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)