania and Eco Power Wind SRL, controlled by businessman Emanuel Muntmark finshed two projects that produce green energy of wind mills, Romania’s Economy ministry informs. According to Hotnews.ro information, the park built by Romconstruct Top has a capacity of 25 MW (Silistea Eolian Park) and the one finished by Eco Power Wind has a capacity of 10MW (Mirease Eolian Park). read more...

Azerbaijan state oil company SOCAR plans to expand its foreign gas stations and Romania is one of the first countries on the list, ABC.az reads. Rovnag Abdullaiev, SOCAR president showed that in the last two-three years the company will open 300 gas stations across Romania. read more...

A major food shortage crisis represents one of the greatest threats for humanity. The explosive demographic growth, the growing pollution, the exhaustion of the planet"s resources are the elements that are causing experts to claim that over the next years, humanity will have to radically change its nutrition habits. read more...

The biggest local banks have to broker the biggest share sales offering in the history of the Bucharest Stock Exchange from the very start lost the chance, with five consortiums left in the race. read more...

NBR's foreign currency reserve added almost 700m euros in March after the 1.4bn-euro tranche from the loan the state contracted from the European Commission was disbursed, thus climbing to 32.76bn euros, close to the all-time peak reached last November. read more...

The average interest rate for individuals' deposits shed half a percentage point in the first two months of 2011 and reached 7,1% per annum in late February. read more...

The price of a consultation with an internist has increased 80% since 2005, from 50 lei to 90-100 lei, according to a ZF analysis based on data supplied by four clinics networks - Medicover, Romar, Medsana and Sanador - which agreed to supply the data. read more...

Renault, which produces in Romania more than 200,000 engines annually for the Dacia range, is to replace, starting 2013, part of the current range with one with more environment-friendly engines, a range that will be manufactured in Piteşti and Valladolid (Spain) and that will equip the new Logan generation. read more...

The Bucharest Stock Exchange had a strong start to the year, posting increases of 12.5% of the BET index tracking the top ten listed companies and of 22% of the BET-FI index monitoring the trend of financial investment companies, including FP shares in the first quarter. read more...

The domestic drug market advanced by 10% in the first two months of this year, to 1.67bn lei (400m euros), according to the data provided by IMS Health market research firm. read more...

Petrol and diesel oil prices were raised by over 20% in the first two months of this year compared with the similar period of 2010, but oil companies say volumes were down by up to 5%, although pump prices were hiked on six occasions, mainly because of the oil price highs. read more...

Romania is ranked tenth regarding new shopping center development in 2011 and 2012, with projects totaling 256,000 square meters, according to a research conducted by real estate consulting company Cushman&Wakefield. read more...

Romanian President Traian Basescu on Saturday has sent his condolences to the family of Filaret Motco, who was killed Friday in an attack on a UN office in Afghanistan. read more...

Romania's National Anticorruption Department (DNA) will take every legal step to clarify the case of MEP Adrian Severin, including contact with other institutions, such as the European Parliament, regarding his immunity. read more...

Romania’s Prime Minister Emil Boc said Friday the new “First Home” program will start after Easter and its application norms will be approved in the next two weeks. read more...