Personal travel planner Anca Nichifor writes about places she has taken tourists to: Biertan, Copsa Mare, Dobrogea vineyards, Dobrogea caves and Esmahan Sultan mosque. "My job allows me to spend quite some time traveling across Romania and despite this, it has been hard for me to see Romania through the eyes of the tourist."

When I first moved to Romania for my work in 1993, the youngest of our two sons was less than one year old. In those days there was no good quality fresh milk in the shops and the import of long life milk was irregular. This problem was solved in the person of Salomnia, an old lady who did some cleaning at one of our neighbors.

The head of Banca Transilvania's administration council, Horia Ciorcila and the head of Bank of Cyprus Romania, Georgios Christofourou have been summoned to trial on alleged stock market manipulation and money laundering in the Bank of Cyprus acquisition of a share package in Banca Transilvania earlier this year.

Mahmoud Abbas, president of the National Palestinian Authority, is visiting Romania today and tomorrow (July 12, 13), invited by the Romanian president Traian Basescu. Abbas will meet the Romanian president, as well as the prime minister Emil Boc and the head of the Chamber of Deputies, Roberta Anastase.

Around 2.7 million Romanian citizens are currently staying in other European Union member states, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in its most recent migration report. Their remittances reached USD 9.4 billion in 2008, the highest level so far, but went down rapidly in 2009

Oil company OMV Petrom (BVB symbol: SNP) has signed an agreement with Petrofac, the oil and gas facilities service provider, for the management of operations in nine oil fields in Ticleni area, South – West Romania. This should result in a 50 percent increase in production for the next five years.

Car prices dropped by over 10 percent last year in Romania, which represented one of the biggest price reductions in the European Union, after those in Slovenia, Latvia and Slovakia, according to a report from the European Commission.

Bucharest will have the highest development pace in Europe in the next five years, according to an Oxford Economics study, quoted by Mediafax newswire

Romanian media, EUR 11.3 billion businesses insolvent in 28 months – in Ziarul Financiar, Economy unlikely to rebound unless lending market improves– in Ziarul Financiar, The billion-RON Fondul Proprietatea dividends closer to being distributed– in Ziarul Financiar, ButanGas sets its sights on wind power development– in Ziarul Financiar, Breath of fresh air for car market: 12% higher sales in June– in Ziarul Financiar, Unilever gets licence for Rom, brings third local brand onto ice cream market– in Ziarul Financiar

Calendar of events for the week July 12-15

An European Union-funded project aims to promote and develop tourism in the County of Hunedoara

US company Lufkin Industries, Inc. (Nasdaq: LUFK) has announced its plans to build a manufacturing facility near Ploiesti, with an investment of USD 126 million. This facility will manufacture products for both the company's oilfield and power transmission divisions with an initial focus on oilfield products.