Radio România Internațional

Tag: certificate

New rules for entering Romania

European
countries are beginning to lift the tight rules that have governed the fight
against the pandemic. Denmark becomes the first European country to eliminate
all domestic restrictions as of Tuesday, after putting a lockdown in place in
December to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant. Danish authorities
cancelled the remaining restrictions, after reaching the conclusion that the
disease caused by the coronavirus is no longer a critical threat.

For
the time being, Bucharest remains prudent and keeps restrictions in place, as
record numbers of infections are still expected. Some changes have been
operated nonetheless, with respect to the quarantine terms for SARS-CoV-2
patients.

The
head of the Department for Emergency Situations, Raed Arafat, announced that
national authorities gave up the colour codes for countries depending on
infection risks. A new, single rule for entering Romanian territory has been
introduced instead, with a 5-day quarantine required for travellers without a
European digital certificate or other corresponding documents. State secretary Raed
Arafat:

This is the new rule. Travellers are either vaccinated, recovered from
the disease or with a negative PCR test not older than 72 hours before entering
the country or before take-off, for those traveling by plane. The quarantine
rules after direct contact also change, with people who had the disease in the last 90 days no longer required to
isolate after direct contact with an infected patient. All other people having
had direct contact with a COVID patient will isolate for 5 days, regardless of
whether they are vaccinated or not.

Mr.
Arafat also said Romania will also introduce the European rule applicable as of
February 1 concerning the vaccination certificate. Specifically, certificates
will be valid for 9 months for the fully vaccinated, with a booster dose
required after this period if the certificate is to remain valid.

The
measure is compulsory for all EU member countries, but it only concerns travel
across the Union. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has
recommended the administration of a booster dose 6 months after the completion of the first
vaccination cycle.

For
the time being, in Romania the digital certificate is accepted upon entering
the country and for access in shops, restaurants and performance venues,
including for people without the booster dose. (A.M.P.)

1 February 2022
New rules for entering Romania

European
countries are beginning to lift the tight rules that have governed the fight
against the pandemic. Denmark becomes the first European country to eliminate
all domestic restrictions as of Tuesday, after putting a lockdown in place in
December to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant. Danish authorities
cancelled the remaining restrictions, after reaching the conclusion that the
disease caused by the coronavirus is no longer a critical threat.

For
the time being, Bucharest remains prudent and keeps restrictions in place, as
record numbers of infections are still expected. Some changes have been
operated nonetheless, with respect to the quarantine terms for SARS-CoV-2
patients.

The
head of the Department for Emergency Situations, Raed Arafat, announced that
national authorities gave up the colour codes for countries depending on
infection risks. A new, single rule for entering Romanian territory has been
introduced instead, with a 5-day quarantine required for travellers without a
European digital certificate or other corresponding documents. State secretary Raed
Arafat:

This is the new rule. Travellers are either vaccinated, recovered from
the disease or with a negative PCR test not older than 72 hours before entering
the country or before take-off, for those traveling by plane. The quarantine
rules after direct contact also change, with people who had the disease in the last 90 days no longer required to
isolate after direct contact with an infected patient. All other people having
had direct contact with a COVID patient will isolate for 5 days, regardless of
whether they are vaccinated or not.

Mr.
Arafat also said Romania will also introduce the European rule applicable as of
February 1 concerning the vaccination certificate. Specifically, certificates
will be valid for 9 months for the fully vaccinated, with a booster dose
required after this period if the certificate is to remain valid.

The
measure is compulsory for all EU member countries, but it only concerns travel
across the Union. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has
recommended the administration of a booster dose 6 months after the completion of the first
vaccination cycle.

For
the time being, in Romania the digital certificate is accepted upon entering
the country and for access in shops, restaurants and performance venues,
including for people without the booster dose. (A.M.P.)

1 February 2022
January 12, 2022 UPDATE

COVID-19 Romania reported
8,600 new Covid cases and 44 related deaths on Wednesday. The incidence rate is
on the rise around the country, including the capital Bucharest, where it
passed 3 cases per 1,000 inhabitants, the city now being in the red tier. This
means that restaurants, cinemas, gyms and other venues can open at 30%
capacity. Also, schools where the vaccine uptake among staff is under 60% will
switch to online teaching. The National Public Health Institute confirmed the
sustained community transmission of the Omicron variant, saying almost half of
the cases did not have contact with someone infected. In the meantime,
preparations are being made for opening outpatient Covid evaluation centres
around the country.

CORRUPTION The Interior Ministry’s Anti-Corruption Directorate
Wednesday conducted 25 home searches in the counties of Neamţ and Iaşi (north-east),
as part of investigations concerning forgery and fraud offences involved in the
obtaining of COVID vaccination certificates. Physicians and nurses received
bribes in exchange for fictitious vaccination certificates. Late last year the Anti-Corruption
Directorate announced that since the start of the pandemic 168 criminal cases
were initiated with respect to fictitious vaccination and other offences. According
to the institution, Romania saw the largest-scale frauds in the EU in this
respect, with over 3,000 fake COVID certificates issued at Petea border
checkpoint. Some 1.8 million COVID-19 cases have been reported in Romania
since the start of the pandemic, and around 60,000 COVID patients died. Amid
anti-vaccine feelings fuelled by certain media outlets, politicians and opinion
leaders, Romania has the second-lowest vaccination rate in the EU.

