Radio România Internațional

Tag: Citu

Two candidates for the presidency of the National Liberal Party

Romanian Liberals convened in
Bucharest on Sunday in a National Council with a view to electing their new
president during the Congress they are going to stage on September 25th.
Two candidates are vying for this position, the incumbent leader Ludovic Orban
and the country’s present Prime Minister Florin Citu. Whether Orban’s intention
to run for the PNL presidency had been known for quite some time, Citu made
public his intention during the aforementioned Council.

However, the two politicians’
intentions were predictable as they had increased their public appearance of
late. The incumbent president has paid a series of visits to the party branches
in an attempt to gather support and had some media appearances in the company
of several PNL mayors. In turn the Prime Minister has focused on the vaccine
rollout and his latest efforts have been largely covered by the media.

According to Prime Minister Citu, the
PNL, the main political group of the centre-to-right government in Bucharest
needs a fresh impetus. He has also mentioned his intention to keep the party in
power for at least 8 years. Romania is changing. Europe is changing. The world
is changing and there is a need for another kind of politicians, the Prime
Minister went on to say.

Ludovic Orban, who was Romania’s
Prime Minister last year, has hailed Citu’s decision to run for the party’s
presidency adding that this situation is not going to affect either the party’s
activity or its ruling abilities. He has given assurances that there is going
to be no rift between him and his opponent caused by intestine fights as they
have a series of common objectives such as the ruling programme, the anti-Covid
vaccine rollout and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.

‘Even if there is competition, which
is only natural because every four years we stage elections in our party, we
are making all decisions together and are all attending the party sessions’
says Ludovic Orban, who is currently the president of the Chamber of Deputies.

The Prime Minister has also mentioned
the team work and common goals, but newspapers in Bucharest have pointed out
the two leaders have not been seen together for quite some time now, not even
at the 146th anniversary of their political party.

The party is going to elect its local
leaders over 1st June and 15th July, while elections for county
leaders are due between 1st July and 10th August. After
these first rounds, the two presidential candidates must submit a motion to the
local branches, which must decide what candidate they are going to support.

However, if a local branch makes a
decision to support a certain candidate, it doesn’t mean that all its members must
endorse that candidate. And in order to win the election a candidate must be
supported by 10 county branches.

(bill)

31 May 2021
Deux candidats pour le fauteuil de président du Parti national libéral.

Réunis dimanche dans le cadre d’un Conseil national, les libéraux roumains ont décidé d’élire un nouveau président durant le Congrès du 25 septembre. L’actuel leader du parti, Ludovic Orban, affrontera le premier ministre Florin Cîtu. Si l’intention de M Orban de se porter candidat était déjà connue, celle de M Cîtu a été annoncée dimanche matin, à la veille en fait de la réunion des leaders libéraux. Les deux décisions étaient pourtant attendues et prédictibles, vu qu la visibilité des deux politiciens est de plus en plus importante depuis un certain temps. L’actuel président, Ludovic Orban a visité les filiales du parti à la recherche d’appui et s’est affiché à des événements publics aux côtés de plusieurs maires du parti, alors que le chef de l’exécutif a mis son empreinte sur la campagne de vaccination et a multiplié ses apparitions dans les médias.

Florin Cîtu affirme que le PNL, qui est le principal parti de la coalition gouvernementale à Bucarest a besoin d’un nouveau souffle et qu’il se propose de maintenir le parti au pouvoir pour au moins huit ans. « La Roumanie change. L’Europe change, le monde change. Il faut un nouveau type d’homme politique. » a soutenu l’actuel premier ministre roumain.

Ludovic Orban, qui a été premier ministre l’année dernière a salué la décision de M Cîtu de devenir son adversaire dans la course à la direction du PNL, déclarant que cette compétition n’allait affecter l’activité ni du parti, ni du gouvernement. Il a assuré qu’aucune fissure provoquée par la lutte interne n’existerait entre lui-même et Florin Cîtu, vu les objectifs à accomplir – le programme de gouvernance, la campagne de vaccination anti-Covid et le Plan national de relance et de résilience. Même s’il existe une compétition, ce qui est tout à fait normal, parce que nous tenons des élections tous les 4 ans, nous prenons toutes les décisions importantes ensemble, nous participons ensemble aux réunions de la coalition, a également dit M Orban, actuellement président de la Chambre des Députés.

Le premier ministre s’est également déclaré favorable à la continuation du travail en équipe. Et pourtant, comme remarquait la presse de Bucarest, les deux leaders ne se sont plus affichés en public ensemble depuis un certain temps, ni même au cours du 146e anniversaire de la création du Parti. Le calendrier des actions internes dans lme cadre du parti prévoit durant la période 1er juin – 15 juillet d’élire de nouvelles équipes de direction au niveau départemental.

A la fin de ces démarches, une période de 45 jours doit s’écouler, durant laquelle les candidats aux fonctions de président du parti sont tenus à présenter une motion aux filiales, qui décident du candidat à soutenir. Et pourtant, si une filiale décide de soutenir un candidat, cela ne signifie pas automatiquement que tous les délégués devraient voter pour le même candidat. L’appui accordé à un candidat est est plutôt une condition statutaire parce qu’afin de pouvoir aspirer au fauteuil de président du parti, un candidat devrait être agréé par au moins 10 filiales départementales.

