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Tag: Ciuca

Nicolae Ciucă, PM designate once again

At the end of a third round of talks with the parliamentary
parties in the almost three months since USR left the ruling coalition, the
head of state once again designated the interim defence minister Nicolae Ciucă to
form a new government.

Klaus
Iohannis: I am satisfied that there is a robust majority in the Parliament
of Romania, a majority consisting of the National Liberal Party, the Social
Democratic Party, the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania and the ethnic
minorities group. They nominated a PM and I accepted this nomination. I will therefore
designate Mr. Nicolae Ciucă to form a government team and to come before
Parliament for a confidence vote.

Nicolae
Ciucă was previously designated for the post on October 21, but he stepped down
after a minority coalition made up of the National Liberal Party and the Democratic
Union of Ethnic Hungarians failed to secure enough votes in Parliament for
endorsement.

This time
around, extensive negotiations led to an agreement on the governing programme, a
new Cabinet structure (with two new ministries) and the concept of a rotation
of prime ministers between the Liberals and the Social Democrats.

Nicolae
Ciucă said Romanians expect the new government to provide stability and
solutions for the difficulties entailed by the pandemic and the energy crunch,
and voiced hopes that the new team will get to work thoroughly as of Thursday.

The Liberals
will have eight ministries in the new government. They are keeping the foreign
and interior ministries, the education ministry and the energy ministry, and
will head four more, including justice, and the ministry for European funds and
investments.

Not all
Liberals are happy with this scenario, however, and senior party members are criticizing
their leader’s handling of the negotiations. Florin Cîţu argues however that
the coalition with the Social Democrats is not unconditional, and promises that
citizens’ interests and financial stability will not be compromised.

After a
stint in the opposition, the Social Democrats will head nine ministries plus
the Government secretariat general. Important fields are included, such as the public
finances, defence, transports and economy.

The PM
rotation order was one of the most passionately debated issues. The Social
Democrats eventually agreed to take their turn at the helm of the cabinet in 18
months’ time. The party president Marcel Ciolacu explained that the Social
Democrats agreed to back the Liberal’s PM nominee in return for the inclusion
of important social support measures in the governing programme.

In turn, UDMR
will have a deputy PM post in the Ciucă Cabinet, alongside with the three
ministries they are already heading-regional development, environment and
sports.

The USR would
not attend the consultations with the president, and leader Dacian Cioloş argued
that president Klaus Iohannis renounced his role as a mediator. Also in
opposition, AUR mentioned they would not endorse the new government in
Parliament. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

23 November 2021
November 22, 2021 UPATE

COVID – In Romania, the number of coronavirus infections continues to drop, 1,550 new cases of COVID-19 being reported in the last 24 hours. 154 deaths were also reported, of which 29 were registered prior to the reference period. More than 11,000 people infected with SARS-CoV-2 are hospitalized. There are 1,539 patients in ICUs, a smaller number compared to the previous day, and 150 of them have a certificate attesting to their vaccination, according to the authorities. The average infection rate is now below 3.5 cases per thousand inhabitants, and more than half of Romania’s counties are no longer in the red scenario. The head of the COVID vaccination campaign, Valeriu Gheorghiţă, warned that there is a risk that the scenario experienced by Germany, which quickly passed from the 4th to the 5th wave of the pandemic, will be repeated in Romania, where the vaccination rate is low. An even greater danger would be the emergence of a mutation of the coronavirus that bypasses the bodys immune response, said Gheorghiţă. The number of fully vaccinated people is close to 7.2 million.