EU FUNDING Over 1.9 billion euros will be transferred to Romanian
government accounts on Thursday, as part of the loans given to Romania under
the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, after the targets for Q4 2021 were
reached, the Ministry for EU Projects and Investments announced. The funds will
add to the 1.85 billion euros in grants paid by the European Commission on
December 2, 2021. Bucharest is to receive over 29 billion euros under the
National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The loans in the programme will be used
for the funding of large-scale projects, including motorways, water supply and
sewage networks, the digitisation of SMEs and reforestation, the Ministry
explained.

GROWTH The
National Institute of Statistics confirmed its 0.4% estimate with regard to the
growth of the Romanian economy in the third quarter of last year compared with
the previous quarter, but changes were made to the share of investments and
consumption in GDP growth. Also, in the third quarter, the net added value saw
important changes in the sectors of information and communications,
constructions, financial mediation and insurances and real estate transactions.

ECONOMY The Romanian economy is expected to grow by 4.3% this year,
as against a 4.5% growth rate forecast in June 2021, reads the World Bank’s report
on Global Economic Prospects, released on Wednesday. For 2023, the World Bank
forecasts a 3.8% GDP growth for Romania, while for last year the institution
estimates the country’s economic growth rate stood at 6.3%. The institution
expects the global economy to grow by 4.1% in 2022 and by 3.2% in 2023.

FOREIGN POLICY
Romania will continue to develop as an active, trusted, involved and
respected member of the EU and NATO. Romania’s approach is focused on
continuity, based on the three essential pillars of its foreign policy:
consolidating the country’s role and influence in the EU and NATO and
developing and deepening the strategic partnership with the US, said
president Klaus Iohannis at his annual meeting with foreign diplomats in
Bucharest. He also said strengthening the US military presence in Romania is a
major goal. Given the recent security challenges, it is obvious that we need
stronger action in terms of defence and deterrence, the Romanian president
added. Iohannis also said Romania is worried about the security situation in
Ukraine and its implications for Euro-Atlantic security and added that Romania
will continue to support the efforts of the Republic of Moldova to join the
European Union. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

12 January 2022
December 22, 2021 UPDATE

REVOLUTION The heroes who died in the December 1989 anti-communist
uprising were commemorated on Wednesday in Bucharest. Religious services and
military ceremonies were held at the cemeteries and monuments across the
country devoted to those who sacrificed their lives for freedom. Thirty-two years ago, Bucharest became the heart of the
protests that culminated with the ousting of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. The
president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, sent a message on the Day of
the Victory of the Romanian Revolution and of Freedom. December 1989 opened
Romania’s path to democracy, allowed for our NATO and EU accession, for signing
the Strategic Partnership with the USA and turned Romania into a regional
security provider. None of this would have been possible without our
anti-communist revolution, Iohannis pointed out. He said it is a shame that no one has paid for the victims of the terrible
crackdown and called on the judiciary to bring the ones responsible to justice.

BUDGET The draft state budget and
social security budget laws for 2022 are being discussed by the Parliament of
Romania. At the start of the session, PM Nicolae Ciucă said the proposed state
budget is balanced, responsible and realistic, and able to consolidate the
economy in the long run. He also said it is the budget that earmarked the
largest amounts for investments in the last 32 years. Cuica promised that taxes
will not go up and there will be no pressure on the business community.
Previously, Parliament’s specialised committees had green-lighted the bills. The budget is based on an
estimated economic growth rate of 4.6% and a GDP of some 260 billion euro, a
predicted inflation rate of 6.5% and gross average salaries of 1,200 euros per
month. USR party in opposition is considering
taking the draft budget law to the Constitutional Court, claiming that mayors
from that party have not received budget appropriations, which is an instance
of discrimination.

PROTESTS The
Romanian police arrested 2 people and fined around 200 organisers and
participants in Wednesday’s protest of the supporters of AUR party, an ultra-nationalist
and anti-vaccine party in Romania’s parliament. The protest was sparked by the
authorities’ plan to make the digital COVID certificate a requirement at the
workplace. The rally spiralled into vandalism, with one of the arrested
participants pushing through the Parliament’s gates and the other suspected of
having vandalised 4 vehicles. The investigation continues.

COVID-19 Nearly 200,000 people have generated digital
forms to enter Romanian territory since the launch of the application, most of
them at the ‘Henri Coandă’ International Airport in Bucharest. As of December
20, all passengers arriving in Romania are to fill in the Passenger Locator
Form (PLF), a document used by 18 EU member countries. Meanwhile, 851 new Covid-19
infections were reported for the past 24 hours in Romania, along with 62 related fatalities, 18 of them from a
previous date. As many as 2,830 SARS-CoV-2 patients are hospitalised, including
62 children. More than 7.7 million people in Romania are fully vaccinated. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

22 December 2021
December 21, 2021

COMMEMORATION The
heroes of the anti-communist uprising of December 1989 are commemorated in
Bucharest today. Religious services and military ceremonies are held at the
Revolution Heroes Cemetery and at the dedicated monuments downtown. Similar
events are scheduled on Wednesday at the Romanian Revolution Heroes Monument,
at the Radio Hall and the Romanian Television Corporation. Originating in Timișoara
(west), on 16th December, the uprising spread across the country,
culminating with dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu fleeing the capital city on 22nd
December amid the protests of hundreds of thousands of Romanians. Captured by
the Army, Ceauşescu and his wife Elena were subject to a summary trial and
executed in the southern town of Târgovişte. Romania was the only country behind the
Iron Curtain where the change of regime was accompanied by bloodshed. Over 1,000
people were killed and some 3,000 wounded.