31 May 2021
May 30, 2021

DAY
We need the competence of all Romanians to build a prosperous country so that
all those who emigrated may come back home with joy, the country’s president
Klaus Iohannis has today said in a message conveyed on the occasion of the Day
of the Romanians from all over the World, the country celebrates on the last
Sunday of May. The head of the Romanian state thanked all the Romanians
abroad for the responsibility and solidarity they showed with those that stayed
at home. He recalled the difficult moments we had been through during the
pandemic, which proved tough for both the Romanians abroad and their relatives
at home. According to the president, since Romania benefits from European
funds, which are to ease massive investment in all areas, the country is going
to enter an ample process of development and reforms. The Day of the Romanians
from All Over the World represents a moment in which we are considering the
importance of keeping identity and national values every Romanian keeps in their
heart, Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu has underlined in his message. According
to him, strengthening the dialogue and the ties with members of the Romanian
communities is the Foreign Ministry’s key priority together with the promotion
of the historical and cultural heritage.

GYMNASTICS According to the Romanian Gymnastics
Federation, our athletes have walked away with gold from the group finals of
the 16th edition of the World Aerobic Gymnastics Championship
underway in Baku, Azerbaijan. The victor team includes Gabriel Bocser, Teodora
Cucu, Daniel Tavoc, David Gavrilovici and Mihai Alin Popa. At the present
edition of the aforementioned competition, athletes from Romania have also
reaped silver in the teams contest and bronze in the trio event. The teams
ranking is based on the best results won in trio, mixed, aerobic dance and the
men’s and women’s individual events.

PNL The national council of the
National Liberal Party (PNL), Romania’s main ruling political force is going to
convene today to set the election procedures inside the party, the date of its
congress and its assembly, which seems to be September 25th. Before
the proceedings kick-off, the country’s incumbent Prime Minister Florin Citu
has announced his intention to run for the party’s presidency, underlying the
party needs a new impetus. At present, the party’s vice-president, Florin Citu
has pledged that PNL will stay in power for at least 8 years and that together they
will transform Romania into a liberal country where all Romanians are going to
live happily. The incumbent PNL president Ludovic Orban has said there is going
to be a beautiful presidential race, which proves to the Romanians that the
Liberals rely on strong human resources and that this party is able to ensure the
country’s good ruling.

VACCINE ROLLOUT Vaccination marathons are being carried on
in Romania this weekend. In Brasov, central Romania a mobile vaccination unit
is going to travel for five days around the city’s most crowded places to
deliver vaccines to people, while a new drive through vaccination center has
been made available in Petrosani, western Romania. 76 thousand Romanians have
been vaccinated in the past 24 hours and since the vaccine rollout kicked off
in this country in late December last year, 3.5 million people have been fully
vaccinated. Authorities intend to open a new vaccination marathon for the young
people with ages between 16 and 18 over May 31st and June 1st.
A vaccination campaign for children with ages between 12 and 15 is going to
kick off next week, after the European Medicine Agency has authorized the
Pfizer vaccine for this age bracket. On the other hand 158 new infections were
reported on Sunday and 29 people died. 443 patients are being treated in IC
units.

(bill)

30 May 2021
Nouvelles mesures de relâchement

En Roumanie, le taux d’incidence des nouveaux cas d’infection au coronavirus diminue d’un jour à l’autre, ce qui a permis aux autorités d’adopter de nouvelles mesures de relâchement des restrictions à compter du 1er juin, comme prévu d’ailleurs. A commencer par le mois prochain, le nombre de personnes qui peuvent participer aux activités culturelles, artistiques et de divertissement déroulées dans les espaces ouverts, augmentera de 500 à 1 000. Toutes les personnes qui participent à de tels événements doivent présenter des documents attestant la vaccination, une infection par le passé au SARS Cov 2 ou le résultat négatif d’un test de dépistage du coronavirus. Cette nouvelle limite peut être dépassée si tous les participants sont vaccinés et c’est la responsabilité de l’organisateur de vérifier s’ils le sont.

L’organisation des événements privés est désormais permise. Il s’agit de fêtes de mariage et de baptême par exemple réunissant 50 personnes dans des espaces fermés et 70 à l’extérieur. Et en ce cas, le nombre des participants peut être agrandi s’il s’agit de personnes vaccinées. Les activités sportives peuvent se dérouler tant à l’intérieur qu’à l’extérieur, si le nombre des spectateurs est limité à 25% de la capacité de l’espace disponible. Et en ce cas aussi, le nombre des participants peut être dépassé dans les mêmes conditions : personnes vaccinées, testées, ou anciens malades de covid.

Le nombre des personnes qui peuvent participer à des activités culturelles, scientifiques, artistiques et de divertissement à l’intérieur a augmenté aussi de 50% à 70% de la capacité de l’espace. Il est également possible de remplir cet espace à 100% uniquement avec des personnes immunisées. Même cas de figure pour les conférences : 100 personnes tout au plus ou dans la limite de l’espace disponible s’il s’agit de personnes vaccinées. Les espaces de jeu pour les enfants rouvrent jusqu’à 50% de leur capacité à condition que les adultes qui les accompagnent présentent un des trois documents déjà mentionnés.

Les salles de sport et les restaurants peuvent accueillir désormais davantage de clients, jusqu’à 70 % de leur capacité ou jusqu’à 100% s’ils s’agit de personnes vaccinées. Et vu que la saison touristique vient de commencer, les espaces d’hébergement pourront accueillir davantage de touristes, dans la limite de 85% de leur capacité d’accueil. Les bars, clubs, discothèques et salles de jeux du hasard ont également rouvert de 5 heures à 24 heures, dans la limite de 50% de leur capacité, mais uniquement aux personnes vaccinées.