Government – Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis on Monday signed the decree on the appointment of the Liberal senator Nicolae Ciucă to the position of prime minister. He said, after consultations with the parliamentary parties and groups, that Ciucas nomination is supported by a solid majority in Parliament, which includes PSD, PNL, UDMR and the group of national minorities other than the Hungarian one. Klaus Iohannis received the representatives of PNL, PSD and UDMR simultaneously during the consultations. He also spoke with the leaders of the nationalist opposition party, AUR, while USR, a former junior partner of the Liberals in the government, boycotted the presidents invitation, accusing him of being the godfather of a monstrous coalition. According to the Constitution, the candidate to the position of prime minister has ten days since nomination to ask Parliament for a vote of confidence on the governing program and the entire list of ministers. PSD spokesman Radu Oprea said that, in the future Executive, the Social Democrats would have a ministerial position for the Secretary General of the Government, as well as the portfolios of Finance, National Defense, Economy, Transport, Agriculture, Health, Labor, Culture and Youth. UDMR keeps the three ministries it already manages – Local Development, Environment and Sports. And the Liberals are left with the Ministries of Justice, Interior, Foreign Affairs, Investment and European Projects, Energy, Education, Research and Tourism. According to the media, Liberal leaders across Romania and from Bucharest have virulently criticized the PNL president, the outgoing prime minister Florin Cîţu, because he ceded too many key portfolios to the Social Democrats. A retired general, Ciucă had been appointed last month by President Iohannis to form the government, but he relinquished his mandate after it became clear that the minority government made up of PNL-UDMR would not receive the investiture vote. Earlier, the USR government proposed by the partys leader, Dacian Cioloş, was rejected by senators and deputies. If he is invested, Ciucă will become the first career soldier to lead a government of post-communist Romania. His first nomination came shortly after an opinion poll confirmed that the Army and the Church are on the first places in a classification of institutions enjoying the highest degree of Romanians trust. According to the survey, conducted by the Laboratory for Information Warfare Analysis and Strategic Communication, 87% of Romanians say they trust the Army, 70% – the Church, and 67% – the Romanian Intelligence Service and the Romanian Academy. Over 40% of respondents consider corruption and the incompetence of the political class as the main threats to Romania.

Visit — The President of the Republic of Moldova (ex-Soviet republic with a majority Romanian-speaking), pro-Western Maia Sandu, pays an official visit to neighboring Romania on Tuesday, at the invitation of her counterpart, Klaus Iohannis. It is the first visit to Romania since the early parliamentary elections of July 11, won by the presidential party Action and Solidarity (PAS) by a landslide. The visit takes place in the context of the celebration, in 2021, of 30 years since the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations, after in 1991, Chisinau proclaimed its independence from Moscow. The visit, states the Presidential Administration in Bucharest, is a very good opportunity to reconfirm the special, privileged relationship established under the Strategic Partnership for the Republic of Moldova’s European integration, based on a common language, culture and history. The political consultations of the two presidents will strengthen the excellent and substantial bilateral cooperation at the political, economic and sectoral levels and will stimulate the advancement of joint projects of strategic interest in the fields of energy, transport, health, education and IT. The focus will be on those projects aimed at connecting the Republic of Moldova to the European Union space, through Romania, and at bringing real and concrete benefits to all its citizens – the abovementioned source also shows.

Tennis – Romania has five representatives in the WTA top 100, the world ranking of professional tennis players, published on Monday. The former world leader Simona Halep holds the best position, 20th, but this is her weakest ranking at the end of the season over the last nine years. If in 2013 she finished on 11th position, Halep was then in the Top 10 every time except this year, when she started in 2nd position. Sorana Cîrstea remains on 38th position, Irina Begu on 60th place, Jaqueline Cristian on 71st position, and Gabriela Ruse on 85th. In doubles, Romania has six players in the top 100: Raluca Olaru is still on 36th place, Monica Niculescu maintains the 39th place, Irina Begu dropped one place on 64th position, while Irina Bara managed a jump of 12 places and now being on 84th position, after the title she won this weekend in Montevideo. The other two Romanians in the doubles top 100 are Andreea Mitu (98) and Gabriela Ruse (99). (LS)