BUDGET The draft 2022 state budget and social security budget laws
will be discussed and voted on in Parliament on Thursday. MPs have until this
afternoon to table amendments. Also today, the budgets of the main public
institutions are discussed in Parliament’s specialised committees. The
government passed the bills on Monday and promised they are based on
predictability and stability. The budget is based on an estimated
economic growth rate of 4.6% and a GDP of some 260 billion euro, a predicted
inflation rate of 6.5% and gross average salaries of 1,200 euros per month, with
the budget deficit expected to stay within the limits agreed on with the
European Commission under the excessive deficit procedure, namely 5.84% of GDP.
The public pension fund will receive 7.32% of GDP. The Liberal
president Florin Cîţu criticised the fact that only 6.7% of GDP was earmarked
for investments, instead of 7% as agreed within the ruling coalition. The
Social Democratic leader Marcel Ciolacu argued however that the budget
execution is more important than the exact breakdown of expenditure. The leader
of USR party in opposition, Dacian Cioloş, says the draft budget relies on
over-estimated revenues and said although public education is a priority for
President Iohannis, not enough funding has been earmarked for the sector.

TALKS The PM of Romania Nicolae Ciucă continues his first visit
to Brussels since taking over the office less than a month ago. After last
night’s working dinner with the president of the European Council, Charles
Michel, Nicolae Ciucă has meetings scheduled today with the head of the
European Commission Ursula Von Der Leyen, and with the NATO secretary general,
Jens Stoltenberg. Radio Romania’s correspondent in Brussels says Romania’s
Schengen accession is a priority in the prime minister’s talks with EU
officials. European security, with a focus on tensions in Romania’s
neighbouring areas and at Ukraine’s eastern border, will be tackled in the
meeting with the NATO secretary general.

COVID-19 Traffic is hindered in downtown Bucharest today, as protesters
encouraged by the nationalist opposition party AUR are picketing the Parliament
Palace, disgruntled with the authorities’ plan to make the digital COVID
certificate a requirement at the workplace. Measures to prevent a potential new
pandemic wave were discussed by the health minister Alexandru Rafila with
business community representatives, and the idea of a law making access to jobs
conditional on the digital COVID certificate was put forth. According to the
health ministry, the measure could be taken in case the number of COVID-19
infections goes up 1.5 times for 3 consecutive weeks. Today the
authorities announced 826 new COVID infections in 24 hours, and 88 related
fatalities, 22 of them from a previous date. Since the start of the pandemic, some 1.8 million COVID-19
cases have been reported in Romania and over 58,000 COVID patients died. Romania
has the second-lowest vaccination rate in the EU, after Bulgaria. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

21 December 2021
New calls for vaccination

The COVID-19 pandemic has stayed on a
downward trend in Romania for several weeks. Both the number of new cases, and
the number of patients in hospitals and of fatalities have been decreasing.

In this context, interest in vaccination is also decreasing: numbers are
now significantly below the daily average of 16,000 people who got their first
dose of the vaccine last week.

Nearly a year since the start of the vaccine roll-out, some 7.5 million
Romanians are fully vaccinated, which is much less than half the eligible
population of over 12 years of age.

The coordinator of the national vaccination programme, Valeriu
Gheorghiţă, hopes however that a vaccination rate of at least 50% will be
reached by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, Romanian authorities once again urge people to get vaccinated
and to observe protection measures. The PM Nicolae Ciucă and the new health
minister, Alexandru Rafila, have called for support for vaccination from
religious denominations. They also discussed with local religious leaders about
introducing the digital certificate as a prerequisite for access to churches
and other places of worship.

In turn, the representatives of various religious denominations
requested that citizens be allowed to take part in religious services without a
digital certificate. PM Nicolae Ciucă promised that a decision will be made by
the end of the month.

Nicolae Ciucă: We had talks and representatives of
religious denominations requested that citizens be free to attend religious services
without a compulsory digital certificate. We asked religious officials to help us
save as many lives as possible.

In turn, Alexandru Rafila believes people should attend religious
services without being required to have a COVID certificate, because religious freedom
is essential.

Alexandru Rafila: I believe this is ultimately a
political decision, and that it should be made within a consultative and
inclusive mechanism, rather than as a discretionary policy. It should be a
decision which is known, understood and observed by everybody, and religious
freedom is one of the essential elements. We cannot speak about this in the same
terms as access to essential shops, let’s say. We believe access to religious
services should take this into account.

As for making vaccination compulsory, as discussed by some European
Commission representatives, Alexandru Rafila believes each member state is
entitled to have its own public health policies. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

3 December 2021
New calls for vaccination

The COVID-19 pandemic has stayed on a
downward trend in Romania for several weeks. Both the number of new cases, and
the number of patients in hospitals and of fatalities have been decreasing.

In this context, interest in vaccination is also decreasing: numbers are
now significantly below the daily average of 16,000 people who got their first
dose of the vaccine last week.

Nearly a year since the start of the vaccine roll-out, some 7.5 million
Romanians are fully vaccinated, which is much less than half the eligible
population of over 12 years of age.

The coordinator of the national vaccination programme, Valeriu
Gheorghiţă, hopes however that a vaccination rate of at least 50% will be
reached by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, Romanian authorities once again urge people to get vaccinated
and to observe protection measures. The PM Nicolae Ciucă and the new health
minister, Alexandru Rafila, have called for support for vaccination from
religious denominations. They also discussed with local religious leaders about
introducing the digital certificate as a prerequisite for access to churches
and other places of worship.

In turn, the representatives of various religious denominations
requested that citizens be allowed to take part in religious services without a
digital certificate. PM Nicolae Ciucă promised that a decision will be made by
the end of the month.

Nicolae Ciucă: We had talks and representatives of
religious denominations requested that citizens be free to attend religious services
without a compulsory digital certificate. We asked religious officials to help us
save as many lives as possible.