Bref même si des restrictions existent toujours, l’idée que les autorités laissent entendre c’est que celles-ci peuvent être largement assouplies, voire éliminées dans le cas des personnes vaccinées contre le coronavirus. Par ailleurs c’est la responsabilité des organisateurs d’événements et des gérants de différentes affaires de veiller à ce que les clients soient vaccinés s’ils souhaitent accueillir davantage de personnes et de maximiser ainsi leurs profits. Reste à voir comment les autorités vérifieront pratiquement le respect de toutes ces règles.

Enfin, sachez aussi qu’à partir du 1er juin, le port du masque n’est plus obligatoire à l’intérieur, dans les bureaux qui accueillent 5 employés vaccinés tout au plus. Le port du masque demeure toujours obligatoire au travail dans les espaces communs.

28 May 2021
May 27, 2021 update

MEASURES The government in Bucharest on
Thursday endorsed new relaxation measures to come into effect as of June 1st.
Private parties with a limited number of people are to be allowed, while sports
fans will be permitted to attend their favourite sporting events. Clubs and
discotheques will open and so will children playgrounds and indoor swimming
pools. The number of people allowed is still limited but can be higher if all
the participants are vaccinated. Indoor cultural activities can be attended by
1,000 people at the most. In order for these activities to become possible the
infection rate in their area must stay under 3 per thousand. Face covering is
no longer mandatory in offices with maximum 5 people, if they are all
vaccinated. According to government sources, vaccinated people, those who had
the disease 90 days before their entry and those who can produce a negative PCR
test are allowed on the Romanian territory. Children under 16 who have tested
negative can also enter the country.

PROTEST Romanian policemen took to the streets of Bucharest on
Thursday to protest the government’s social and pay policies. Over 100 trade
unionists, members of the National Federation of Policemen and Contractors
convened in capital Bucharest for a two-hour protest in front of the government
building. The protesters denounced the freezing of pensions and salaries, the
cutting of holiday gift vouchers, the dropping standard of living, the lack of
personnel, the price hikes and the management crisis the institution is
presently facing. The policemen have pledged to stage more protests until the
government starts considering their claims.

VACCINE Romanian prime minister Florin Cîţu on Thursday attended the
launch of a public information campaign on anti-Covid vaccination. Comprising
of 11 different ads targeting different categories of public, the campaign is
based on the idea of vaccination as a form of solidarity and a way for the
whole society to return to normalcy. Since the start of the vaccine rollout in Romania in late
December last year, more than 4.2 million people received at least one dose of
the Covid vaccine, while over 3.3 million people are fully vaccinated. Today, Romania
recorded 307 new infections and 39 new fatalities, while almost 500 Covid
patients are in intensive care.

TENNIS
Romania’s Sorana Cirstea has outperformed Shuai Zhang of China 6-2, 6-1 in the
round of last 16 of the Strasbourg tennis tournament. The match, which was
initially scheduled for yesterday, was postponed because of unfavourable
weather. The only match the two played was in 2008 in Cuneo, in Italy, which
the Romanian won. Cirstea reached the round of last 16 after winning against
Venus Williams in three sets, which is the first time Cirstea ever defeated the
American player.

(bill)

27 May 2021
May 26, 2021

CERTIFICATE During the special European Council meeting last
night the leaders of the 27 EU members endorsed the green certificate, which
should allow for the opening of borders and ease travel inside the bloc.
According to the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the
infrastructure for the implementation of the green certificate is to be ready
by June 1st and the member states can connect into the system in mid-June. Also
attending the meeting, the Romanian president Klaus Iohannis stood for the
rapid and unitary implementation of this certificate, which must not infringe
upon the citizens’ right to free movement.

COVID-19 As of today the anti-Covid vaccination centers in the
medical units of Romania’s Interior Ministry are open for all people above 18
within the limit of the vaccine supplies. Those willing to get the jab can
visit one of these 11 centers in Bucharest and other big cities around Romania without
an appointment. According to data released by the RO Vaccination platform,
since the vaccine rollout kicked off in Romania in late December last year,
roughly 26% of Romania’s eligible population, (more than 4 million people), has
got at least the first dose of the anti-Covid vaccine. According to the same
sources, over 3.3 million people have got the booster. Romania’s Prime Minister
Florin Citu has announced that the government is going to launch a
pro-vaccination media campaign but those who aren’t vaccinated are not going to
be discriminated against. In another development, the number of new infections
has maintained its downward trend with 381 infections reported on Tuesday and
63 fatalities. The death toll has exceeded 30 thousand. 545 patients are being
treated in IC units across the country.

PLAN Prime Minister Florin Citu is today presenting before
Parliament in Bucharest the National Plan of Recovery and Resilience (PNRR). Parliament
groups are subsequently going to have their say over the document, which is to
be submitted to the EU officials by the end of the month. The briefing has been
requested by the opposition PSD, which conditioned it on their endorsement of a
European treaty calling for higher contributions from the member states to the
EU budget and which needs the approval of two thirds of the Legislature. The
Social Democrats have lashed out at the PNRR, which comprises measures to
freeze pensions, salaries and other benefits as well as higher taxes and duties
to be levied on various enterprises. The PNRR will allegedly allow Romania to
access 30 billion euros worth of EU funds for development.

TENNIS Romania’s tennis player Sorana Cirstea (61st
WTA) is today taking on 41st WTA Shuai Zhang of China in a match
counting towards the round of 16 of the tennis tournament in Strasbourg. The only
match the two played was in 2008 in Cuneo, Italy, which the Romanian won.
Cirstea has qualified for the round of 16 after a victory against US challenger
Venus Williams, 6-1, 2-6, 6-1, the first obtained by Cirstea against Venus.

