The vice-president of the Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIR), Nicolae Ţucunel, yesterday said he no longer trusts the government, after two ministers "nonchalantly" announced that "they lied during the electoral campaign and that they are not willing to lie any longer". Ţucunel, who is also the chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Braşov, said that there is currently an attempt to "exterminate Romanian capital, as there are foreign businessmen who want to acquire Romanian companies, by exploiting the opportunities provided by the economic crisis.

He said: "Romanian capital now accounts for less than 15% of the Romanian economy, and as a result the government does not have the necessary leverage to help the Romanian economy recover. The government should negotiate with those who control Romania"s economy and get better terms for Romania, including with banks that make huge profits from sabotaging the domestic business environment".

The vice-president of the CCIR added: "I feel frustrated as a Romanian entrepreneur when I go to a bank to apply for a loan and they charge me a higher interest rate than they do customers who come from their country of origin, and they stick to that interest rate hoping that I will change my mind an I will no longer take out that loan". The businessman from Braşov said that banks need to be required by law to work with the interest rates that they charge in other European countries: "If there is a campaign to exterminate the domestic business environment it would be very bad for us, because in this way we will always be dependent on foreigners, and the Romanian government will never be able to help our economy, since it will lack the necessary leverage".

Ovidiu VRÂNCEANU, Braşov (Translated by Cosmin Ghidoveanu) The vice-president of the Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIR), Nico