In turn, Alexandru Rafila believes people should attend religious
services without being required to have a COVID certificate, because religious freedom
is essential.

Alexandru Rafila: I believe this is ultimately a
political decision, and that it should be made within a consultative and
inclusive mechanism, rather than as a discretionary policy. It should be a
decision which is known, understood and observed by everybody, and religious
freedom is one of the essential elements. We cannot speak about this in the same
terms as access to essential shops, let’s say. We believe access to religious
services should take this into account.

As for making vaccination compulsory, as discussed by some European
Commission representatives, Alexandru Rafila believes each member state is
entitled to have its own public health policies. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

3 December 2021
November 15, 2021

COVID-19 The latest updates released by Romanian
authorities point to a decrease in the number of new cases in the
country-little over 2,100. The authorities also reported 195 fatalities,
and more than 15,000 COVID patients are hospitalised, 1,720 of them in
intensive care. In the capital Bucharest the infection rate dropped below 6 per
thousand. On the other hand, as compared to a peak of over 110,000 people
vaccinated on 27th October, the vaccination rate in Romania has also
been dropping steadily. So far 6.8 million Romanians have been fully vaccinated.

CERTIFICATE The draft law that makes the digital COVID
certificate compulsory at the workplace may be discussed as of today in the
Chamber of Deputies. In a first stage, the document was rejected by the Senate.
The interim PM Florin Cîțu called for exemplary mobilisation in the Chamber of
Deputies, so as to ensure the bill gets enough votes to pass. Florin Cîţu also
said he disagreed with the proposed free-of-charge testing of unvaccinated
workers, because this would put pressure on the public budget, whereas the
vaccine comes at no cost to citizens. In several cities, including Bucharest, rallies
were held to protest the possible introduction of the digital certificate and
other restrictions.

GOVERNMENT Negotiations continue in Bucharest, with
the National Liberal Party, the Social Democratic Party and the Democratic
Union of Ethnic Hungarians trying to reach an agreement on a governing
programme. After Save Romania Union left the ruling coalition in September, the
Social Democrats introduced a no-confidence motion and dismissed the Liberal
cabinet. Today the talks will focus on the public
finances and justice fields. The
Liberal Party leader and interim PM Florin Cîţu announced that as far as the
labour area goes, a 7% pension rise has been discussed, but that a final
decision is to be made after the impact on the public budget has been analysed.
He also said child allowances are also to be raised. In turn, the Social
Democratic leader Marcel Ciolacu mentioned the pension and child allowance
increases, but said several scenarios are being analysed and a complete set of
measures in this respect will be announced this week. So far the 3 parties have
not reached an agreement on a new prime minister designate.

MIGRANTS Brussels is hosting today a meeting of EU
foreign ministers focusing on the situations in Belarus, Ethiopia, Western
Balkans and the Sahel. Romania is represented by foreign minister
Bogdan Aurescu. According to a news release, the Romanian official is
taking part, alongside his EU counterparts, in an informal working brunch with
the Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba. Bogdan Aurescu will
also attend the ministerial meeting of the Eastern Partnership. As regards the
situation in Belarus, Romania’s foreign affairs chief will express the
country’s solidarity with Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, which are facing a
growing number of migrants at their borders with Belarus, and will promise to
support swift additional sanctions against Minsk.

CLIMATE The agreement to reduce coal use, reached
at the UN Climate talks in Glasgow, is a game-changing agreement which sounds the death knell
for coal power, said the British PM Boris Johnson, the host of the
COP26. According to analysts, the document, although imperfect, is nonetheless
an achievement, insofar that for the first time in the 25 climate conferences
held so far, it explicitly mentions fossil fuels as elements contributing to
climate change. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in the UK, one of
the critics of the deal was India, who said the plan to phase out coal use was
unfair for poorer countries.

FOOTBALL Romania’s national football team Sunday defeated
Liechtenstein 2-0 in Vaduz, but still failed to qualify into the playoffs for
the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, as it finished the preliminary phase 3rd
in its group. Second in the group came North Macedonia, which has reached the
playoffs after defeating Iceland 3-1. The top-ranking team in the group,
Germany, goes straight into the World Cup final tournament. Romania’s coach Mirel
Radoi announced he would leave the national team. Romania last took part in a
World Cup final tournament in 1998. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

15 November 2021
October 23, 2021

COVID-19 New restrictions take effect on Monday in Romania, as the country is
struggling with an unprecedented epidemiological crisis. For 30 days, the
digital COVID certificate will be compulsory in most public places, except for
food shops and drugstores, face covering will be compulsory in all indoor and
outdoor public areas, and a ban on outdoor concerts and shows, as well as on
private events, including weddings, conferences and workshops, will be in place.
Also on Monday, public and private kindergartens,
primary, secondary schools and high schools will take a 2-week break.
After-schools will also be closed, although nurseries will stay open. Companies
with more than 50 employees will organise shifts or remote work, sports
competitions will be held without public in attendance, and a night curfew will also be introduced, between 10 pm and 5 am, for
the unvaccinated. On Saturday the authorities reported 15,261
new SARS-CoV-2 cases and 446 COVID-related deaths.

VACCINE Following repeated appeals from physicians, for fear of getting
infected or simply because they no longer have access to various activities
without the digital COVID certificate, many Romanians previously reluctant to
the vaccine seem to have changed their minds. According to the latest official
figures, over 128,000 people got the vaccine in the last 24 hours, most of them
(over 86,000) with the first vaccine dose. This weekend the capital Bucharest
is hosting a vaccination marathon. The National Defence Minister will also
organize on Monday and Tuesday, a vaccination marathon in 6 military hospitals
in the country. President Klaus Iohannis Saturday once again called on people
to get the vaccine, saying this is the only way to curb the Covid-19 pandemic. Since
the start of the vaccination programme in late December, more than 6.2 million
Romanians have received COVID-19 vaccines, and more than 5.8 million of them
are fully vaccinated.