PROTEST The ‘Farmers’ Force’ association is staging a
protest in Bucharest today in an attempt to denounce Romania’s underfunded agriculture.
The farmers are expected to drive their tractors to Parliament, the world’s
second largest administrative building, in a move, which will seriously disrupt
road traffic in Romania’s capital city Bucharest. One of the farmers’ claims is
that Romania’s agriculture must be included among the strategic priorities this
year. The farmers have suggestively entitled their protest ‘Political leaders,
how did the farmers wrong you this time?’ We recall that in February this year,
Romanian farmers picketed the Ministry of Agriculture to protest a government’s
decision not to include drought compensations in the state budget law.

(bill)

26 May 2021
May 25, 2021 UPDATE

US-RUSSIA US president Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin
are to meet in Geneva on June 16th, the White House announced on
Tuesday. ‘The leaders will discuss the full range of pressing issues as we seek
to restore predictability and stability to the US-Russia relationship’, the
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki has said. This is going to be the first
meeting between the two leaders since Joe Biden’s coming to power and will be
taking place amid serious tensions between the two states. The meeting also comes
after the G7 and NATO summits which are expected to have a joint anti-Moscow position.

MEETING The Senate and the
Chamber of Deputies are to convene in Bucharest on Wednesday for talks over the
National Plan of Resilience and Recovery, Ludovic Orban, the president of the
Chamber of deputies announced on Tuesday. The main opposition party PSD
insisted the government present the plan before Parliament otherwise the Social
democrats may not endorse a European treaty under which the member states are
to pay higher contributions to the EU budget. Romania has pledged to present
the plan to Brussels by the end of May, one month after the date required by
the European Commission.

CAMPAIGN Romania’s Prime Minister Florin Citu on
Thursday announced the government would launch a pro-vaccine media campaign.
Citu says that his role as head of the Executive is to lead a louder campaign
than the anti-vaccine voices promoted by a couple of TV channels. The Prime
Minister has given assurances that non-vaccinated people are not going to be
discriminated against. According to the RO Vaccination platform, since the
vaccine rollout kicked off in Romania in late December 2020, 25.93% of the
eligible population, 16 years old and over, more than 4,170,000 people have got
at least one dose of the anti-Covid vaccine. According to the same sources, 20.69%
of the eligible population, accounting for 3,330,000 people, has also got the booster.
On the other hand, the number of Covid infections is on a downward trend. 381
new infections were reported on Tuesday out of 32 thousand tests conducted in
the past 24 hours. 63 new fatalities have been reported bringing the death toll
to 30,040. 545 patients are being treated in IC units.

AGREEMENT
The EU leaders meeting in Brussels have agreed to seal off the bloc’s airspace
to Belarusian planes as part of sanctions against the regime of president
Alexander Lukashenko, accused to deviating a Ryanair passenger plane flying
from Athens to Vilnius to arrest dissident
journalist Roman Protasevich.
The 27 EU leaders also asked airlines to avoid flying over Belarus, agreed to
impose additional sanctions, including of an economic nature, and called for
the immediate release of the journalist and his partner Sofia Sapega, who is a
Russian citizen, both of whom were arrested on Sunday. EU leaders also asked
the International Civil Aviation Organisation to investigate what they
described as an unprecedented and unacceptable incident and called for the
expansion as soon as possible of the list of Belarus officials and entities
targeted by European sanctions. Some 88 persons from Belarus, including
president Alexander Lukashenko, as well as seven entities are already banned
from entering the EU and have their assets frozen for repression against the
opposition and the presidential elections of 2020, which the EU believes were
rigged.

(bill)

25 May 2021
Romania in the Green Zone

Against the latest downward trend of
the infection rate with the novel coronavirus, new relaxation measures have
come into effect in this country as of May 15th. Outdoor mask
mandates have been lifted though they remain in place when it comes to crowded
places like public transportation facilities, supermarkets, meetings, concerts
and other types of gathering.

The night curfew has also been lifted
and restaurants, bars and beer gardens can now stay opened between 5 and 24
hours. Outdoor sporting facilities are allowed to stage competitions with an
attendance of 25% of their capacity. But these events can be attended only by
people who got their vaccine at least 10 days before the event, by people who
can produce a negative PCR test taken in the past 72 hours or a rapid antigen
test not older than 24 hours.

Cultural events can be attended by a
maximum of 500 people who must observe certain rules. We together had a
difficult year. We were all wearing masks and had to keep the social
distancing. We together got vaccinated and I would like to thank the Romanians
for their understanding. We have a vaccine rollout in full swing and an
all-time high of 120 thousand people vaccinated. A rollout that continues as
the Romanians have understood that the only way out of this pandemic is
vaccination, Romania’s Prime Minister Florin Citu said on Saturday night while
attending the pilot-show at the National Theatre in Bucharest. According to
Citu, new relaxation measures are to be applied as of June 1st,
provided this downward trend continues.

On the very first day of this
much-desired relaxation, the Romanians left in large numbers for seaside and
mountain resorts, which resulted in a series of traffic jams on the country’s
main motorways.

Those who decided to stay at home
went to barbeques with friends or went for a stroll in parks, which during the
weekends turned into overcrowded places.

Authorities in Romania have planned
another three relaxation stages on June 1st, July 1st and
August 1st. Restrictions will be gradually lifted but they are conditioned
by the number of vaccinated people and the infection rate. The vaccination
targets have been announced by president Iohannis, 5 million by June 1st,
6 million a month later and 7 million by August 1st.

Under these conditions, next month
will be seeing outdoor events with up to 1,000 participants, whereas outdoor
weddings and other religious services can be attended by 70 people. Indoor
festivities are limited to 50 people. The number of participants in suchlike
events is expected to rise gradually starting July and August 1st.

