Romania’s trade deficit narrowed to EUR 9.46 billion in 2010, from EUR 9.86 billion a year earlier, the country’s statistics institute INS said Wednesday. Exports rose 28.1 percent on the year to EUR 37.2 billion in 2010, while imports were up 19.9 percent to EUR 46.7 billion.

French businessman Alexis Bonte, who has previously invested in videosharing website Trilulilu and in online strategy game eRepublik, has recently invested in the recruitment website Tjobs.ro. Bonte, along with Fundatia Post Privatizare and Andreas Cser, an angel investor based in London, have provided EUR 0.5 million for the development of the recruitment website.

Romanian actor Victor Rebengiuc will get the second star on the Romanian Walk of Fame, downtown Bucharest, an event meant to celebrate his 78th birthday. The event will take place this Thursday, February 10, in Time Square, near Cocor store, at 14,00 hours. One the same day, the Romanian Peasant's Museum will also organize a ceremony to celebrate Rebengius’s birthday with the screening of “Morometii” directed by Stere Gulea. Romanian cinema representatives are expected to attend the event.

Romania’s final electricity consumption in 2010 went up 3.8 percent compared to 2009, to 50.5 TWh), according to figures provided by the National Statistics Institute (INS). Electricity exports increased last year to 83.7 million kWh, by 2.8 percent.

Citroen Romania has launched C-Zero, an electric car model, on the Romanian market. The model is priced at EUR 36,600. This is the first electric car officially available in Romania and will be in stock in the following weeks. C-Zero will be sold in its top version, High Line, which includes MP3 radio CD, computer, ESP, USB port, blue tooth, among others.

The creation of two vertically integrated energy companies in Romania – the planned Electra and Hidroenergetica - would significantly impede competition, crowd out private investment and raise prices, contrary to government claims, according to a recent research study by Candole Partners, which also lists several alternative recommendations.

The tenth annual edition of the Transylvania International Film Festival (TIFF) will be held this year between June 3 and 12, in Cluj-Napoca, northwestern Romania, according to the festival’s official website. As in the previous years, a selection of films in the festival will be screened later in Sibiu, central Romania, between June 15 and 19.

Romania was the country the most affected by the crisis last year, with the pessimism of local consumers placing it on the last spot in Europe in a recent GfK study on consumption in 2010.

European private equity firm Axa Private Equity has sold its shares in Gealan Beteiligungs GmbH to German investment fund Halder, which used to own the majority share package in the firm between 2002 and 2004.

Romanian cosmetics producer Farmec Cluj-Napoca, which posted a turnover of EUR 22.8 million last year, up 10 percent on the previous year, hopes this year's business growth will reach 5 percent. One of the channels of growth will come from the international expansion, which has already been started last year, when the company entered the Hungarian market, according to Mircea Turdean, general manager of Farmec Cluj – Napoca.

Romania’s trade deficit narrowed to EUR 9.46 billion in 2010, from EUR 9.86 billion a year earlier, the country’s statistics institute INS said Wednesday. Exports rose 28.1 percent on the year to EUR 37.2 billion in 2010, while imports were up 19.9 percent to EUR 46.7 billion.

French businessman Alexis Bonte, who has previously invested in videosharing website Trilulilu and in online strategy game eRepublik, has recently invested in the recruitment website Tjobs.ro. Bonte, along with Fundatia Post Privatizare and Andreas Cser, an angel investor based in London, have provided EUR 0.5 million for the development of the recruitment website.

Romanian actor Victor Rebengiuc will get the second star on the Romanian Walk of Fame, downtown Bucharest, an event meant to celebrate his 78th birthday. The event will take place this Thursday, February 10, in Time Square, near Cocor store, at 14,00 hours. One the same day, the Romanian Peasant's Museum will also organize a ceremony to celebrate Rebengius’s birthday with the screening of “Morometii” directed by Stere Gulea. Romanian cinema representatives are expected to attend the event.

Romania’s final electricity consumption in 2010 went up 3.8 percent compared to 2009, to 50.5 TWh), according to figures provided by the National Statistics Institute (INS). Electricity exports increased last year to 83.7 million kWh, by 2.8 percent.

Citroen Romania has launched C-Zero, an electric car model, on the Romanian market. The model is priced at EUR 36,600. This is the first electric car officially available in Romania and will be in stock in the following weeks. C-Zero will be sold in its top version, High Line, which includes MP3 radio CD, computer, ESP, USB port, blue tooth, among others.

The creation of two vertically integrated energy companies in Romania – the planned Electra and Hidroenergetica - would significantly impede competition, crowd out private investment and raise prices, contrary to government claims, according to a recent research study by Candole Partners, which also lists several alternative recommendations.

The tenth annual edition of the Transylvania International Film Festival (TIFF) will be held this year between June 3 and 12, in Cluj-Napoca, northwestern Romania, according to the festival’s official website. As in the previous years, a selection of films in the festival will be screened later in Sibiu, central Romania, between June 15 and 19.

Romania was the country the most affected by the crisis last year, with the pessimism of local consumers placing it on the last spot in Europe in a recent GfK study on consumption in 2010.

European private equity firm Axa Private Equity has sold its shares in Gealan Beteiligungs GmbH to German investment fund Halder, which used to own the majority share package in the firm between 2002 and 2004.

Romanian cosmetics producer Farmec Cluj-Napoca, which posted a turnover of EUR 22.8 million last year, up 10 percent on the previous year, hopes this year's business growth will reach 5 percent. One of the channels of growth will come from the international expansion, which has already been started last year, when the company entered the Hungarian market, according to Mircea Turdean, general manager of Farmec Cluj – Napoca.