GOVERNMENT In Romania, prime
minister designate Nicolae Ciucă, a retired general, carries on negotiations
over parliamentary support for his new cabinet. The Liberal leader Florin Cîţu
also took part in Friday’s talks with the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians
in Romania, the Liberals’ partners in the ruling coalition. Cîţu said that
early next week the governing programme and distribution of cabinet seats would
be submitted to Parliament. He added that in order to secure parliamentary support,
the Liberals would discuss with Save Romania Union as well, although the latter
originally announced they would not back a minority government. On the other
hand, the Social Democrats, the main party in opposition, were not contacted
for talks. Unhappy with a possible cooperation with the Social Democrats, many
Liberals will leave the party and will start a new one jointly with the former
party leader Ludovic Orban, said an ex-government spokesman, Ionel Dancă. Orban’s supporters have already called on president
Klaus Iohannis and on Florin Cîţu not to accept the support of the Social
Democratic Party. Romania has been faced with a governmental crisis since
September, when Save Romania Union left the ruling coalition over disagreements
with PM Florin Cîţu. Cîţu’s
cabinet was dismissed following a no-confidence motion initiated by the Social
Democrats and backed by Save Romania Union. The first politician designated by
president Klaus Iohannis to form a new government, Save Romania Union leader
Dacian Cioloş, failed to get endorsed by Parliament.

MOLDOVA The PM of the Republic of Moldova, Natalia Gavriliţă, announced the
rationalisation of natural gas and other resources during the one-month state
of emergency declared by Parliament on Friday. She said the government was
looking for alternative gas sources, due to the lack of a new contract with
Russia, which has cut supplies by one-third and raised prices to an unacceptable
level. Russian-Moldovan talks in Moscow ended after 2 days without an
agreement, and Moldova might see Russian gas supply completely suspended as of
November.

TENNIS Raluca Olaru (Romania) / Nadia Kicenok (Ukraine) are
today playing the final of the tennis tournament in Moscow (WTA 500), against 2nd
seeded Jelena Ostapenko (Latvia) / Katerina Siniakova (the Czech Republic). On
Friday, Raluca Olaru and Nadia Kicenok defeated the Russians Natela Dzalamidze /
Kamila Rahimova 7-5, 7-5. This is the 24th WTA doubles final for
Raluca Olaru, who has won 11 titles so far. Olaru and Kicenok this year won the
tournaments in Sankt Petersburg and Chicago, and lost the final in Bad Homburg. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

23 October 2021
Online learning, in the spotlight

The Covid-19 pandemic ushered in online education in Romania, as face-to-face learning is suspended in some schools. Unlike in the past, when schools would be closed depending on the infection rate in the respective town or village, currently the decision depends on the number of cases in each particular school.

The authorities have introduced non-invasive, saliva testing for students, teaching and non-teaching staff in the education sector, in order to monitor epidemiological risks. The outgoing PM Florin Cîţu explained that the students whose parents do not agree with their kids being tested on the 8th day of isolation following a COVID case in their class will continue to learn online.

Some parents and students want classes to be held online in places with infection rates above 6 per thousand. The Students Council emphasised that within a month since the start of the new school year, over 13,000 students and nearly 4,000 teachers in Romania caught the disease. Without regular testing, with scarce additional protection for students with chronic diseases and with elevated thresholds for suspending face-to-face teaching, many lives would be further jeopardised, students argue.

Moreover, they say that keeping schools open requires using public transport means and interacting with a large number of people in the community, thus contributing to further spreading the virus. Parents also believe that the danger is now too severe, and blame the incompetence of the authorities.

Things are no better in universities either. Rectors want the digital COVID certificate, attesting that the holder has been either vaccinated, or recovered from the disease, or has tested negative for SARS-CoV-2, to be mandatory in universities. The National Council of Rectors wants the relevant legislation amended to the effect that access to campuses and universities be conditional on anti-COVID vaccination, except for medical exemptions.

The interim education minister Sorin Cîmpeanu explained that at present the government is unable to initiate bills, and only Parliament can do this. He added that Council members discussed the option of requesting each parliamentary party to state their position on such a bill. Sorin Cîmpeanu added that the new legislation would apply both for students and for university staff.

Students on the other hand are not happy with the idea of compulsory vaccination in order to be able to take part in classes. In Romanian universities, the vaccination rate is 50-55%, below the EU average. The only higher education institution in the country with a vaccination rate above 90% is the Târgu Mureș Medical School. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

11 October 2021
September 25, 2021

COVID-19 The number of COVID
cases continues to rise in Romania, with more than 7,000 daily new cases
reported for several days in a row. Nearly 10,000 SARS-CoV-2 patients are in
hospitals, 264 of them children, while 1,195 patients are in intensive care. Nationwide,
hundreds towns and villages are on the red list of places with infection rates
of over 3 per thousand. The capital Bucharest is also on the list, and as of
today additional restrictions are in place in the city. The digital COVID
certificate is required for participation in certain events, and even so indoor
weddings and similar events are to be attended by 200 people at most, while
restaurants, performance halls, pools and the like operate at half their
capacity and only accept COVID certificate holders. As the number of infections
grows, Romanians get more open to immunisation, with over 17,000 people having
received a shot in the last 24 hours.

