Other countries, other customs

Free press Romanian metro pulls emergency brake in Bucharest Those responsible for the city metro in Romania's capital Bucharest have a relationship to advertising and communication that has yet to be revised. When Ringier - the most important print publisher in the Carpathian country - launched the first free newspaper with Compact last May, negotiations were also held with the city's subway railroads about suitable box locations. They wanted to provide them with a regular page for corporate communications and self-promotion free of charge, recalls General Manager Thomas Landolt. "But they simply rejected our offer for incomprehensible reasons." Romania's capital is experiencing a chaotic economic and construction boom ahead of its planned accession to the EU on January 1. Within a year, around 40 percent more cars are on the streets of Bucharest. There is no urban planning. It is foreseeable that private transport will soon come to a complete standstill. The importance of the metro is self-explanatory. (rw)