Texas – based oil equipment producer Lufkin Industries, which has started working on its factory in Ploiesti, expects a EUR 30 million turnover in the first year of activity in Romania. It plans to grow the yearly turnover to around USD 70 million after two or three years of activity.

State-owned metro company Metrorex will choose the consultant for the airport metro line next year in spring. The consultant will decide whether the metro line connecting downtown Bucharest to the Otopeni airport will start from 1 Mai or Piata Victoriei existing metro stations.

The European Commission has sent Romanian authorities a letter asking for further details on how a European directive was transposed into local legislation through Government Emergency Ordinance 50/2010 on consumer lending contracts. The document was sent to the local Department for European Affairs, and, according to government sources, it is the first step in a potential infringement procedure.

Romania's unemployment rate fell to 6.8 percent in the second quarter, from 8.1 percent a quarter earlier, the National Statistics Institute said Tuesday. However, the jobless rate was higher compared with a rate of 6.3 percent in the second quarter of 2009, the statistics data showed.

Romania will rapidly outrun many countries in the region if it solves the transport issue, by using European funds to develop projects in this area, among others, said Andreas Treichl (in picture), general manager and president of the Erste group.

*Head of BCR says the economy shows signs of revival – in Ziarul Financiar
*Dacia will exceed 500,000 cars from 2012 – in Ziarul Financiar
*Romanians spend 72% of revenues on consumption and only 2% on investments – in Ziarul Financiar
*Bucharest comes last in foreign investors' eye – in Ziarul Financiar

French hypermarket chain Cora has signed a lease agreement to open a hypermarket in GTC's Galleria Arad, which will be inaugurated in 2011. Romania Hypermarche, which runs the Cora hypermarket chain in Romania, will open a 9,000 sqm hypermarket in Galleria Arad as the first shop in the city.

Bucharest is down five places on last year's ranking in the European Cities Monitor by real estate consultancy Cushman & Wakefield. The Romanian Capital city ranks second to last, on the 35th position, being followed only by Athens. The top takes into account companies' preferences on European cities where they could expand, looking at several criteria, among which the cost of staff.

The number of foreign tourists who entered Romania was 8.9 percent higher in August compared with the same month a year before, while the number of tourists accommodated was down 15.2 percent on the year, the National Statistics Institute said Monday.

Local private health care service operator Gral Medical posted EUR 9 million revenues in the first eight months of the year, exceeding its expectations for the entire 2010, the company has announced.

Texas – based oil equipment producer Lufkin Industries, which has started working on its factory in Ploiesti, expects a EUR 30 million turnover in the first year of activity in Romania. It plans to grow the yearly turnover to around USD 70 million after two or three years of activity.

State-owned metro company Metrorex will choose the consultant for the airport metro line next year in spring. The consultant will decide whether the metro line connecting downtown Bucharest to the Otopeni airport will start from 1 Mai or Piata Victoriei existing metro stations.

The European Commission has sent Romanian authorities a letter asking for further details on how a European directive was transposed into local legislation through Government Emergency Ordinance 50/2010 on consumer lending contracts. The document was sent to the local Department for European Affairs, and, according to government sources, it is the first step in a potential infringement procedure.

Romania's unemployment rate fell to 6.8 percent in the second quarter, from 8.1 percent a quarter earlier, the National Statistics Institute said Tuesday. However, the jobless rate was higher compared with a rate of 6.3 percent in the second quarter of 2009, the statistics data showed.

Romania will rapidly outrun many countries in the region if it solves the transport issue, by using European funds to develop projects in this area, among others, said Andreas Treichl (in picture), general manager and president of the Erste group.

*Head of BCR says the economy shows signs of revival – in Ziarul Financiar
*Dacia will exceed 500,000 cars from 2012 – in Ziarul Financiar
*Romanians spend 72% of revenues on consumption and only 2% on investments – in Ziarul Financiar
*Bucharest comes last in foreign investors' eye – in Ziarul Financiar

French hypermarket chain Cora has signed a lease agreement to open a hypermarket in GTC's Galleria Arad, which will be inaugurated in 2011. Romania Hypermarche, which runs the Cora hypermarket chain in Romania, will open a 9,000 sqm hypermarket in Galleria Arad as the first shop in the city.

Bucharest is down five places on last year's ranking in the European Cities Monitor by real estate consultancy Cushman & Wakefield. The Romanian Capital city ranks second to last, on the 35th position, being followed only by Athens. The top takes into account companies' preferences on European cities where they could expand, looking at several criteria, among which the cost of staff.

The number of foreign tourists who entered Romania was 8.9 percent higher in August compared with the same month a year before, while the number of tourists accommodated was down 15.2 percent on the year, the National Statistics Institute said Monday.

Local private health care service operator Gral Medical posted EUR 9 million revenues in the first eight months of the year, exceeding its expectations for the entire 2010, the company has announced.