LIBERALS
The Liberals are today
electing their president for the next 4 years, in a Congress attended among
others by President Klaus Iohannis. Thousands of delegates from all party
branches in the country are choosing between the incumbent party chief Ludovic
Orban and PM Florin Cîţu. Ludovic Orban argues he is a sure bet for the party,
and that his goal is to rebuild the image of the party and citizens’ confidence
in it. He says the National Liberal Party should support Romanian businesses
and reaffirm and promote individual rights and liberties. His challenger says
he has entered the competition in order to build and unify the Liberal Party.
I strongly believe only a Liberal Romania can ensure the wellbeing of its
citizens, Florin Cîţu argues, and says his priorities are to revise the
Constitution, to ensure the country joins the Schengen visa-free area, to boost
investments and motivate entrepreneurs. The two ran harsh campaigns, with
unprecedented attacks against each other. At stake is more than the party
presidency, and today’s battle is to also decide the governing formula, the
parliamentary majority and the holders of the prime minister and Chamber of
Deputies speaker posts.

FRIGATE The Romanian frigate
Queen Marie has concluded its participation in the NATO Operation Sea
Guardian, in the Mediterranean, and is docking today in the Black Sea
port of Constanţa. During the 3 weeks of commanding the NATO vessel unit, Queen
Marie inspected over 800 ships in the Mediterranean. The IAR Puma Naval
helicopter on board of the frigate contributed to the early identification of
suspicious vessels. Also taking part in Operation Sea Guardian were
vessels, aircraft and submarines from Romania, Croatia, Italy, Greece, Turkey,
Spain and Germany, and the missions contributed to strengthening security in
Europe’s southern flank.

SALARY Romanians last year
earned gross salaries of roughly 1,030 euros, the National Statistics Institute
announced, up 7.4% since the previous year. Net salaries, averaging at 650
euros per month, also increased by 7.7%. The best paying sectors are IT&C, finances
and insurance, public administration and the energy sector. At the opposite
pole are the hospitality industry, agriculture, forestry and fishery, and the
real estate market.

ELECTION In Germany, the last
electoral rallies were held ahead of Sunday’s election, in which over 60 million
citizens are to elect the 20th Bundestag (the single-chamber federal
parliament). According to Radio Romania’s correspondent, this historic election
may see the end of the 16-year leadership of Angela Merkel’s Conservatives. The
incumbent chancellor, who stepped down as party president, urged her supporters
to vote for Armin Laschet, the Christian Democratic Union candidate, to ensure
the stability of the country. However, all recent polls indicate that the
incumbent finance minister Olaf Scholz, the candidate backed by the Social
Democratic Party (SPD) is ahead of Laschet. The election marks the end of the Merkel
era, and press agencies note that given the tight race, the next government may
require an alliance of 3 parties.

DIASPORA A Romanian Foreign
Ministry official discussed with members of the Romanian community in Italy
about improving consular services, as many diaspora members are unhappy with
the difficult and often unfriendly procedures required by the Romanian
authorities. The head of the ministry’s Consular Department Valentin Muntean
presented the reforms planned by the authorities, in a hybrid meeting attended
by all the general consuls in Italy and around 40 representatives of Romanian
associations in that country. The participants tackled means to modernise and
broaden the consular network, to simplify procedures, to upgrade and optimise
the digital platforms and systems used by the Romanian authorities, and to
reduce red-tape. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

25 September 2021
September 23, 2021 UPDATE

COVID-19 The COVID-19 epidemic stays on an upward
trend in Romania. Thursday was the second consecutive day with more than 7,000 new
cases in 24 hours (7,095 new cases out of nearly 54,000 tests). The largest
number of infections is reported in the capital Bucharest. The number of Covid
patients in intensive care is now over 1,000, a situation last seen in early
May in Romania, and the number of coronavirus-related deaths was 113. Over
300 towns and villages in the country are now on the red list of places where
the infection rate is over 3 per thousand. Meanwhile, the total number of vaccine doses
administered to Romanians went over 10 million on Thursday.

MEASURES The COVID digital certificate remains a requirement for
access to indoor events in places with infection rates of over 3 per thousand, and
it will be compulsory for children over 12, instead of over 6 as originally
stipulated. Another measure allows businesses to stay open after 6pm, in places
with infection rates between 3 and 6 per thousand. A night curfew will be in
place over weekends wherever the infection rate is over 6 per thousand, and
throughout the week in places with infection rates above 7.5 per thousand. PM
Florin Cîţu also announced today that vaccinated people will be allowed to
leave their homes without a sworn statement in places under curfew or lockdown.
Meanwhile, an emergency order on the COVID
digital certificate has been endorsed by the Senate and is next to be discussed
in the Chamber of Deputies. The digital certificate was created at EU level to
facilitate free travel during the pandemic. The document, which includes a QR
code, certifies that the holder has been vaccinated, recovered from the disease
or tested negative for COVID.

AMBASSADOR
Romania has been a candidate for accession to the Visa Waiver programme for
almost 15 years, said the new Romanian ambassador to Washington, Andrei Muraru,
who mentioned that there are only three EU member states whose citizens need a
short-stay visa on US territory. According to Andrei Muraru, the visa rejection
rate is currently at a fairly high level, around 10%, but he pointed out that
Romanian and US authorities are working to bring it down to the maximum 3% allowed
for the Visa Waiver. The Romanian ambassador to the US also said that an
information campaign will be organized in Bucharest for citizens to find out
how they can apply for a visa, why their applications are turned down and why
they should not apply if they do not meet the criteria set by the American
side.

