Transports, Communications, Media

Transports

Located in the center of Europe, Romania is a turntable for international economic exchanges between the West and East, North and South of the continent, between Europe and the Middle East.

The main railway lines converge on the Capital that lies in the South-East of the country. Bucharest is Romania’s foremost railway node, with 8 main lines leaving from here, most of which are connected to international routes. Romania manufactures all kinds of railway cars as well as electric and Diesel-electric engines.

To railway and river transportation adds the network of public roads in Romania that sum up 198,589 km, including 114 km of highway, 14,696 km of national roads, 36,010 km of county roads, 27,781 km of communal roads, 22, 328 km of streets in towns and 97,660 km of streets in rural localities. Romania also possesses a large network of non-public roads that ensures the access of vehicles to any point on this country’s territory. Like in the railway system, the capital of Romania remains the major road juncture, from where start the routes towards the four cardinal points, some of which are connected to big European motorways, such as the E60 from Hamburg, via Oradea and Bucharest, to Constanta.

River navigation is practiced along the Danube. Ships with a draught exceeding 7 m. can navigate on the maritime Danube downstream from Braila. Upstream from Braila there navigate ships with a smaller deadweight and a draught of up to 2-2.5 m.

The Danube-Black Sea Canal and the commissioning of the Danube-Main-Rhine Canal helped create a waterway of European importance that connects the North Sea to the Black Sea. The hydro-power and navigation systems Portile de Fier I and II facilitates heavier traffic by operating a lock system.

Maritime navigation mostly involves big-deadweight ships. Sixty percent of this country’s imports and exports pass through the port of Constanta.

The inland waterways and the Black Sea are served by 35 ports, including 3 seaports, 6 river-sea ports, and 26 river ports.

Constanta Harbor is a turntable for the whole traffic on the Black Sea and also a key element of the Black Sea-North Sea connection. By using Constanta Harbor, the route between the Suez Canal, the Eastern Mediterranean and Central Europe gets 300 km shorter.

Moreover, the RO-RO and ferryboat services at Constanta Harbor provide a connection between the European continent and the Middle East. These routes are used in particular for energy resources and the shipment of goods.

Free zones close to the customs offices have been set up in both river and seaports.

In the history of aviation, Traian Vuia was the first in the world to take off, in 1906, with an airplane propelled exclusively by the force of its engine. In 1910, in Paris, Henri Coanda presented the world’s first jet plane. The first airplane ever with metallic elements in its structure and a two-seat cockpit was built in 1911 by Aurel Vlaicu.

Romania’s main airport is the Henri Coanda International Airport, 10 km away from Bucharest, which handles 75% of the passenger and goods traffic. At the northern end of Bucharest lies the Baneasa Airport, which handles especially domestic flights.

The internal airlines connect the Capital to Craiova, Timisoara, Arad, Oradea, Sibiu, Cluj-Napoca, Satu Mare, Baia Mare, Targu Mures, Bacau, Iasi, Suceava, Tulcea, Caransebes and Constanta. Several international lines connect Bucharest to the other big cities worldwide. Romania possesses also a fleet of hydroplanes and helicopters.

The concept of the European Union on the makeup of the public road network has been assimilated in this country too; and mention should be made in this respect of the network of European corridors, three of which cross Romania.

Works are underway to modernize the national roads open to international traffic, with a total length of about 2,150 km. The Bucharest-Fetesti highway segment (134 km) is being extended from Cernavoda to Constanta. Bridges are going to be built across the Danube and the Prut, as well as four new airports in Brasov, Galati, Alba Iulia and Bistrita.

Astra SA Arad manufactures railway cars are according to European quality and reliability standards, including under license.

In June 2004, works began for the building of the Brasov-Bors highway that is going to connect Romania to the European Union - the biggest infrastructure project in Europe, initiated with the American company Bechtel. With a length of 415 km, and four lanes, the highway starts from the center of Romania, reaching the border with Hungary. It passes by Brasov, Fagaras, Sighisoara, Targu-Mures, Cluj-Napoca, Oradea. This EURO 2.2 billion-worth project is to be completed in 2012, making the connection between the markets in Europe and those in Central Asia. The design and construction works are being ensured by Romanian services.

In August 2004, the first private railway line was inaugurated in this country. It goes from Constanta to Capul Midia, and it belongs to Rompetrol Logistic, assuring a connection with the Petromidia refinery. In September, a second private railway line was opened in Bistrita County between Ilva Mica and Rodna Veche, stretching over 21 km.

Telephone services

Telecommunication activities in Romania go back one hundred and fifty years, In 1854, the first inter-urban telegraph line was commissioned. After 1884, several localities were equipped with telephones, with networks exceeding 10 km. It is worth mentioning that it is Romanian Augustin Maior that invented the multiple telephone, which allowed Bell’s invention to spread.

The first law regulating the telecommunication activities - Special Law on Telephone Exploitation - was passed in 1892. In 1899, the Palace of Post and Telegraph started operating, one of the most stately buildings in Bucharest. After 1918, according to a Royal Decree, the General Division of PTT coordinated the activity of the Post, Telegraph and Telephone throughout Romania. Starting 1930, telephone services were leased to the American Trust ITT. The Romanian Anonymous Telephone Company was set up that made big investments in equipment, lines, offices in the big cities, social programs for the personnel.

