Romanian state-owned passenger railway company CFR Calatori will raise railway transport tariffs by 8 percent from September 20 and it will maintain discounts for commuters, school pupils and university students, the company has said. The increase in railway transport tariffs was initially planned for September 15, but it was put off for a later date.

Romanian low cost airline operator Blue Air gave up five of its 11 planes and sacked 300 of its 800 employees, within a restructuring process that is due to end on November 1, said Gheorghe Racaru, strategy and development manager of the group Blue Air is part of.

*Banks have to face mass protests for the first time for change of contracts – in Ziarul Financiar
*Over 40,000 Romanians signed mandatory home insurance – in Ziarul Financiar
*Romanian Simona Popovici is part of the Coca Cola Hellenic HR management team – in Ziarul Financiar
*Reuters: Romania could reach a financing crisis in November – in Ziarul Financiar
*Sorin ovidiu Vantu freed from arrest. Basescu about SOV accusations: “An accused cannot be confronted with a head of state” - in Gandul

French retailer Auchan has chosen a smaller format for its future store Iasi, pursuing an area half the size of its usual store formats so far. Auchan will open a 5,000 sqm store in mixed project Palas Iasi in the second half of next year.

Palas Iasi, the mixed real estate project developed by local developer Iulius Group in partnership with the Iasi municipality, has had to shift the project amidst the crisis to comply with the new market realities. The project, which was initially supposed to feature 800 apartments, will only feature 100 apartments, out of which 60 have already been sold, said Iulian Dascalu, president and owner of the group.

Asesoft group, owned by Romanian investors Sebastian Ghita and Iulian Stanciu, has taken over the majority share package in IT&C retailer Flanco, the retailer has announced. The new owners will inject EUR 4 million into the retailer's capital in the following months, while banks will receive EUR 10 million in the following six months, according to Flanco's reorganization plans

The Romanian government plans to keep the flat tax rate unchanged at 16 percent at least until 2013, according to the country’s three-year fiscal strategy approved Wednesday. The document doesn't indicate whether the value added tax rate will be modified over the next three years. In July, the government raised the VAT to 24 percent from 19 percent to boost state revenues.

Eugen Voicu, founder of Aviva Investors, formerly named Certinvest, has redeemed the entire share package in the company from UK insurer Aviva, the majority shareholder. The company will be re-branded from November, when the deal will be finalized. The company manages EUR 17.7 million of assets.

*Romania could become the new growth vector in the East – in Ziarul Financiar
*Eugen Voicu redeems Aviva Investors and tries to re-launch it – in Ziarul Financiar
*IKEA wants to fuel the store in Baneasa with solar energy – in Ziarul Financiar
*Romtelecom will have 4-5 TV channels by year-end – in Ziarul Financiar
*Ghita from Asesoft to buy Flanco – in Ziarul Financiar

Romania’s capital city Bucharest ranks 69th among 73 cities worldwide according to the price levels, says a survey conducted by financial services firm UBS. New York, Geneva and Oslo are still among the most expensive cities worldwide, according to UBS classification.

Romanian state-owned passenger railway company CFR Calatori will raise railway transport tariffs by 8 percent from September 20 and it will maintain discounts for commuters, school pupils and university students, the company has said. The increase in railway transport tariffs was initially planned for September 15, but it was put off for a later date.

Romanian low cost airline operator Blue Air gave up five of its 11 planes and sacked 300 of its 800 employees, within a restructuring process that is due to end on November 1, said Gheorghe Racaru, strategy and development manager of the group Blue Air is part of.

*Banks have to face mass protests for the first time for change of contracts – in Ziarul Financiar
*Over 40,000 Romanians signed mandatory home insurance – in Ziarul Financiar
*Romanian Simona Popovici is part of the Coca Cola Hellenic HR management team – in Ziarul Financiar
*Reuters: Romania could reach a financing crisis in November – in Ziarul Financiar
*Sorin ovidiu Vantu freed from arrest. Basescu about SOV accusations: “An accused cannot be confronted with a head of state” - in Gandul

French retailer Auchan has chosen a smaller format for its future store Iasi, pursuing an area half the size of its usual store formats so far. Auchan will open a 5,000 sqm store in mixed project Palas Iasi in the second half of next year.

Palas Iasi, the mixed real estate project developed by local developer Iulius Group in partnership with the Iasi municipality, has had to shift the project amidst the crisis to comply with the new market realities. The project, which was initially supposed to feature 800 apartments, will only feature 100 apartments, out of which 60 have already been sold, said Iulian Dascalu, president and owner of the group.

Asesoft group, owned by Romanian investors Sebastian Ghita and Iulian Stanciu, has taken over the majority share package in IT&C retailer Flanco, the retailer has announced. The new owners will inject EUR 4 million into the retailer's capital in the following months, while banks will receive EUR 10 million in the following six months, according to Flanco's reorganization plans

The Romanian government plans to keep the flat tax rate unchanged at 16 percent at least until 2013, according to the country’s three-year fiscal strategy approved Wednesday. The document doesn't indicate whether the value added tax rate will be modified over the next three years. In July, the government raised the VAT to 24 percent from 19 percent to boost state revenues.

Eugen Voicu, founder of Aviva Investors, formerly named Certinvest, has redeemed the entire share package in the company from UK insurer Aviva, the majority shareholder. The company will be re-branded from November, when the deal will be finalized. The company manages EUR 17.7 million of assets.

*Romania could become the new growth vector in the East – in Ziarul Financiar
*Eugen Voicu redeems Aviva Investors and tries to re-launch it – in Ziarul Financiar
*IKEA wants to fuel the store in Baneasa with solar energy – in Ziarul Financiar
*Romtelecom will have 4-5 TV channels by year-end – in Ziarul Financiar
*Ghita from Asesoft to buy Flanco – in Ziarul Financiar

Romania’s capital city Bucharest ranks 69th among 73 cities worldwide according to the price levels, says a survey conducted by financial services firm UBS. New York, Geneva and Oslo are still among the most expensive cities worldwide, according to UBS classification.