NAVY The
Romanian Navy’s Vice-admiral Constantin Bălescu Minelayer will take part in
the EUNAVFOR MED operation Irini, in the Mediterranean Sea, between
the 1st of October and the end of this year. Romanian marines will
ensure compliance with the arms embargo enforced by the UN on Libya. The
mission also targets illegal trafficking in oil products, drugs and people, by
monitoring sea traffic and inspections of suspicious vessels in the
Mediterranean. A combat diver unit is on board, and the 85 crew members have
been tested, vaccinated against COVID-19 and isolated in Romanian Navy
facilities prior to the operation.

INSURANCE The government passed an emergency order enabling drivers who need to
have their cars repaired under an insurance policy issued by City Insurance to
receive their claims more quickly under the Insurance Guarantee Fund. They will
no longer have to wait for a court to declare the company bankrupt. When its
license was cancelled, City Insurance had 3 million civil liability policies
issued to car owners. The Prosecutor General’s Office Thursday had documents
seized from the company headquarters, as part of a criminal investigation
following a complaint filed by the Financial Supervising Authority.

INFRINGEMENT The European Commission Thursday sent Romania and Poland letters of
formal notice for not correctly incorporating certain aspects of the Offshore
Safety Directive into their legal systems. These letters of formal notice are
actually the official start of the infringement procedure. Romania and Poland
have two months to address the shortcomings, otherwise the Commission may decide to
send a reasoned opinion. Also on Thursday, the
Commission took measures against 19 member states, Romania included, for
failing to take the necessary steps to ensure their citizens benefit from the
EU audio-visual mass media and telecoms legislation. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

23 September 2021
September 20, 2021 UPDATE

COVID-19 The COVID certificate has become mandatory
in Romania as of Monday for participants in various indoor events in all areas with
an infection rate between 3 and 6 per thousand. The green pass proves the
holder has been fully vaccinated, recovered from the disease or tested
negative, and grants access to indoor events like theatre and cinema shows,
sporting competitions, weddings or baptism ceremonies. Children under 6 are
exempt. Authorities in Bucharest Monday announced 3,342 new infections out of
over 21,000 tests conducted. 78 new Covid-related fatalities were also reported,
while 952 patients are presently in ICUs. Over 100 towns and villages in
Romania have infection rates of over 3 per thousand. Only 19 beds are currently
available nation-wide for COVID patients, except for those set aside for people
with certain medical conditions and testing positive for SARS-CoV-2. According
to the Strategic Communication Group, the capital city Bucharest has no more
beds available at the moment.

DRILL As of Monday, almost
400 troops from Romania, Portugal and Poland with over 65 pieces of military
equipment are participating in a drill called Green Scorpions 21.3 hosted by
the National Training Centre ‘Getica’ close to Brasov, in central Romania.
According to sources with the Defence Ministry, the drill’s main goal is the
joint training of troops, raising the level of interoperability between NATO
members as well as the setting up of some joint battle techniques, tactics and
procedures for the successful accomplishment of missions. The command is
provided by infantry battalion 22 jointly with Portuguese and Polish detachments.

ELECTION The Foreign
Ministry in Bucharest has announced it does not recognize the legitimacy of the
election for the Russian Parliament held in the annexed region of Crimea. The
Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reiterated its support for the
sovereignty and territorial integrity of neighboring Ukraine, recalling that
Romania does not recognize the illegal annexation of the Autonomous Republic of
Crimea and the city of Sevastopol by Moscow. Bucharest also notes with regret
that Russia has opened polling stations in Transdniester against the will of
the constitutional authorities in Chisinau, a fact that runs against the
sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova. According to
the Central Electoral Commission, president Putin’s party, United Russia, is
preserving its majority in the State Duma following the parliamentary election
held for three days. United Russia got around 50% of the votes, but this
accounts for over 300 of the 450 seats in Russia’s parliament, allowing the
party to pass laws and implement reforms with no support from other political
forces. Second came the Communist Party with some 19% of the votes. The
nationalist LDPR party and the Fair Russia party also got into parliament,
alongside a new party called New People, seen by some as a Kremlin project
designed to divide Putin’s opponents.

MEETING The
Romanian president, Klaus Iohannis, and the country’s Foreign Minister, Bogdan
Aurescu Monday attended the 76th session of the UN General Assembly
in New York. For the first time since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the
event has been attended in person by heads of state and governments of UN
countries. Romania’s participation at the highest level in the UN sessions
reconfirms Bucharest’s support for pragmatic and effective multilateral
diplomacy as a landmark of Romania’s foreign policy, as well as the Romanian
contribution to international and UN activities. On the sidelines of the event
in New York, the country’s Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu will be attending a
number of multilateral meetings. According to the Foreign Ministry in
Bucharest, special attention will be paid to bilateral meetings with
counterparts from countries in the Caucasus, Central, East and South Asia, the
Middle East, Africa and the Pacific area. (tr. A.M. Popescu, D. Bilt)

20 September 2021
September 17, 2021 UPDATE

CORONAVIRUS The government Friday passed a resolution making
the green certificate, attesting vaccination, negative testing or recovery from
COVID-19, compulsory upon entering
restaurants, gyms, or attending public and private events in areas where the infection rate is over 3 per
thousand. This is the same digital certificate required this summer for travel
within the EU. On Friday, authorities announced 4,478 new cases of COVID-19
infection in 24 hours, from over 46,000 tests.
In the same interval, 73 related fatalities were also reported and 762
patients treated in intensive care. Bucharest exceeded, on Friday, the
threshold of 2 per thousand inhabitants cumulated in 14 days, which brings the
capital city in the yellow zone. Meanwhile, on Thursday the National Committee
on Emergency Situations approved a new list of high-risk countries, valid as of
September 19. Bulgaria and France are now back in the yellow zone, and Spain is
listed as a green-zone country.

