A surge in mobile telephone connections is just one sign of the sudden spurt in economic activity recorded in Romania since the government of prime minister Adrian Nastase took power late last year. After three years of recession in the late 1990s, the recovery that began slowly last year has rapidly gathered pace. Romania is likely to post a 5 per cent rise in gross domestic product this year - among the highest in the ex-communist region. And the government is forecasting a similar performance for next year.