Romania – Media Review – October 29

ZIARUL FINANCIAR

- Romania's western county of Caras Severin has opened a 26.2 hectare industrial park, Nova Terova, in the town of Resita, following 10 million euro investment, county's authorities said.

- Losses related to non-performing loans in Romania could reach 43 billion lei, equal to 9.0% of the country's gross domestic product, compared to an average for the region estimated at 13%, a World's Bank report showed.

MEDIAFAX

- PepsiAmericas Inc., the world's second-largest Pepsi bottler, has said its third-quarter revenue on the European markets was negatively affected by the economic downturn in Romania, company's CEO Robert C. Pohlad said.

- US-French group Alcatel-Lucent will transfer some of the staff of its Romanian unit to firms set up in partnership with other companies and there will be no lay-offs, as part of a program to streamline its operations, local branch officials said.

- Romania's flag air carrier Tarom will launch flights from the capital Bucharest to Italy's Bari on December 11, the company said. It will fly the route on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

BUSINESS STANDARD

- Danish Danske Bank sees the Romanian leu depreciating to 4.45 lei per euro in the next three months, as the political situation in the country and the possible outcome of the country's negotiations with the IMF are putting pressure on the leu, the head of the bank's emerging markets department, Lars Christensen, said.

- Turnover of LukOil Romania, the local unit of the Russia's LukOil, halved year-on-year in the first nine months to $932 million mainly due to a fall in the price of oil, LukOil Romania director general Constantin Tampiza said.

(1 euro=4.3125 Romanian lei)