CONNECTING EUROPE Romania needs to step up investments in the rail
infrastructure, the European Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean said on
Friday. Attending the arrival in Bucharest’s main railway station of Connecting
Europe Express, a special train designed in the European Year of Rail, she
explained that Romania must plan its investments well, come up to solid
projects and manage these investments as efficiently as possible. I am aware of
the situation of railways in Romania and I undertake to do everything in my
power to help finance and develop it, the interim transport minister Dan Vîlceanu
said in his turn. Connecting Europe Express will stop in stations in 26
countries during its five-week, 20,000-km journey, before arriving in Paris on
October 7. The train departed from Lisbon and, before reaching Paris, it will
stop in Ljubljana, connecting the Portuguese, Slovenian and French presidencies
of the Council of the EU.

VISIT The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, will be in
Bucharest on September 27, the EC deputy spokesperson Dana Spinant announced on
Friday. She added that in the coming days the Commission will complete its
assessment of Romania’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan. Under the Plan,
Bucharest is set to receive over 29 billion euro, half of it in grants and half
in loans. Romania plans reforms and investments in transports, environment,
agriculture, healthcare, education, business environment, research, innovation,
digitisation as well as resilience in crisis situations. According to the
Commission, 18 states have already seen their national recovery plans approved,
and 12 of them have already received the first instalments of the funds for
investment projects.

COURT Romania’s Constitutional Court will discuss on September 28 the notification filed by the Liberal Prime
Minister Florin Cîţu’s Cabinet, in connection with an alleged constitutional
conflict with Parliament concerning the no-confidence motion filed by the
USR-PLUS alliance, a former junior coalition partner, and AUR, a nationalist
party, in the opposition. The Government denounced Parliament’s alleged
unconstitutional, disloyal and abusive behaviour towards the Government, as the
no-confidence motion tabled by the latter had allegedly been initiated, tabled
and communicated in terms that are against the Constitution. Pending the Court’s ruling, the debate and
vote on the motion are in standby, Parliament decided.

NEW
MEDIA ART The
biggest new media art event in Romania will be held on Saturday. iMapp
Bucharest – Winners league is also among the top three international video
mapping competitions. The works of teams from the US, Germany, Ukraine, Japan
and Hungary will be presented on the world’s biggest screening area, namely,
the façade of the Parliament Palace in Bucharest, of 23,000 sqm. The theme of
this year’s edition is The Show Must Go On and celebrates through works that
blend light, technology and music, the way in which people have been returning
to normal life.

NATO Chief of General Staff, Lieutenant-General Daniel
Petrescu is taking part over September 17-19 in the conference of the NATO
Military Committee, which brings together in Athens, Greece heads of military
from Allied countries. Talks will tackle NATO operations, missions and
activities. Additionally, the conference will also address means of
implementing the Deterrence and Defence of the Euro-Atlantic Area, and NATO’s
Warfighting Capstone Concept. According to the Romanian Defence Ministry, the
Military Committee will analyze the NATO 2030 initiative and all its military
implications and opportunities. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

17 September 2021
Fake Vaccination, a dangerous practice

It seems that some people’s ingenuity
when it comes to fraud and corruption knows no bounds in Romania. The latest
scheme seems to be the fictitious immunization, which enables the
vaccine-skeptics to do away with the also fictitious danger posed by
vaccination. Although one’s refusal to get the jab, based on some conspiracy
theories, is hard to understand, fake immunization, which gives the benefit of
enjoying the advantages offered by the vaccination card in spite of being
exposed to the real danger of infection, borders on pathological crime.

According to police sources 400
people, including medical personnel, are currently under investigation for
involvement in fake vaccination schemes. They would have allegedly issued or
received fake Covid-19 vaccine certificates. In one of Romania’s southern
regions, a physician has been accused of having already issued such
certificates to ten people who haven’t been given a jab yet.

According to Interior Minister Lucian
Bode, criminal proceedings have been filed in 200 cases involving these fake
certificates. The Romanian minister has said that several police operations
aimed at limiting as much as possible this phenomenon are currently underway. The
man in charge of Romania’s vaccine rollout, physician Valeriu Gheorghita, has
cautioned that those who buy these certificates are in danger of getting
infected and even of dying. Gheorghita urges those who receive requests in this
respect to announce the institutions in charge.

Valeriu Gheorghiţă: The medical personnel are clearly rejecting such practices. And I make an
appeal to the medical staff getting such requests to make them public so that
the institutions in charge may take immediate action.

Fictitious anti-COVID vaccination, namely
the practice of issuing a fake certificate to someone who didn’t get the jab,
must be sanctioned severely’, Gheorghita went on to say adding that the medical
personnel involved in such activities must leave the system.

Valeriu Gheorghiţă: I don’t see what credibility the
medical personnel involved in such practices can have; suchlike practices are actually
tarnishing the image of the medical personnel. As we can see the medical system
doesn’t have much credibility with the people as it is, but these practices
will be certainly validating the people’s lack of trust in the country’s medical
system. And I believe this is something we must not accept and people like
these must leave the medical system right away.

Furthermore, 97% of last week’s
Covid-related fatalities were people who didn’t get the jab. With little more
than a quarter of its population vaccinated, Romania is lagging behind almost
all the other EU countries, which have around 70% of their population immunized.
And because the low domestic demand, Romania exported large quantities of
anti-Covid vaccines.

(bill)

3 September 2021