Nationalized in 1948, the Company entered under the control of the State that became its owner, regulating body, operator and the main customer of the telecommunication system.

After 1991, the separation started of the operational functions of the unitary telecommunication system. The ROMTELECOM Autonomous Telecommunication National Company was set up as the national operator in matter of communications.

In December 1998, OTE company of Greece purchased 35% of the Romtelecom shares. GTE from the USA joined in bringing thirty experts to the executive and operative leadership of the company.

Mobile phones have boomed formidably in recent years. Data from the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology show that in mid 2004 the number of mobile phone users stood at 8.2 million, 1.4 million up as to the end of 2003.

In mid 2004, there were 12.0 million users of fixed and mobile phones. The turnover of mobile telephone operators topped 38 thousand billion lei in 2003, up by 10.7 thousand billion lei as to 2002. As a result of liberalization, the value of the communication market is expected to exceed 2.9 billion Euro in 2004. In 2004, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology granted five licenses for the experimentation of 3G telecommunication services.

Ericsson, Siemens, Nokia, Alcatel and Motorola own the respective licenses. The Romanian Post

The post system was first attested in Romania in the 13th century.

The year 1858 represents an important date in the evolution of the post. It was then that the first Romanian post stamps were introduced, deemed among the oldest in the world. The series Aurochs’ Head contains a few peerless pieces of philatelic collection.At present, the Romanian Post is a national company, an important component of the communication system. Its main activity is the administration, development and exploitation of the public post services, and cooperation with similar organizations abroad.

The Romanian Post embraces the concept of the European Commission referring to a new unitary market of post services, presented in The Green Book, which implies a single tariff at the level of the Community and creates equal conditions for the same category of services. The past few years meant to the Romanian Post a period of maintaining, modernizing, diversifying and launching new services, and contract-based activities with the state or economic agents.

At present, the Romanian National Post Company SA has a powerful post network with 600 commercial post offices; 300 distribution post offices; 800 rural post offices; and about 30,000 post boxes.

Through the Romanian National Post Company SA people can benefit by rapid post services: Ultrapost and Prioripost for deliveries at national level and EMS (Express Mail Service) for deliveries abroad. 

Starting 2001, the Romanian Post launched the Pioripost-Invoice services by which the sender can send copies of invoices issued that can be returned by the addressee after signing them, in conformity with the legislation in force.

In point of facilities, the Romanian Post National Company SA grants discounts to the Postmessenger, Postmessenger Plus and Infadres services, function of the volume of deliveries.

The issue of post stamps is another major activity of the Romanian Post. Each year there are about 25 issues of 8-10 stamps as well as several perforated strips. The system of subscription was encouraged for the purchase of Romanian post stamps, with lower costs for collective subscriptions by stamps associations and clubs. A large number of contracts was concluded with the private economic agents operating on this market.

The Romanian Post is an active presence at the national and international stamp events. The Romanian Post organized in Bucharest the 23^rd Congress of the World Postal Union. Following this event organized in September-October 2004, the Romanian Post holds the presidency of the Administration Council of the World Postal Union until the next congress. It will therefore play a consequential role in supervising the fulfillment of regulating, administrative and legislative tasks. This will allow Romania to get actively implicated in the development of postal services in Eastern European countries.

The Media

In today’s Romania, the media have been undergoing spectacular diversification as compared to the period before 1990, when information was censored, filtered and controlled.

After 1990, beside the National Press Agency, ROMPRES, private press agencies emerged such as Mediafax, AR Press, and AM Press.

Radio and television stations have diversified and grown in number. Beside the Romanian Broadcasting Company (with five new stations broadcasting domestic and international news) and the National Television Company (with four channels and territorial studios in the cities of Iasi, Cluj and Timisoara), private radio stations entered the picture (Europa FM, Radio 21, Kiss FM, Star, PRO FM, Contact, etc.) as well as private television stations (Antena 1, PRO TV, PRIMA TV, Ralitatea TV, B1 TV, PAX, National TV, Tele 7abc, etc.). Several cable and satellite television companies started operating.

The Romanian Radio Company also airs, through the national stations, broadcasts in the languages of the ethnic minorities: Hungarian, German, Serbian, Bulgarian, Czech, Slovakian, Turkish, Ukrainian, Greek, etc. Territorial stations broadcast their own programs.

In the field of the print press, a true explosion has been recorded, both in the Capital City and in the rest of the country.

A large number of publications - dailies and periodicals - are issued in the languages of the ethnic minorities.

Since 1992 on, of the 40 magazines and other periodicals published by the Ministry of Culture with a total circulation number of 125,000 copies, some 20 titles have been printed in the languages of the ethnic minorities, with a circulation of 43,000 copies, enjoying budget subsidy. Over 30 publications issued by organizations of the ethnic minorities in Romania are granted subsidies.

New philosophical-religious and history magazines have been started.

News and information about Romania in languages of world circulation (English, French, German, Spanish, and Russian) are provided - beside the specialized programs of the Radio Company - through the Foreign Press Group "Romania", which publishes the monthly Romanian Panorama and the culture and civilization monthly Romanian Review, as well as other works covering the various realities of Romania.

Source: ROMANIA - FOCUS
Released by the Foreign Languages Press Group