All newspapers on Thursday read about Romania’s President boycott of the Central European Summit in Poland. Elsewhere in the news, PDL Senator Banias involved in the corruption scandal at the Port of Constanta claims he has used smuggled merchandise to give to the poor. The scandal might be the end of the Interior ministry intelligence service, one newspaper reads. United Arab Emirates sheik plans to invest in Constanta. Romanians in Berlin can enjoy a series of concerts at the Romanian Music Nights. In Bucharest, those passionate about books have a wide array of offers at this year’s edition of Bookfest.

Evenimentul Zilei reads that Romania’s President Traian Basescu will boycott the Central European Summit in Poland on grounds that Kosovo has been invited and Romania did not acknowledge Kosovo as a state. Kosovo is an unknown entity to Romania, as the President’s spokesperson Valeriu Turcan said.

For the same reasons, the Serbian President announced that he will not attend the summit either. A similar position was taken by Slovakia but in the meanwhile they changed their mind. Barack Obama is expected to join in as a special guest. Romania, Slovakia, Greece, Spain and Cyprus do not acknowledge Kosovo, the state that proclaimed, unilaterally its independence in 2008.

Gandul reads about the scandal at the Port of Constanta, involving politicians and high state officials in fiscal evasion activities. The newspaper reads that Democratic Liberal Senator Mircea Banias admitted that he asked for smuggled goods but claims he offered them to the poor and needy.

He admitted in a talkshow that in 2010 he asked the criminal network organized at the Port of Constanta to get him some clothes and shoes which he claims he offered for the needy in Constanta at a Christmas party. Banias is also suspected by anti graft prosecutors of using his influence in the party to block a series of initiatives that would scan all containers entering the country. However, Banias denied the allegations saying that he could not have possible done that.

In the same vein, Romania libera reads that the scandal, involving also Interior ministry secretary general Laurentiu Mironescu who was sacked as the scandal broke might cause the end of the ministry’s intelligence service. He service risks to be closed because it failed to signal Mironescu’s involvement in the criminal network before he was named secretary general in the ministry.

Sources within the ministry told the newspaper that their lack of professionalism, passivity or even complicity affected the image of the ministry and of the government. The service was supposed to check Mironescu before it approved his nomination for the position in the interior ministry.

Moreover, the Interior ministry’s intelligence service branch in Constanta should have been aware of the criminal network organized there that was well known to many. Interior minister Igas said he was not aware of the network when he proposed Mironescu for the position.

Romania libera reads about the visit of sheik Khalifa bin Zayed, the representative of the wealthiest family in the world who plans to invest in Constanta. He is the first born son of the President of the United Arab Emirates. Constanta’s prefect said after the visit that the Prince was interested in the village 23 August at the seaside and the project of the Formula 1 circuit.

According to the prefect, the delegation talked about the possibility to develop the area in such a way that it would have economic activities 12 months/year not just in the summer. Their plans are to create a health spa in South East Romania, at the Black Sea that would attract Eastern Europeans for treatment in Romania.

Evenimentul Zilei announces a series of concerts organized at the end of the month by the Romanian Cultural Institute in Berlin under the tag Romanian Music Nights. Romanians in Berlin can enjoy several wide known Romanian bands. Romania libera reads about this year’s edition of Bookfest where those in Bucharest can benefit significant discounts from the price of any book. Book launches, discounts and debates organizers also prepared some concerts of theater shows.