Romania’s potential new financing agreement with the International Monetary Fund will also include a loan accord with the European Commission, similar to the one signed in 2009, Romanian representative to the IMF, Mihai Tanasescu, said Thursday.

The European Commission has approved a EUR 124.3 million financing for the Arad – Timisoara highway from the EU's Cohesion Fund. The project includes a 44.5 km highway between Arad and Timisoara, out of which 12.25 km represent the Arad bypass. The highway segment is part of the 7th priority transport corridor which crosses Romania from Nadlac to Constanta.

Romanian authorities and representatives of the International Monetary Fund discussed Thursday about the privatization of Oltchim and Cuprumin, as well as stake sales in other state-owned energy companies, according to the Economy Ministry. The meeting included talks on company activity optimization, which would include stake sales, reorganization in view of privatization and the recapitalization of several companies, by drawing investment.

Romanians buy less than last year but several products stay at the top of the shopping list, such as water, medicine, sweets, coffee, according to Daedalus Group. Around 60 percent of Romanians have said they buy less this year than they did last year.

The traditional retail market in Romania is worth EUR 15 billion and traditional stores will survive the fight with modern formats and the financial and economical crisis, according to Milos Ryba, senior retail analyst with Planet Retail consultancy firm.

Telecom company Cosmote Romania's roaming voice traffic tripled during the period May – August 2010 compared to the same period of last year, while the data traffic grew five-fold during the same period, the company has announced. Cosmote users traveled to Italy, Germany, Bulgaria, Greece and Spain.

The International Monetary Fund and the Romanian authorities have already agreed on next year's budget parameters, Jeffey Franks, head of the IMF mission to Bucharest, said Wednesday. The 2011 budget must be adjusted according to necessities, said Franks when asked by journalists about his view on the parliament's decisions to cut the value added tax level for staple food and to lift the income tax on small pensions.

*Surprise in the Parliament- with IMF reviewing the country, Parliament votes drop of VAT and tax exemptions for some pensions – in Ziarul Financiar
*Finance Ministry could refinance bonds worth EUR 1.4 billion – in Ziarul Financiar
*Polish, first expat who runs Microsoft Romania – in Ziarul Financiar
*Pestera and Cernavoda, the new wind energy villages in Dobrogea – in Ziarul Financiar
*BCR buys good.bee mobile banking services from the mother band – in Ziarul Financiar

Real estate developer Alinso Group will build an inter-modal railway terminal in Ploiesti, connecting the Eastern and Western areas of Romania, a private investment of EUR 7 million. The terminal, called Euro Gate Terminal Ploiesti, will be ready in 2011. It will be built on 10 hectares of land and it will include three railway lines with a total length of 2,200 meters.

(Update adds details about the ruling party's declaration about the vote on the VAT reduction in the last paragraph.) Romania’s Chamber of Deputies adopted Tuesday a bill setting the value added tax on basic foods, such as bread, milk, meat, sugar and vegetable oil, at 5% instead of 24%.

Romania’s potential new financing agreement with the International Monetary Fund will also include a loan accord with the European Commission, similar to the one signed in 2009, Romanian representative to the IMF, Mihai Tanasescu, said Thursday.

The European Commission has approved a EUR 124.3 million financing for the Arad – Timisoara highway from the EU's Cohesion Fund. The project includes a 44.5 km highway between Arad and Timisoara, out of which 12.25 km represent the Arad bypass. The highway segment is part of the 7th priority transport corridor which crosses Romania from Nadlac to Constanta.

Romanian authorities and representatives of the International Monetary Fund discussed Thursday about the privatization of Oltchim and Cuprumin, as well as stake sales in other state-owned energy companies, according to the Economy Ministry. The meeting included talks on company activity optimization, which would include stake sales, reorganization in view of privatization and the recapitalization of several companies, by drawing investment.

Romanians buy less than last year but several products stay at the top of the shopping list, such as water, medicine, sweets, coffee, according to Daedalus Group. Around 60 percent of Romanians have said they buy less this year than they did last year.

The traditional retail market in Romania is worth EUR 15 billion and traditional stores will survive the fight with modern formats and the financial and economical crisis, according to Milos Ryba, senior retail analyst with Planet Retail consultancy firm.

Telecom company Cosmote Romania's roaming voice traffic tripled during the period May – August 2010 compared to the same period of last year, while the data traffic grew five-fold during the same period, the company has announced. Cosmote users traveled to Italy, Germany, Bulgaria, Greece and Spain.

The International Monetary Fund and the Romanian authorities have already agreed on next year's budget parameters, Jeffey Franks, head of the IMF mission to Bucharest, said Wednesday. The 2011 budget must be adjusted according to necessities, said Franks when asked by journalists about his view on the parliament's decisions to cut the value added tax level for staple food and to lift the income tax on small pensions.

*Surprise in the Parliament- with IMF reviewing the country, Parliament votes drop of VAT and tax exemptions for some pensions – in Ziarul Financiar
*Finance Ministry could refinance bonds worth EUR 1.4 billion – in Ziarul Financiar
*Polish, first expat who runs Microsoft Romania – in Ziarul Financiar
*Pestera and Cernavoda, the new wind energy villages in Dobrogea – in Ziarul Financiar
*BCR buys good.bee mobile banking services from the mother band – in Ziarul Financiar

Real estate developer Alinso Group will build an inter-modal railway terminal in Ploiesti, connecting the Eastern and Western areas of Romania, a private investment of EUR 7 million. The terminal, called Euro Gate Terminal Ploiesti, will be ready in 2011. It will be built on 10 hectares of land and it will include three railway lines with a total length of 2,200 meters.

(Update adds details about the ruling party's declaration about the vote on the VAT reduction in the last paragraph.) Romania’s Chamber of Deputies adopted Tuesday a bill setting the value added tax on basic foods, such as bread, milk, meat, sugar and vegetable oil, at 5% instead of 24%.