22 November 2021
22.11.2021

Politique – Le président roumain, Klaus Iohannis, a désigné l’ex général Nicolae Ciuca candidat aux fonctions de premier-ministre. Le chef de l’Etat a déclaré à l’issue des négociations avec les partis parlementaires qu’une majorité solide existait au Parlement, constituée par le PNL, le PSD et l’UDMR et le groupe des minorités nationales. C’est celle-ci qui a proposé l’ex-chef de l’Etat major aux fonctions de chef du cabinet roumain. Le premier ministre désigné à déclaré que les citoyens attendaient de la stabilité et des solutions du prochain Exécutif afin de résoudre les effets produits par la pandémie et la crise énergétique ainsi qu’un programme de gouvernance censé mettre en application le Plan national de relance et de résilience. C’est pour la première fois, à dit Nicolae Ciuca que le programme de gouvernance contenait un chapitre important consacré aux investissements solides en Roumanie, ansi qu’un programme de mesures sociales. Le président a rencontré lundi des représentants du PNL, le PSD, l’UDMR et des minorités nationales, qui se sont rendus ensemble aux négociations et ensuite les représentants de l’AUR. L’USR, ancien partenaire dans la coalition gouvernementale n’a pas participé aux consultations. Le président du PNL, Florin Cîtu a affirmé à l’issue des consultations que cette coalition était une solution de compromis et qu’il allait suivre de près la façon dont elle fonctionne. Pour sa part, le leader de l’UDMR, Kelemen Hunor espère que ce gouvernement serait stable. Avant les négociations avec le chef de l’Etat, le PNL et le PSD ont eu des réunions décisives. Les sociaux-démocrates ont affirmé que le PSD aurait 9 ministères dans le prochain cabinet dont les Finances, le Travail et les Transports, ainsi que le Secrétariat général. Le Parti national libéral aura huit ministères, parmi lesquels les Fonds européens, la Justice, l’Education, l’Energie, alors que l’UDMR aura trois portefeuilles – le Développement local, l’environnement et les sports. Rappelons-le, Nicolae Ciuca a été désigné par le président à constituer un gouvernement, mais il déposé son mandat. Avant lui, le leader de l’USR, Dacian Ciolos a également échoué dans sa tentative d’obtenir de l’appui parlementaire pour le cabinet qu’il avait proposé. L’exécutif minoritaire PNL – UDMR dirigé par le leader libéral Florin Cîtu a été destitué pat motion de censure après le départ de l’USR de la coalition constituée en décembre dernier, à l’issue des élections parlementaires.

Coronavirus – En Roumanie le nombre des nouveaux cas d’infection au coronavirus est toujours à la baisse pour arriver à 1 550 cas dépistés en 24 heures pour la première fois en deux semaines. 11 000 malades sont hospitalisés dont 1 539 en réanimation. 10% des malades en réanimation ont été vaccinés. Le bilan des décès est de 154 en 24 heures, dont 29 antérieurs à cette période. Le taux moyen d’infection est désormais inférieur à 3,5 cas par mille habitants et plus de moyenne des départements sont sortis de la zone rouge. Le chef de la campagne de vaccination anti-covid, Valeriu Gheorghiţă, a averti qu’il existe le risque d’une répétition du scénario de l’Allemagne, qui est rapidement passée de la quatrième à la cinquième vague de la pandémie en Roumanie, où la couverture vaccinale est très réduite. Un danger même plus important est celui de l’apparition d’une mutation du coronavirus capable d’éviter la réponse immunitaire de l’organisme, a déclaré M Gheorghita. Le nombre des personnes vaccinées au schéma complet touche les 7,2 millions.

Ecole – Quelque 2,6 millions d’élèves des maternelles, des écoles et lycées de Roumanie commencent aujourd’hui des cours en présentiel. Le Comité national des situations d’urgence a accepté la demande du ministère de l’Education de recommencer les cours en présentiel dans les localités où le taux d’incidence des cas de Covid est inférieur à trois cas par mille habitants, indépendamment du taux de vaccination du personnel enseignant. Si l’incidence est supérieure à trois, les cours se déroulent en présidentiel uniquement si la couverture vaccinale du personnel enseignant est supérieure à 60%. Sur le fond de la réticence des enseignants de s’impliquer dans l’activité de dépistage de l’infection parmi les élèves, le ministère de l’Education a décidé que chaque institution d’enseignement pouvait décider de l’endroit où des tests salivaires seraient prélevées aux écoliers : au domicile ou bien à l’école. Les kits de dépistage arriveront au cours de cette semaine dans les écoles.

