Rumania recibe ayuda

Romania has become the fifth Eastern European country to seek help from international lenders to deal with the economic downturn, after Ukraine, Serbia, Latvia and Hungary.

Reporter: Oana Lungescu

<documentLink href="http://http-ws.bbc.co.uk.edgesuite.net/mp3/learningenglish/2009/03/words_in_the_news_27_mar_2009_au_bb.mp3" document-type="ms-audio"> Escuche el reportaje</documentLink>

After two weeks of intensive talks in Romania, the head of the IMF mission Jeffrey Franks said there was agreement on an overall aid package worth twenty seven billion dollars, most of which will come from the IMF and the EU. The aim of the loan is to finance the country's gaping budget deficit and improve investors' confidence, after a sharp drop in foreign capital inflows.

In just a few months, Romania's economic fate has turned. From a country which last year registered the EU's highest growth rate, it's now shedding thousands of jobs, mainly in the car and steel sectors, and facing the collapse of a property boom.

The bailout may give some temporary relief to the economy,but in an embarrassment to the centre-left governing coalition which came to power late last year promising to raise wages and pensions in what remains one of the EU's poorest countries. Some trade unions are reluctantly backing the deal, but others are threatening strikes if spending cuts are enacted.

Oana Lungescu, BBC News, Brussels

<documentLink href="http://http-ws.bbc.co.uk.edgesuite.net/mp3/learningenglish/2009/03/words_in_the_news_vocab_27_mar_2009_au_bb.mp3" document-type="ms-audio"> Listen to the words</documentLink>

<documentLink href="http://http-ws.bbc.co.uk.edgesuite.net/mp3/learningenglish/2009/03/words_in_the_news_vocab_27_mar_2009_au_bb.mp3" document-type="ms-audio"> </documentLink><bold>gaping budget deficit </bold> un déficit enorme

improve investors´ confidence alentar a los inversionistas

a sharp drop una reducción rápida

foreign capital inflows entradas de dinero extranjero

economic fate has turned el estado de la economía ha empeorado

shedding perdiendo, cerrando (puestos)

property boom boom de propiedades

wages sueldo

reluctantly backing apoyando (pero con pocas ganas)

enacted puestos en práctica