President Traian Băsescu to attend a EU summit in Brussels
Romanian President Traian Băsescu is expected to attend the autumn summit of the European Council in Brussels on Thursday for potential tough negociations on climate targets. Energy efficiency is one of EU’s main tasks and Romania received EU funds aimed at improving its record on the matter, President Băsescu told reporters before leaving for Brussels. Mr. Băsescu also criticised local authorities for failing to finalise the thermal enveloping of buildings. Talks in Brussels will also focus on ways designed to ensure the energy future of Ukraine in case the country’s agreement with Russia on the matter is falling apart.
Romania may improve growth through foreign investments, IMF representative says
Romania may improve growth through foreign investments which unfortunately declined in recent months, resident IMF representative for Romania and Bulgaria Guillermo Tolosa told a conference on industrial policies in Bucharest on Thursday. Mr. Tolosa also mentioned the need of steps designed to encourage investment and financing sources prompting an impact on employment. However, Romanian Economy Minister Constantin Niţă claimed that Romania seemed more attractive to foreign investors when compared to other countries in the region. Mr. Niţă made the statement before leaving for the Romanian eastern town of Focşani where he was expected to attend the opening ceremony of the Bachus 2014 Wine and Vineyard International Festival along with other foreign and Romanian officials.
Raids on more than 30 Bucharest firms
More than 30 firms in the Romanian capital Bucharest were raided by police in an attempt to combat illegal trade in counterfeit goods. In another move, some 100 police experts in fraud investigations were involved in an operation in the northern Romanian town of Satu Mare where Organised Crime prosecutors conducted searches at the Health Insurance House headquarters on Thursday. Suspects include physicians, pharmacists and nurses.
Son of a former PSD MP detained for 24 hours
Andrei Hrebenciuc was detained for 24 hours for his alleged involvement in a bribe case under investigation by tprosecutors of the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) in the Romanian central town of Braşov. The name of Mr. Hrebenciuc, son of Viorel Hrebemciuc, former deputy of the governing Social Democratic Party, appears in conversation recordings retained as evidence in the case involving his father. Prosecutors claimed that Viorel Hrebenciuc was expected to get 12,000 ha of land as bribe in a contract on the name of his son. Andrei Hrebenciuc is expected to appear before the Supreme Court on Thursday. Charges include influence peddling and money laundring as he is allegedly involved in the illegal forest restitution case in which his father and other local officials are under investigation.