Protestations – Des protestations ont eu lieu dimanche à Bucarest et dans d’autres villes roumaines contre les mesures adoptées pour gérer la pandémie de Covid 19. A Craiova dans le sud, les protestataires ont lu publiquement des articles de la Constitution relatifs à la liberté individuelle ou d’expression, alors qu’à Constanta dans le sud-est, ils ont protesté contre le certificat vert. De plus en plus d’Etats d’Europe ont introduit des mesures sanitaires très strictes pour combattre la pandémie, alors qu’ils ont rapporté des records d’infection. Entre temps, les protestations contre ces restrictions et contre la vaccination obligatoire se multiplient

Visite – La présidente de la République de Moldova, la pro-occidentale Maia Sandu entame mardi une visite officielle en Roumanie voisine à l’invitation de son homologue Klaus Iohannis. Cette première visite en Roumanie après les élections parlementaires anticipées du 11 juillet, remportées catégoriquement par le parti présidentiel Action et Solidarité PAS, se déroule dans le contexte des 30 années écoulées depuis le début des relations diplomatiques bilatérales et de l’indépendance du pays en 1991. Les deux leaders devraient signer une feuille de route sur les domaines prioritaires de la coopération entre la Roumanie et la République de Moldova et un Accord entre les gouvernements de Bucarest et de Chisinau sur la reconnaissance réciproque des diplômes, certifications et titres scientifiques.

22 November 2021
Hăbări ditu bana românească şi internaţională

COVID – Tru România, numirlu a infecțiilor cu coronavirus ma largu easti tru scadeari, 1.550 di cazuri noi di COVID-19 hiinda raportate tru aesti ditu soni 24 di săhăţ. Tutunăoară, fură raportate 154 di decesi, ditutre cari 29 fură nregistrate ninte di perioada di referință. Cama di 11.000 di persoane infectate cu SARS-CoV-2 suntu spitalizate. Tru UTI suntu 1.539 di paciență, un numir ma ñic atora sumundicra di dzuua di ma niti, iar 150 ditu aești au certificat cari atestă vaccinarea, asi cumu spunu autoritățli. Rata medie di infectare easti tora sumu 3,5 cazuri la nillea di bănători, iara ma mult di giumătate ditu giudețele României numata suntu tru sţenariul aroșu. Șeflu a campaniei di vaccinare COVID, Valeriu Gheorghiță, feati timbihi că ari riscul ca scenariul bănatu di Germania, cari tricu iruşi di la dalga 4 la a 5-a a pandemiillei, să s’facă și tru România, iu rata di vaccinare easti scădzută. . Un piriclliuol nica ș-ma mari poati s’hibă alăncearea a unei mutații a coronavirusului cari s’afireaşti di apandisea imună a organismului, spusi Gheorghiță. Numirlu a persoanelor complet vaccinate easti aproapea di 7,2 milioane.

Guvern – Prezidentulu Klaus Iohannis simnă luni decretlu mutrinda număsearea tru funcția di prim-ministru a senatorlui liberal Nicolae Ciucă. El spusi, dpu consultărli cu partidile și grupările parlamentare, că număsearea al Ciucă easti ndrupătă di ună majoritate vărtoasă tru Parlament, cari includi PSD, PNL, UDMR și grupul a minorităților naționale, alti dicâtu aţelu maghiar. Klaus Iohannis lli-apruke tu idyea oară reprezentanțăllii PNL, PSD și UDMR tru cadrul a consultărilor. El zbură și cu liderllii a partidului naționalist di opoziție, AUR, kiro tru cari USR, fost partener junior a liberalilor tru guvernu, curmă călisearea-a prezidentului, stipsinda-lu pi aestu că easti nunlu a unăllei coaliții monstruoase. Uidisitu cu Constituția, candidatul la funcția di prim-ministru ari la dispoziție dzati dzăli di la nominalizare tră s’cafţă a Parlamentului un vot di pistipseari ti programulu di guvernare și tră tută lista di miniștri. Purtătorlu di zboru a PSD, Radu Oprea, spusi că, tru yinitorlu Executiv, social-dimocrații va s’aibă ună funcție ministerială tră secretarlu general a Guvernului, cum și portofoliile Finanțe, Apărare Națională, Economie, Transporturi, Agricultură, Sănătate, Muncă, Cultură și Tineretul. UDMR li ţăni ma largu ateali trei ministeri ţi li ari tu cumănduseari di ma ninti Dezvoltare Locală, Mediu și Sport. Iara libearalii armasiră cu Ministerele Justiției, Internelor, Afacerilor Externe, Investițiilor și Proiectelor Europene, Energiei, Educației, Cercetării și Turismului. Uidisitu cu presei, liderllii liberali ditu România și di București ălu cutugursiră sertu pi prezidentulu PNL, premierlu demisionaru Florin Cîțu, tră că trapsi mănă di la multi portofolii clleai tră social-democraț. Generalu tu rezervă, Ciucă fu număsitu meslu triecut di prezidentulu Iohannis s’adară guvernarea, ama trapsi mănă di la mandat după ţi agiumsi limbidu că guvernul minoritar format ditu PNL-UDMR nu va s’aminta votul di nvestitură. Ma ninti, guvernul USR pripus di liderul a partidului, Dacian Cioloş, nu fu aprukeatu di senatori şi diputaţi. Cara va s-hibă investit, Ciucă va s’agiungă primul militar di carieră cari va s’conducă un guvern ali Românie post-comuniste. Prima a lui nominalizare vini tu scurtu kiro după ţi un sondaj di opinie spusi că Armata și Bisearica suntu pi primile locuri tru un clasament a instituțiilor cari s’hărsescu di nai ma marea pistipseari a românilor. Uidisitu cu sondajului, realizat di Laboratorul di Analiză a Polimlui Informațional și Comunicari Strategică, 87% ditu români spun că au pistipsearea tru Armată, 70% – tru Biserică, iar 67% – tru Serviciul Român di Informații și tru Academia Română. Cama di 40% ditu apăndisitori lugursescu corupția și incompetența clasăllei politică ca suntu protili fuvirseri la adresa Româniillei.

