Austerity measures taken by the Romanian government are discussed by major Romanian media on Monday. One newspaper reports that a sports and real estate media is trying to do a "job" on the Defense Ministry. And the papers discuss the performance of Romanian singers in this year's Eurovision contest and what success in this international music show has brought them in the past.

Adevarul reads in its online edition that the Government has approved a set of long debated austerity measures and tries to identify who among state sector employees would not be affected. It reads that the government met in a session on Sunday evening and approved a plan of austerity measures for which it would assume responsibility in the Parliament. The paper points out that two bills - one on pensions and one on measures to balance the budget, would be submitted to the Parliament on Monday.

Gandul reads that three months after PM Emil Boc said central bank (BNR) governor Mugur Isarescu could decide whatever salary he wanted for himself, the head of government changed his mind. So, BNR Governor Isarescu hay see his salary 25% lower starting June, according to a bill that sets ground for BNR salary cuts of 25% starting next month, in line with other salaries in the state and public sector.

Romania libera, for its part, reads that officials in the state structures and state-controlled companies are requested to donate their bonuses and at least 25% of incomes in a solidarity fund, as in their case salary cuts are not decided by law. The paper reports that Economy minister Adriean Videanu has announced he would oust all officials in the boards of state controlled companies unless they donate their payments for board membership to a solidarity fund. And the same paper quotes official data according to which incomes of many decision makers in the Economy Ministry exceed the salary of a minister.

The same issue is signalled by another paper, Evenimentul Zilei, which reads that while ministers have fixed salaries, other people working for their ministries are boosting their incomes with bonuses and other sorts of payments that in some cases triples their income.

Elsewhere in the news, Adevarul reports that sports and real estate mogul Gigi Becali, who controls Steaua Bucharest football club, calls on the Defense Ministry to pay a debt despite that on the account of that debt he has acquired 13 football players and sold some of them for millions of euro. The paper reads that a scandal between Becali and the Defense Ministry on an old 654,000 dollar debt revived in December 2009, when Becali claimed the Ministry failed to pay it.

Also in the news today, Evenimentul Zilei quotes Paula Seling, a singer who, teaming with Ovi, took the third place in the Eurovision international song contest over the weekend. The paper quotes her describing how she focused on preparations for the contest instead of listening to home speculation that the song she and Ovi sang was "bad". And she says she believes one could not do better for Eurovision.

Adevarul reports extensively on Eurovision and in one article reads that the song contest has become a new career start for Romanian singers such as Mihai Traistariu, who came fourth in the 2006 edition of the contest. But it points out that success is not guaranteed in all cases and that Traistariu, who has earned considerable fame, was lucky to reach where he is now.