Dacian Ciolos

The cabinet of Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos has suffered its first casualty after Labour Minister Ana Costea resigned on Thursday following tensions over a draft law that proposed revising wages in the public sector.

Ciolos accepted her resignation and said he would name another minister soon.

Romania's technocratic government has abandoned plans to revise state wages under pressure from the unions.

"We have decided to give up this bill for now. Our intention is to have a law agreed by all social actors involved," government spokeperson Dan Suciu announced.

Romanian telecommunications minister Marius Bostan said on Monday that draft legislation to compel all pre-paid simcard purchasers to reveal their identities will be sent to parliament soon.

"It says that people purchasing pre-paid cards will have to submit their personal data to the authorities," Bostan said.

Romania's parliament on Tuesday approved a new board for the state-owned television company, TVR, which comprises representatives of all political parties, the government, the President and the TVR labour union.  

The 13-member board was approved by 312 votes in favour and 21 against.

George Orbean, a journalist and media consultant, is to become the new boss.

Only a smidgen of satisfaction is seen on Mariana Achim's face, as at least she has a job and the possibility to feed her family.

Achim works as waitress in a restaurant, some ten kilometers away from her house in Avrig, a village in southern Transylvania.

Parliament in Romania has summoned Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos to explain why he replaced several local prefects in what is seen as a move by the main parties to increase pressure on him ahead of local elections.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov on Friday made clear he would not be a presidential candidate in the forthcoming election this autumn.

He told the Bulgarian National Television's Friday night talkshown Panorama he was determined to avoid a scenario where he would run for President and trigger early parliamentary elections.

Parents and relatives of over 40 children diagnosed with a severe digestive infection plan to sue the Romanian state, claiming the authorities are to blame for the deaths of three of them. Nine others are still hospitalised.

Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos on Wednesday defended the decision to evict the influential private TV company Antena Group from its premises as legal and said it had nothing to do with attempts to stop it broadcasting.

Almost every month there is a new report in the Romanian media that another public dignitary is suspected of plagiarising her or his post-graduate dissertation.

Journalists present what they call evidence of plagiarism, the people accused deny any wrongdoing, while readers comment a lot.  And that's all.