Vizită — Prezidentulu ali Republică Moldova (fosta republică sovietică cu ună majoritate di limbă română), pro-occidintală Maia Sandu, faţi marț ună vizită oficială tru România viţină, la invitația a omologlui a llei, Klaus Iohannis. Easti prima vizită tru România di la alidzerli parlamentare anticipate ditu 11 alunaru, amintati di partidul prezidințial Acțiune și Solidaritate (PAS). Vizita are loc tru contextul a yiurtusearillei, tru 2021, a 30 di ani di la ligăturloru diplomatice bilatearale, după ţi tru 1991, Chișinăul ș-proclamă indipendința andicra di Moscova. Vizita, precizeadză Administrația Prezidințială di București, easti ună multu bună furñie ta s-u spună hăirlătica a ligăturăllei specială, privilegiată, apufusita tru cadrul Parteneriatului Strategic tră integrarea europeană a Republicii Moldova, bazată pi ună limbă, cultură și istorie comuni. Consultările politice a aţiloru doi prezidenţă va li anvărtuşeadză excelenta și substanțială coopearare bilatearală la nivel politic, economic și sectorial și va s’da silă ti avansarea proiectelor comune di interes strategic tru domeniile energiei, transporturilor, sănătății, educației și IT. Accentul va s’bagă pi aţeali proiecte cari mutrescu conectarea Republicii Moldova la spațiul Uniunii Europene, pritu România, și aduţearea di hăirlătică alithea și concrete tutulor cetățenilor a llei — nica spuni izvurlu adusu aminti.

Autoru: Udălu a hăbărloru

Armânipsearea: Taşcu Lala

22 November 2021
November 4, 2021

GOVERNMENT Representatives of the National Liberal Party (PNL) are
today having talks with the opposition Social Democrats PSD in an attempt to
forge a fully functional government with a stable Parliament majority. The
Social Democrats are now claiming the position of Prime Minister, a position
the Liberals do not want to concede as they want the majority to be forged
around the PNL. On Wednesday the Liberals resumed talks with USR and according
to the PNL Leader Florin Citu there are chances for rebuilding the right-wing
coalition. USR leader Dacian Ciolos showed less optimism waiting for a decision
from the Liberals after today’s round of talks with the PSD. They are also waiting for a statement from President Klaus Iohannis over a new round of talks
with Parliament parties after two failed attempts to forge a new government.
The latest Prime Minister designate, Liberal Ncolae Ciuca has stepped down
after a failed attempt to forge a minority PNL-UDMR government. The first Prime
Minister designate, USR leader, Dacian Ciolos, has also failed to get
Parliament support. We recall the cabinet led by Florin Citu has been sacked
through a censure motion.

COVID-19 Over 10 thousand new Covid 19 infections
have been reported in Romania in the past 24 hours out of 64 thousand tests
conducted by the authorities. Bucharest comes first with the highest number of
infections 1560. 451 Covid-related fatalities have also been announced while
1890 patients are being treated in ICUs, the largest number so far. Romania’s vaccine
rollout has slowed down in the past days with only 47 thousand vaccinated on
Wednesday. The number of Romanians fully vaccinated so far has exceeded 6,400,000
people.

