Prime Minister Emil Boc said on Saturday during a visit to the construction site of the Bucharest-Ploiesti motorway that Romania is in "dire need" of economic growth in 2012 in order to keep up the investments programme and to create jobs.

"It is crucial for Romania to maintain its economic growth in 2012. We badly need economic positive figures in 2012, that is why each effort is welcome to support the economic activity, investments and jobs. The reason I say that is that the previous year registered an economic growth which it seems to exceed two percentage points but we are waiting for the final results in February and, unfortunately, as the European Union looks like slumping again into recession, we are in dire need of economic growth in 2012 in order to preserve and create new jobs for Romanian people," the head of Government said.

Bucharest-Ploiesti motorway will be 62 km long, 25 of which had been finished by early November 2011, and the total cost of the operation amounts to 450 million euros.