Romanian newspapers on Thursday discuss extensively the comments made by President Traian Basescu on Wednesday on government plans to deal with the economic crisis. One paper looks into the rush for the Black Sea resources, another is interested about the Romanian smartest students' plans to continue their studies, while yet another reports on suspicions that a Romanian TV star and his TV station were involved in an organised crime ring.

Romania's President Traian Basescu took one step away from a decision of the government to rise VAT to 24%, Evenimentul Zilei reports, related to an interview the President made to the public radio on Wednesday in which he said the government move was a mistake. The paper says that Basescu and PM Emil Boc had rather different perspectives on how to bring more money to the budget, as the head of state put forward the idea that taxing pensions would have been an alternative to increased VAT.

The same issue is discussed by Adevarul, which focuses on the fact that a recent decision by the Constitutional Court to declare plans to cut pensions as unconstitutional is seen by Traian Basescu as a political approach to the problem, not a constitutional one.

Gandul reads that Basescu leaves Emil Boc alone with his move to rise VAT and tries to identify what the costs would be for President's idea to tax pensions instead. And the paper quotes sources from the governing Democratic Liberal Party (PDL) who had told the paper that the prime minister had explained the president that no party in the governmental coalition would have accepted taxes on pensions and that the move might have been declared unconstitutional.

Elsewhere in the news, the same Gandul reads that Economy minister Adriean Videanu has told its reporters that a possible cut of the flat tax down to 10% was being discussed. But several hours