EBRD The European Bank for reconstruction and
Development EBRD has significantly improved its estimate on Romania’s economic
growth in 2021 forecasting a 7.2% growth against 6% in June, a report published
today says. The Recovery and Resilience facility could lead to a rise in
investment and a gradual increase in exports whereas the reduced private
consumption and the fiscal consolidation could translate into a 4.4% GDP
growth, the bank experts believe. According to them the main risk is posed by
the development of the pandemic as Romania has the second slowest vaccine
rollout in the EU. According to the EBRD, Greece, Romania and Bulgaria are
seeing a significant economic recovery after the difficult 2020. Romania’s main
growth engine seems to be its domestic demand.

FILE Culprits in the Colectiv file, a trial, which is coming to a final ruling
six years after the tragedy, could benefit from reduced sentences. We recall
that a blaze that ripped through the night club Colectiv in Bucharest on
October 30th 2015 killed 65 and wounded 150 others. The judges in
the Court in Bucharest dealing with the file have partially changed the legal
classification of offences a part of those involved in the case have committed,
including the former mayor of the Bucharest district where the club was
located. The verdict might lead to reduced sentences for the culprits in a file
that dragged on for 6 years.

FOOTBALL Romania’s football champions CFR Cluj are today up against AZ
Alkmaar of the Netherlands in a group D match of Europa Conference League.
Alkmaar are the group’s odds-on favourites as they haven’t lost a single match
so far and mustered 7 points. CFR are last in the group with only one point
after a one-all draw against Danish side Randers and stand only mathematical
chances to qualify for the competition’s next stage.

(bill)

4 November 2021
November 2, 2021

MANDATE The Liberal
retired General Nicolae Ciuca has today stepped down from the position of
Romania’s Prime Minister designate after his failed attempt to rally Parliament
support for a minority PNL-UDMR government. The Liberal leadership is to decide
today over a new negotiation mandate in order to get majority. PNL leader, the
interim Prime Minister Florin Citu, announced yesterday that his party would
hold talks with all the democratic forces in Parliament. The Liberals are also
going to decide today upon the person nominated for the position of Prime
Minister. The former PNL partner USR and UDMR have announced their readiness to
rebuild the right-wing coalition, which they left in September upon a conflict
with the then Prime Minister Florin Citu. The PNL-UDMR minority government
headed by Florin Citu was dismissed through a censure motion and Nicolae Ciuca
has been the second Prime Minister designate after the failed attempt by USR
leader Dacian Ciolos to get support for his cabinet.

COVID-19 Over 11 thousand new Covid-19 infections
were reported in Romania on Tuesday as well as 591 related fatalities. The
situation in the country’s hospitals has worsened with over 20,500 patients
currently under treatment, 1876 of them in ICUs. Six patients in a severe
condition have today been flown to hospitals in Hamburg by a plane belonging to
Germany’s air forces. The intervention is part of the international support
Romania benefits, which includes medicine supplies, assistance in the treatment
of patients by medical personnel from other countries. The Romanians’ interest
in vaccination has slightly decreased in the past days with only 49 thousand
getting the first jab of an anti-Covid vaccine.

DRILL Over 1,000 Romanian and foreign
troops and roughly 100 land, air and naval vehicles are participating until
November 12th in a joint drill entitled ‘Junction Strike 21’. In the first days
of the drill, Romanian and Portuguese servicemen trained in a fictitious hybrid
warfare scenario in Mangalia, southern Romania. The drill has brought together
troops of the special forces of Georgia, Greece, Britain, the Republic of
Moldova, Poland and the USA. On Monday, Air base 57 in Mihail Kogalniceanu,
south-eastern Romania, played venue for a demonstrative exercise of enhanced
air policing by Romanian and Canadian servicemen. Enhanced air policing under
NATO command is a collective defence mission aimed at protecting the Alliance’s
air space and consists of intercepting aircraft that may violate a national
airspace for various reasons.

