Nokia factory in Romania comes with the company decision to close up the one in Germany, one newspaper reads on Thursday. Elsewhere in the news, the European Commission compels Romania to increase its natural gas prices by almost 70% to level them with the existing ones on the European market. Last but not least, Social Democrat senator Sorin Oprescu recently accused of forging his CV declares some pages stolen.

Romania Libera reads that Nokia investments in a Romanian factory and the company officials' suspicious silence are linked to a Nokia decision to close its factory in Bochum, Germany.

EP Socialists group leader Martin Schultz urged EC President Barroso to take a stand against Nokia's decision to move its factory from Bochum, Germany to Cluj, Romania as German politicians and trade union members protest.

Schultz claims that Nokia was financially encouraged by the European Union to take the move. However, Barroso explained that the Commission has no authority on the issue. However, Romanian EP member, Monica Iacob Ridzi says that German MEPs discussed about some EU funds intended to temporarily help those unemployed.

Currently, Nokia Romania employs some 500 workers at the factory while others, specialized in software work in Cluj, central Romania. Nokia officials argue that the factory will hire some 1,000 people but the network will expand to 3,500.

The total investment in the industrial plant in Romania will amount to 60 million euro but some of the financial burden will be undertaken by local authorities, as infrastructure and utilities need to be assured.

Electricity investments only, experts argue, amount to some 17 million euro.

Also at the European level, Romania is compelled to level upwards its natural gas prices, Gandul reads. Thus, local authorities will increase prices by almost 70% in 2008. The decision comes as a shock, but the levelling should have been made gradually, starting some two years ago, according to the paper.

Romania's production price for natural gas is 180 dollars while the European market pays some 300 dollars for the same amount produced. Thus, as EU legislation imposes, countries need to level up their prices to assure that competitiveness is functional.

Most affected by the measure are chemical companies, health industry, porcelain producers and bread producers. Consumers will be affected also, as they claim 20% of the natural gas consumption annually.

Elsewhere in the news, Social Democrat Senator Sorin Oprescu, recently accused by Cotidianul journalists of having forged his resume replies that some 11 pages are missing from his official file.

Cotidianul reads that the 11 files missing represent exactly the 21 articles he claimed he published to get promoted as a professor.

However, journalists argued that those articles are not to be found in the archives of the scientific magazines where Oprescu said he published.

Oprescu defended urging journalists to search the American scientific library pubmed.gov where in 2000, when Oprescu was named professor he held exactly 21 articles needed for the promotion.

However, Cotidianul journalists argue that the online library stacks articles by last name, adding the initial of his first name S and Oprescu's former wife, Simona authored some 10 of the invoked 21 articles by Oprescu.