New business opportunities, lost traditions, killing horses and lions in the name of European laws, regional and international investments - these are the news brought to the first pages of newspapers after the recent accession to the EU. But it would be childish to believe that Romania suddenly became European in all.

Deputies still get richer and richer, any minimum income growth leads to higher taxes, fees and fines, even the Danube Delta paradise isn't feeling any safer, with officials desperately trying to get their hands on as much as they can in the area.

15,500 horses with immunity problems in the county of Covasna were sacrificed last year and the promised state compensations never reached the peasants' pockets. The horses' meat left for Italy and was never to be heard of again, Evenimentul Zilei reads.

Other animals - the ones living on Zoo Gardens - are about to be slaughtered because they don't get enough comfort, UK's Daily Mail informs, as quoted by Gandul. In Timisoara, the birds in the Zoo were already cooked and served to feed the poor, a lion was poisoned and a bear was shot. Most of the other 36 zoo gardens are about to do the same.

Ecological farms are by far a better deal. Adevarul publishes a piece on what kind of businesses are to be developed using European Union's funds: from agriculture projects to equal choice policies promotion or the restoration of historical monuments, we have enough to do with the cash.

In order to get the cash, some may have to travel in Europe. Well, the good news is that the Interior Minister, Vasile Dobre, is determined to introduce the electronic passports this year, according to Gandul, a move that will also make it easier for Romanians to have the USA visas lifted.

Also in Gandul, another piece of good news is that the Romanian currency, RON, appreciated 2.72% compared to the euro and 3.6% to the US Dollar.

Generally speaking, we earn a bit more than last year. The minimum income grew from 370 to 390 RON per month. Still the growth will be easily lost on driving felony fines, which also grew 5%, Evenimentul Zilei reads.

Not a problem for our deputies: 32 of them are rich enough to offer private loans between 10,000 and 300,000 euros, Gandul comments, after the publishing of the wealth statements. Prosecutors should also be interested in the statements, since some of the loans are offered to extremely controversial businessmen.

Speaking of politicians: far-right extremist Corneliu Vadim Tudor was adopted by the extremist parents in Europe, who are about to attempt the creation of their own EP group today, Romania Libera reads.

Back home, the Liberal-Democrat Party will exist officially starting on January 15th, same Romania Libera informs, in case no legal challenges are submitted by other parties.

Far from the savage cities, the Danube Delta seemed to be, until recently, the piece of lost haven one could run to when the stress would get him. Now it's roughly the piece of land all new millionaires dream of. 7,000 hectares were illegally stolen from the national interest areas and transferred to local interest area, so we may expects hundreds of villas and palaces to be build soon.

Read a fine piece of investigative journalism in Jurnalul National.