(bill)

17 May 2021
May 14, 2021

COVID-19 Roughly 3.8 million people have been
vaccinated in Romania and two thirds of them have got the booster dose. All the
Romanian territory is now in the so-called green zone as the epidemic has been
contained in most of the regions. According to the Strategic Communication
Group, the infection rate dropped to 1.30 per thousand in Bucharest and the
number of vaccinated people has exceeded one million. On Thursday the country
received 128 thousand doses of the Moderna vaccine, which are being distributed
across the country whose citizens can now get a jab without having to register
beforehand. Vaccine rollout is carried on in all the country’s centers,
including in its 10 drive-throughs. Another 950 new infection cases were
reported on Thursday and 75 patients have died in the past 24 hours. 830
patients are being treated in IC units.

PLAN In its National Recovery and Resilience plan
(PNRR) Romania has included a series of reforms in several key areas and its
pledges have been well-received in Brussels, the country’s Prime Minister
Florin Citu says. According to the head of the Bucharest executive, the plan is
credible and doable and the cabinet members must work hard in the forthcoming
period to complete the projects that are to be funded. During the visit it has
recently paid to Brussels, the Romanian Prime Minister has assured the EU officials
of Romania’s commitment to implementing the reforms comprised in the ruling
programme, in the fiscal-budgetary strategy, as well as in the convergence
programme. Romania has pledged to present its PNRR by the end of May, with a
one month delay against the initial time scheduled by the European Union. Half
of the EU members have so far presented their national plans for funding.

POLL 45% of the Romanians intend to change their
job after the pandemic, shows a recent poll conducted by an online recruiting
platform. The main reason of the respondents is a higher pay. 11% want to go
through a professional retraining programme whereas 9% are ready to leave the
country. The categories standing most chances to find a job are IT experts and
qualified workers.

TRAVEL Foreign Ministers from Central Europe have
recently tackled in Bratislava the idea of free travel after the end of the
coronavirus pandemic. The participants have agreed that during the holiday
season, vaccinated people from Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Austria
and Slovenia be allowed to travel freely to the other countries. Authorities in
the USA have lifted indoor mask mandates for vaccinated citizens as 35% of the
country’s population has got either the two-jab, or the single-jab vaccine. 161.8
million infections have been reported the world over so far and 3.3 million
people died, according to data released by worldmeters.info. Most of the
fatalities have been registered in the US, India and Brazil.

TALKS The Romanian
government is to convene in Bucharest today for talks over the relaxation
measures to come into effect as of May 15th. The executive’s session is
preceded by a meeting of the National Committee for Emergency situations, which
is expected to come up with a series of relaxation measures, such as lifting
outdoor mask mandates with the exception of crowded places as well as the night
curfew. Shops are expected to return to their pre-quarantine timetables. The next
relaxation stage is expected to be implemented as of June 1st.

(bill)

14 May 2021
May 13, 2021 UPDATE

PNRR Romania is going to submit to Brussels a
National Plan of Recovery and Resilience (PNRR) for the entire sum allotted of
29.2 billion Euros, Prime Minister Florin Citu said at the end of the
government meeting on Thursday. The Romanian official has presented the plan to
the European Commission and the way in which this plan is going to foster
economic growth and reforms on pensions, the fiscal system, on curbing dioxide
emissions and ensuring transition to the green energy. According to the
Romanian official, loans are another major component of the plan that Romania
must assume. Citu also says that the real challenge for ministers in the
following two weeks is to come up with detailed technical projects, which must
get a green light from Brussels. Citu believes that the Romanians’ awareness in
terms of paying their taxes and duties has increased in the past two years
thanks to the predictability of the fiscal policy. In turn Cristian Ghinea, the
Minister of Investment and European Projects has announced that all state
enterprises must be subjected to a process of audit and professionalization and
for this reason a special department is to be set up with a view to implementing
the state policy in these entities.

TENNIS The Romanian tennis player
Simona Halep, number 3 in the world, announced having suffered a torn
calf muscle which
forced her out of the Italian Open, in Wednesday’s match against Germany’s
Angelique Kerber. She says she will have an MRI investigation to determine how
serious the injury is. The defending champion in Foro Italico, the Romanian
player withdrew in the second set of the match against Kerber, after she had
won the first set. Given the preliminary diagnosis, she risks missing the
Roland Garros tournament due to start on May 30. Halep won the Paris tournament
in 2018.

ALERT On Thursday Romania extended the state of
alert for another month to limit the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. A series
of restriction measures have been lifted such as the participation in religious
services and pilgrimages but the prevention measures must still be observed.
President Iohannis had a working meeting with the country’s Prime Minister
Florin Citu and other members of the executive. A series of relaxation measures
has been announced such as lifting the obligation to wear masks in public
places except for crowded areas like markets and public transportation. The
night curfew has been lifted starting May 15th and so has the
restrictions imposed to shops and other enterprises, which had to close earlier
during the quarantine. Sporting activities are allowed but with only 25% of the
seats occupied. Wedding parties and other festive activities are allowed only with
maximum 70 participants outside and 50 inside. Over 3.7 million people have
been vaccinated in Romania and two third of these have got the booster dose.
The effects of the pandemic have clearly diminished in Romania where the
authorities have announced an infection rate of 1.42 cases per thousand. 953
new infections were reported on Thursday while 75 patients died in the past 24
hours. 829 people are in intensive care.

PLAN The government in Bucharest on
Thursday approved the National Strategy and Action Plan for the prevention and
fighting anti-Semitism, xenophobia, radicalization and hate speech. According
to Alexandru Muraru, honorary advisor for the Prime Minister, Romania now has a
plan of concrete measures, funding and clear terms, based on an international
context and domestic realities. Muraru said that works on the document took
almost 2 years and involved the participation and expertise from 20 national
institutions, including 5 ministries – Education, Foreign and Domestic Affairs,
Justice and Culture. The government’s message has zero tolerance for
anti-Semitic or xenophobic threats for radicalization, hate speech and various
forms of intolerance, discrimination, political and symbolic violence.