SUMMIT Romania has one of the lowest rates of
greenhouse gas emissions per capita in the EU, Romanian president Klaus
Iohannis said in Glasgow on Tuesday, adding that the country intends to
increase its production of electricity out of renewable sources in the future
as well. Greenhouse gas emissions have been cut down by 64% and Romania
presently boasts one of the lowest rates in the EU, Iohannis went on to say.
The Romanian official also says that our country is fully supporting the EU efforts
to cut CO2 emissions by 55% until 2030. Over 100 world leaders, who have
convened for the climate change summit COP 26 in Glasgow, have pledged to stop
and reverse illegal logging and land degradation by the end of the decade and
earmark 19 billion dollars out of public and private funds for the protection
and regeneration of forests.

(bill)

2 November 2021
November 2, 2021 UPDATE

Covid — On Tuesday Romania registered a new record of deaths reported in 24 hours, namely 586, in patients infected with COVID-19. In the same period, 11,073 new cases of COVID-19 contamination were reported. According to the Strategic Communication Group, since the onset of the pandemic, in Romania, 1,666,097 cases of people with coronavirus infections have been confirmed. 1,429,157 patients have recovered from the disease. All in all, 48,664 people diagnosed with COVID-19 have died in Romania. Neighboring Bulgaria also reported a new death record on Tuesday. With a population almost three times smaller than that of Romania, Bulgaria reported 310 deaths in 24 hours. According to Radio Romanias correspondent in Sofia, 94% of the deceased were unvaccinated people. Since the summer season, Bulgaria and Romania have reported the lowest vaccination rate against the new coronavirus of all the 27 EU member states – according to calculations made by international news agencies, based on data provided by national authorities.

Government – The Romanian prime minister designate, the Liberal Nicolae Ciucă, on Tuesday announced that he was relinquishing the mandate he received from President Klaus Iohannis to form a new government. The decision was adopted by the leadership of his party, after the prime minister designate failed to obtain support in Parliament for the government team made up of the National Liberal party — PNL and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania — UDMR. On Wednesday he was supposed to ask for the investiture vote in the plenum of Parliament. According to procedures, the head of state will have to launch a new round of consultations with the parliamentary parties, in order to nominate another potential prime minister. The Liberal leader, the interim prime minister Florin Cîțu, is now talking about a relaxation of the negotiating mandate and promises that the liberals will have consultations with what he calls the democratic political forces in Parliament to form a majority to support a government with full powers. On the other hand, the co-president of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR, the nationalist opposition), George Simion, announced the initiation of procedures to suspend President Iohannis. He specified that Alliance for the Union of Romanians started gathering signatures from senators and deputies to support his action, adding that parliamentarians from several parties promised to sign the document. According to the Constitution, the suspension procedure must be initiated by at least one third of the total number of senators and deputies, i.e. 156 signatures. Accused of not exercising his constitutional role of mediator and lately perceived as part the problem and not as one who seeks solutions, Iohannis has reached a confidence rate of only 14%, according to a recent poll, commissioned by the Social Democratic opposition.

COP26 — More than 100 countries around the world on Tuesday pledged to halt deforestation by 2030 and thus curb global warming. At the so-called COP26 in the Scottish city of Glasgow, the UN summit dedicated to combating climate change, the heads of state and government promised to protect forests, considered the lungs of the planet, because they neutralize much of the billions of tons of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere following human activities. Also on Tuesday, 80 of the participating states pledged to reduce emissions of methane, one of the greenhouse gases, by 30% in the next decade. Attending the Glasgow summit, President Klaus Iohannis said that Romania had reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 64% between 1989, when the communist dictatorship collapsed, and 2019. 40% of the electricity produced in Romania comes from renewable sources — the Romanian president also added. (LS)

2 November 2021
November 1, 2021 UPDATE

CABINET The fate of the minority
PNL-UDMR cabinet proposed by the interim Defence Minister, Liberal Nicolae
Ciuca is to be decided this week. Its members are to be heard on Tuesday by the
committees of the two chambers of the Romanian Legislature. Parliament is to
vote on the new cabinet on Wednesday and Prime Minister designate Nicolae Ciuca
hopes to muster the needed number of votes, 234 and called on the MPs to show responsibility
for overcoming the health crisis in Romania. The sacked Prime Minister Florin
Citu has voiced optimism the cabinet will get Parliament endorsement and the
Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) says it will continue
to support the National Liberal Party, (PNL) in a minority government although
there is no majority to endorse the new cabinet. Both the opposition PSD and
the former ruling partner USR have said they will not support the new cabinet.
The PNL-UDMR has called for the support of a ruling programme, which includes,
among other things, urgent measures for keeping the pandemic at bay and
reducing the impact of the soaring energy prices, the reform of the country’s
pension system and pay in the public sector.

