* ROMANIA's WONDERS *

Romanian Atheneum – Bucharest - A part of funds needed for build him (the construction was started in 1886) was obtained as result of an public campaign to reach funds titled "Get an Leu(national currency) for Atheneum !" ("Dati un leu pentru Ateneu !" in romanian)

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Social-Democrats persuade Liberals

The PSD (Social-Democrat Party) has got a hottest week ahead. The Social-Democrats are to make clear their terms with the government and their domestic difficulties. As far as the bill against the ruling Cabinet is concerned, they are aware they have reached the point of no return. As for the effects of it, no one would answer such a question.
There has been no information about the talks between the PSD and the PNL (National Liberal Party) and both sides have often denied such collaboration. Still the PSD leader Mircea Geona is getting ready to put Adrian Nastase aside, as he is abroad this week.
In the meetings due today and tomorrow the Social-Democrats are to analyze the bill against the government. And in today's Senate session they will be trying to dismiss the emergency ordinance on the government restructuring. Some think this would make the government collapse. This is how the Social-Democrats want to persuade the Liberals. Until yesterday there was only rumor on talks between Viorel Hrebenciuc and some PNL officials or between Mircea Geoana and Traian Basescu, President of Romania.
Mircea Geoana got a serious warning from the PSD group in Cluj. Vasile Puscas, a member of the latter group, argued that all the PSD leaders would be responsible for the bill's effects.
Tomorrow is a hottest day also because party members will be analyzing the solicitation that Adrian Nastase and Ion Iliescu should be expelled from the PSD branch in Bucharest, District 1. Party sources opine this is little likely to happen.
Mircea Geoana paid a visit to Prahova yesterday, when Marian Saniuta was appointed to head the PSD branch there. This is how he obstructed Adrian Nastase's lately rumored attempt to take over this branch. Sources also say that to summon an extraordinary congress and sack Mircea Geoana is also unlikely. They comment the PSD president's future is likely to be decided on after the election of MEPs takes place in Romania.

Roxana Andronic
Ziua Marti 18 Septembrie 2007 http://www.ziua.net/english

Pension lottery

Romanians under 35 may decide for themselves on how much money they will get after retiring. But the choice depends on both intuition and luck.
The new system of privately administered pensions was launched yesterday and it is compulsory for young employees. Each of them is to subscribe to one of the 14 funds accepted in the system by January 17, 2008. This is optional for those Romanian employees aged between 35 and 45.
Pension funds estimate a yearly growth if 5-7% of the accumulated sum, but they may as well use the future retireds' money for bad business. The law guarantees only the money paid in the course of time, minus the commissions. The latter are 2,5% of the monthly contribution at most plus 0,05% of the money already in the fund.
Inflation isn't going to be taken into account. Take a contribution of 20 Euro a month in 30 years, for instance. In such case the pension will reach 135 Euro a month.
Varujan Vosganian, Romanian's economy minister, says the state pension system will survive for a time. He promises that, no matter the employer's conduct, the contribution to the private pensions will be paid. It starts from 2% of the gross wages and it is to reach 6% in 8 years' time.
President Basescu: A reasonable political compromise
The launch of the private pension system is a "reasonable political compromise", a satisfying, but an insufficient one. It was the President of Romania Traian Basescu who expressed this opinion in yesterday's conference "September 17, 2007 - Start of Compulsory Private Pensions in Romania", arranged by "Ziarul Financiar" (the Financial Daily).
According to the President, the launch of the private pension system is "the first action striking the paternalist state bad". The Romanian President argued that the private pensions could become an incentive for Romanian economy and citizens' welfare, provided that the political factor granted the conditions necessary for the private pension funds to have a positive evolution.
President Basescu highlighted how important the transparent administration of these funds would be. (...) And he commented more: "I think the establishing of the private pension system can stimulate fairness on the labor force market so that some of those participating in the private pension funds would become vigilant guardians of the correct registration of wages and other payment in employment documents".

Ovidiu Banches & C.S.
Ziua Marti 18 Septembrie 2007 http://www.ziua.net/english

Collapsing education system

Catalin Croitoru, a union leader of the National Education Federation in Romania, warned in the very day the 2007-2008 school year opened: "In Romania there is no strategy for education. There is neither a national programme with clear objectives to make things progress naturally so that the education system will recover step by step. In the last 17 years, every education minister tried to put his 'seal' on education, which thus turned into a character with scars and deep wounds. There have been lots of inventions, ceaseless shocks and inappropriate impulses on the system and right now we have reached a crisis. The system is on the verge of collapsing. (...)"
The official claims it is because of the lacking national strategy and he argues: "A national system involves millions of people. Almost a half of Romania's population is one way or the other involved in the education system: students, parents, teachers and businessmen".

M.S.
Ziua Marti 18 Septembrie 2007 http://www.ziua.net/english

BOR to meet with CNSAS

CNSAS (National Council for Research on the Communist Secret Service Archive) member Laurentiu Tanase is to meet with His Beatitude Daniel, a Patriarch of the BOR (Romanian Orthodox Church) on Wednesday and talk about the questioning of the high clergy.
Because several BOR representatives refused to undergo questioning by the CNSAS members, the latter institution assigned Laurentiu Tanase to talk to the Romanian Patriarch about it. The CNSAS official mentions "there is a negative media image because of a seeming conflict between the CNSAS and the BOR". He argues that all the CNSAS members do is apply the law, as no professional category is above the law.
The BOR announced last week the start of checks on the clergy's activity under the Communist regime to be proceeded to by the committee the Holy Synod established. The outcome of the checks is to be released the following months.

C.A.
Ziua Marti 18 Septembrie 2007 http://www.ziua.net/english