(bill)

13 May 2021
L’état d’alerte prolongé à nouveau

Tout comme dans le cas de la majorité des États européens, la pandémie de Covid 19 connaît en Roumanie une évolution à la baisse. Presque tous les départements roumains sont en zone verte, avec un taux des cas de coronavirus inférieur à 1,5 par mille habitants durant les 2 dernières semaines. Le nombre des nouveaux cas de contamination et des malades est toujours à la baisse et la campagne de vaccination va bon train, affirment les autorités. Et même dans ces conditions, Florin Cîtu, a annoncé qu’à partir de jeudi l’état d’alerte serait prolongé d’un mois supplémentaire, afin de pouvoir contrôler l’évolution de la pandémie.

Toutefois certaines mesures restrictives qui n’ont plus d’objet seront éliminées. Pour ce qui est de la possibilité de renoncer au port du masque sanitaire dans les espaces ouverts ou d’alléger les restrictions dans le cas des personnes vaccinées, le chef de l’exécutif a précisé qu’il prendra en compte aussi les recommandations des spécialistes. Florin Cîţu: « Il y a toute une série de mesures qui n’ont plus de sens. Par exemple, dans les stations de montagne, nous allons éliminer les restrictions imposées au skieurs. Elles avaient été introduites il y a deux mois et n’existeront plus, puisqu’elles n’ont plus de sens. Nous allons consulter aussi les spécialistes et en fonction de leurs recommandations, nous allons produire une réponse. J’ai dit qu’à mon sens, les personnes vaccinées ne constituaient plus un risque dans la société et devraient bénéficier d’une vie normale ». a précisé Florin Cîtu.

Le secrétaire d’Etat Raed Arafat a déclaré qu’il fallait respecter toujours les mesures de protection sanitaire et a annoncé de nouvelles mesures de relâchement des restrictions imposées jusqu’ici. Selon lui, les autorités ont décidé de permettre les processions et les pèlerinages religieux vafin de permettre jeudi la circulation des personnes durant la nuit à l’occasion de la fête musulmane du Ramadan. Ce qui plus est, des événements sportifs et culturels test seront également permis. Il s’agit de la possibilité d’organiser des événements avec un public supérieur à la limite de 50% de la capacité des espaces disponibles. Les participants seront des personnes qui soit ont reçu le vaccin contre la Covid 19, soit présentent un test négatif de dépistage ou bien ont eu la maladie au cours des trois derniers mois. Raed Arafat : « La participation sera permise uniquement dans le cas personnes vaccinées ou qui se situent dans l’intervalle entre le 15e et le 90e jour ultérieur à la confirmation de l’infection au SARS – CoV – 2 ou des personnes qui présentent le résultat d’un test négatif RT – PCR réalisé 72 heures avant l’événement. A la demande du Ministère de la Santé, nous avons ajouté aussi un test antigénique vieux de 24 heures tout au plus à condition que ce résultat soit certifié. »

Pour ce qui est du secteur de l’HoReCa, Raed Arafat a déclaré qu’une éventuelle ouverture des restaurants à pleine capacité impliquerait l’adoption de certaines conditions d’accès. Une décision finale à ce sujet devrait être adoptée avant le 1er juin. A présent dans les régions où le taux d’incidence est inférieur à 1,5 cas d’infection par mille habitants, les restaurants sont tenus de respecter un taux d’occupation de 50% de la capacité maximale si l’accès n’est pas conditionné. L’interdiction de dérouler des réunions à l’occasion des fêtes, des anniversaires, des événements publics et privés dans des espaces clos ou ouverts reste en place.

11 May 2021
THE WEEK IN REVIW 3-9 May

Vaccine rollout goes
smoothly in Romania

Romania is doing ‘extremely
well’ in terms of its vaccine rollout, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis said
on Thursday after the daily ceiling of 100 thousand people vaccinated had been exceeded.
Authorities in Romania have diversified the ways through which Romanians can
get the vaccine, easing the people’s access to various vaccination centers. The
authorities’ goal is to have 5 million people vaccinated by June 1st.
Since the vaccine roll out kicked off in Romania in late December, out of the 6
million people vaccinated, 2.2 million have got the the booster. Romania has
this week started to use the single-jab vaccine produced by
Johnson&Johnson.

Donation for the
neighboring Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova

The government in Bucharest
has this week endorsed a new humanitarian aid for the Romanian-speaking
Republic of Moldova consisting in 100 thousand doses of the Astra Zeneca
vaccine in an attempt to assist this country’s efforts to contain the pandemic.
According to government sources, authorities in the two countries have
concluded an agreement on reselling the vaccine, 200 thousand doses per month.
The government has also passed a series of technical elements concerning the
donation of 100 thousand doses to the neighboring Ukraine.

School resumes in Romania

Schools in Romania
reopened on Wednesday and are presently functioning on-line and in-person
depending on the infection rate in certain areas across the country. Schools
reopened after the four-week spring holiday. According to the country’s
Education Minister Sorin Cimpeanu, children are now physically attending primary
schools and kindergartens and in the regions where the infection rate has
dropped under one per thousand, secondary schools and high-schools are also offering
in-person courses. According
to the latest official data, over 1,800 localities in Romania are now in the
green scenario in terms of Covid-19 infections, with less than one case per
thousand inhabitants. In the other approximately 1,400 localities, where the
infection rate is higher, middle and high school pupils resumed online classes.
8th and 12th graders, who are to take exams this summer, will resume school on
May 10.

New relaxation measures in
Romania as of June 1st

Authorities in Romania are
considering new relaxation measures after June 1st, when people are
allowed to give up face covering while on trips in the mountains, on the beach,
in gyms and swimming pools. Under the new measures vaccinated persons will be
allowed to attend private parties whereas some businesses, such as restaurants
and hotels may be allowed to function at full capacity if all personnel and
customers have been immunized. Only vaccinated fans will be allowed to attend
the football matches part of the European Football Championship Romania is due
to host this summer. According to Romania’s Prime Minister Florin Citu, this is
the solution proposed by the UEFA, which he also agrees. Referring to
large-scale events such as the music festivals Untold and Neversea, the Prime
Minister says they cannot be staged starting June 1st but rather
after August 1st.

The Government in Bucharest
has endorsed the Convergence Programme and adjusted the National Recovery and
Resilience Plan (PNRR)

Romanian
government has endorsed the Convergence Programme comprising a series of
reforms assumed by the executive in various fields such as the pension system,
payment, state enterprises and public administration. The country’s Prime
Minister Florin Citu has explained the document is part of the Fiscal-budgetary
Strategy and the National Resilience and Recovery Plan. He mentioned the talks
he had with ministers over the PNRR asking them to get directly involved in the
process of completing it shortly before the upcoming talks with the EU
representatives. Citu has mentioned that upon the EU recommendation, the PNRR
budget has been trimmed from 42 billion euros to 29 billion Euros. The Romanian
official has given assurances the plan will absorb all the EU funds available to
Romania.

GRECO report on Romania

Romania continues to lag behind with
regard to judicial reforms and the fight against corruption, according to the
latest report by GRECO, the Council of Europe’s specialized body. According to
the document, Romania has implemented only five out of the 18 GRECO
recommendations. Overall, the Bucharest
authorities appear determined to remedy or abandon many of the controversial
legal reforms adopted during the previous Social Democratic administration, the
report reads. However, Romania’s level of compliance with its
recommendations to prevent corruption in respect of MPs, judges and prosecutors
remains globally unsatisfactory despite some progress and planned reforms that
still are at an early stage. As for Members of Parliament, the level remains
unchanged, with the exception of some procedural requirements, with only two of
the nine recommendations implemented. Given the importance of these
recommendations for preventing corruption among parliamentarians, GRECO emphasizes
that more determined action is needed to implement them. Regarding the prevention of corruption among judges and
prosecutors, the report shows that much more determined steps are needed in
this direction as well. The report also shows that a stronger role for the
Supreme Council of Magistracy in this process is still needed, and the
involvement of the executive power, i.e. the Minister of Justice, in appointing
or removing top prosecutors should be diminished to ensure judicial
independence. It is also necessary to establish clear and objective criteria
for the promotion of judges and prosecutors, taking into account their real
qualifications and merits. In
Bucharest, the Liberal Prime Minister Florin Cîţu says that the GRECO report
shows that Romania is on the right track. Justice laws will no
longer be abused and we will not witness again what happened between 2017 and
2019, Citu says.

(bill)

8 May 2021
La coalition gouvernementale va de l’avant

La coalition de centre-droit au pouvoir en Roumanie reste en place, après l’accord conclu entre les leaders des trois formations : le Parti national libéral, l’Union Sauvez la Roumanie-Plus et l’Union démocrate magyare de Roumanie. La première crise de confiance entre les membres de la coalition s’est achevée après quelques jours d’accusations réciproques, mais aussi de pourparlers, dont le gagnant serait le chef du gouvernement, le libéral Florin Cîtu, qui garde son fauteuil de premier ministre.

Le point de départ du scandale, c’était toute une série de mésententes avec l’ancien ministre de la Santé, Vlad Voiculescu, qui se sont terminés par le limogeage de ce dernier sans aucune consultation avec les autres partenaires de gouvernance. L’Union Sauvez la Roumanie – Plus, le parti du dignitaire destitué, avait demandé en réplique le départ du premier ministre Cîtu, comme condition essentielle pour continuer la collaboration. Les scénarios issus de cette situation n’ont fait que révéler d’anciennes animosités entre les alliés politiques.

Les tensions se sont apaisées mardi en soirée suite à la signature d’une annexe de l’accord politique de fonctionnement de la coalition gouvernementale. Cela devrait « aboutir à un renforcement de la confiance entre les partenaires et à l’amélioration des performances de la gouvernance », a déclaré le leader libéral Ludovic Orban, à l’issue de six heures de négociations. Pour sa part, le co-président de l’Union Sauvez la Roumanie-Plus, Dan Barna, a déclaré qu’une situation délicate avait été dépassée et que le fonctionnement et le succès de la coalition étaient une question de confiance, de respect et de règles. Cette coalition n’a pas d’alternative, a également précisé le leader de l’Union démocrate magyare de Roumanie, Kelemen Hunor, qui a expliqué que les nouvelles règles assureraient aussi un fonctionnement cohérent tant au niveau gouvernemental qu’au sein du Parlement.

Le premier ministre Florin Cîtu a assuré que les décisions adoptées à l’avenir reposeraient sur le dialogue et viseraient l’intérêt des citoyens. La campagne de vaccination contre le coronavirus demeure le principal objectif du gouvernement, a-t-il ajouté. L’avenant signé entre les leaders de la coalition stipule, selon Agerpres, que le chef de l’exécutif peut révoquer un ministre après en avoir préalablement informé le parti d’où celui-ci provient et après des débats dans la coalition gouvernementale. Le premier ministre accordera aussi un délai raisonnable pour assurer la transition entre les titulaires du portefeuille en question. Selon ce document, la responsabilité politique sera assumée conjointement et les décisions majeures seront adoptées de manière collégiale, avec l’accord des formations politiques membres. Enfin, la performance des ministres sera évaluée régulièrement, conformément au programme de gouvernance approuvé par le Parlement.

La vaccination contre la Covid-19 constitue une priorité pour la coalition, lit-on dans le document. La transparence est une règle et non pas une exception, et les ministres devraient prendre des mesures pour accroître l’accès aux données publiques, rendre l’exécution budgétaire transparente, et notamment les contrats et les marchés publics, là où ils existent. Les réformes dans le secteur de la Santé devraient se poursuivre, la réforme des retraites dites « spéciales » et l’application du principe de la contribution se fera jusqu’à la fin de l’année, tout comme l’adoption des lois de la Justice, lit-on dans cet accord qui met fin à la mini-crise politique de Bucarest.

21 April 2021
Romania’s Health Minister has been sacked

It is difficult to say whether this
moment is ending a complicated situation within the government in Bucharest or
is actually deepening the crisis of a very sensitive ruling formula. Although
Vlad Voiculescu was seemingly ready to carry on with the job, the country’s
Prime Minister Florin Citu decided to call on the president to sack Minister
Voiculescu. The last straw seems to have been the release of some regulations
on the quarantine measures to be imposed on some regions without the consultation
of the Prime Minister or state secretary Raed Arafat, head of the Department
for Emergency Situations, presently coordinating Romania’s fight against the
Covid-19 pandemic.

Andreea Moldovan, a controversial
state secretary with the Health Ministry, has also been sacked. She is the one
to have signed the new quarantine criteria. Vlad Voiculescu’s resignation has
been asked for quite some time now by the public opinion and politicians alike.

The former Minister’s support
came from the alliance, which proposed him for this position. USR Plus boasts
the largest number of votes in the ruling coalition second only to the National
Liberal Party (PNL), which has also nominated the Prime Minister

After the legislative elections
in December, Florin Citu’s cabinet has been forged and enjoyed support from the
PNL, USR Plus and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania. In
Parliament it also benefits from the support of the Group of National
Minorities in Romania.

In other words, every MP of this
parties must enjoy support so that the government may function in its present formula.
Vlad Voiculescu’s mandate took place against the dramatic background of the
pandemic, which is seeing its third wave these days in Romania. Furthermore,
the last 4 months of this government have seen tragic events, which enraged the
Romanian society. In late January, a blaze ripped through the section where the
most severe Covid-19 cases were being treated at the National Institute for
Infectious Diseases Matei Balş in Bucharest killing five patients. Others died
later from wounds in the hospitals they were transferred to.

Already under public scrutiny,
the country’s healthcare system grabbed the highlights again on April 9th,
after live transmissions from the evacuation of the orthopedic hospital Foisor
in Bucharest had been aired. Foisor was to be turned into a hospital for the
exclusive treatment of Covid infections but live footages during the evacuation
process at midnight in cold weather have enraged the Romanians. Political
reactions seemed to have been appeased on Monday in the wake of the USR’s
support for its minister. However, on Tuesday, a new tragedy struck at another
major hospital in Romania, the Victor Babes hospital for the treatment of
infectious diseases. The faulty functioning of the oxygen machines fitting a
mobile unit for the treatment of Covid-infected patients killed another three
people at the aforementioned hospital.

(bill)

14 April 2021
A new tragedy in Romania’s medical system

A brand new mobile unit in the Intensive Care section
of the Hospital for Infectious Diseases Doctor Victor Babeş in Bucharest
on Monday caused the death of three patients infected with the novel
coronavirus. Other five have been transferred. According to the head of the
Department for Emergency Situations, Raed Arafat, a surge in the oxygen
pressure made the ventilators to stop functioning. Prime Minister Florin Cîţu has
called on Interior Minister Lucian Bode to launch an investigation and punish
the culprits.

Florin Citu: What we’ve
learnt so far is that an accident may have occurred but we’ve also kicked off
an inquiry – I’ve already talked to the Interior Minister. We are going to
enlarge the capacity of these IC units, like we did before, as we have a
pandemic to stop, you know.

We recall that the tragedy at Victor Babeş
is not singular. In November a blaze ripped through the IC unit treating
Covid-infected patients at the Emergency Hospital in Piatra Neamt,
north-eastern Romania; then in January, fire destroyed several sections of the
most modern hospital for infectious diseases in Bucharest, Matei Bals.

Both incidents, which ended up with victims have enraged
the Romanians and so has the authorities’ latest decision to transfer patients
from one of the most reputed orthopedic hospitals in Bucharest, so that it
could be turned into a unit specialized in the exclusive treatment of
Covid-infected patients. The incumbent Health Minister Vlad Voiculescu has
attracted a lot of heat even from his colleagues from the ruling
center-to-right coalition.

The Social-Democratic opposition has also blamed
Prime Minister Florin Cîţu for his refusal to sack the minister against whom
they have tabled another simple motion, the second in the present Parliament
session. Voiculescu has been blamed for the way patients in the aforementioned
hospital have been transferred, for his inability to put up a large-scale
testing programme and extend the capacity of IC units in hospitals. Here is PSD
MP Alfred Simonis:

Alfred Simonis: We had before ministers who were not quite
good at their jobs in various ministries, but it seems that none of them was like
Mr. Voiculescu.

Even if endorsed by Parliament, a simple motion
against a minister doesn’t necessarily lead to their resignation.

(bill)

13 April 2021