COVID-19 According to the latest data released on the Covid pandemic in
Romania show a decrease in the number of infections, although many deaths are
still reported. The Strategic Communication Group on Monday reported almost
7,000 new COVID infections in the last 24 hours and 322 related fatalities.
Compared to the previous Monday, the number of cases reported is by almost
2,200 cases smaller. On Mondays, however, fewer cases are usually reported
compared to the other days of the week, as fewer tests are performed on
Sundays. At the same time, over 80 thousand people have been vaccinated in the
last 24 hours, of whom over 49 thousand with the first dose. The number of fully
vaccinated people exceeds 6.3 million. The vaccination campaign has gained
momentum recently, and the authorities estimate that, if the rate is
maintained, 70% of the people over the age of 12 could be vaccinated by the end
of the year. A medical team from Germany is in Romania to evaluate Romanian COVID
patients who might be transferred to hospitals in that country. A German air
force aircraft is also available to fly the selected patients to Germany.

RADIO The Romanian public radio on Monday celebrated 93 years since its first
broadcast, on November 1, 1928. The anniversary takes place against the
restrictions imposed by the current pandemic, unlike other years, in an
atmosphere of severe austerity. Since its establishment, the Public Radio has
continuously broadcast all the significant events in the history of Romania. In
recognition of the decisive role in the history of our country, the Romanian Parliament
established November 1 as the National Radio Day. In a congratulations message,
the US Embassy said that the freedom of the press and the freedom of expression
are fundamental in any democratic regime, and this day is dedicated to radio
journalists, who often expose themselves to a high risk in this precarious
health environment in their attempt to report on issues that otherwise could
not be heard. For the Romanians abroad, Public Radio is a way to keep in touch
with their home country.

COP26 Romania’s President Klaus
Iohannis is attending, as of this Monday, a two-day World Leaders’ Summit as
part of the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2021 (COP26) hosted by
Glasgow, Scotland. According to a press release, during the meeting, the Romanian
head of state is expected to deliver a speech entitled ‘the National
Declaration’, in which he will convey Romania’s stand, with emphasis on the
steps taken by Bucharest to limit the effects of climate change. At the same
time, the Romanian president will participate in events in a multilateral and
bilateral format on the theme of nature-based solutions to the problem of
climate change and the reduction of emissions in the energy system. The day
before the Glasgow summit, the G20 leaders reached an agreement on limiting
global warming. According to the Radio Romania News and Current Affairs
channel’s correspondent, on Sunday, the G20 leaders reached, in Rome, an
agreement on limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to the
pre-industrial period. The leaders of the world’s most developed economies have
pledged to jointly allocate 100 billion dollars per year to finance the fight
against climate change and to implement the new rules by 2023 for a more stable
and equitable international tax system and for a minimum profit tax of 15%
worldwide.

(bill)

1 November 2021
October 30, 2021 UPDATE

GOVERNMENT The Senate and the Chamber of Deputies on Saturday decided
that the ministers proposed by Prime Minister designate, Liberal Nicolae Ciuca
be heard by the specialised committees on Tuesday and sworn in by Parliament a
day later. The Prime Minister designate, retired General Nicolae Ciuca, on
Saturday submitted to Parliament a list of his cabinet and ruling programme,
which includes, among other things emergency measures aimed at settling
Romania’s health crisis and offsetting the latest soaring prices in energy. The
National Liberal Party has opted for a minority government jointly with the
UDMR, which presently lacks the support it needs for the right number of votes
in the Legislature. The Prime Minister designate has voiced hope the cabinet proposed
by him will be endorsed by Parliament adding that the talks with the other
parties must continue until the last moment. Pundits believe though that a
rejection of the Ciuca cabinet would pave the way for snap election although
the Constitution allows president Iohannis to propose a third Prime
Minister.

COVID-19 Roughly 89 people have got the anti-Covid
vaccine in the past 24 hours in Romania, out of whom 57 thousand got the first
jab. The number of those fully vaccinated in Romania has exceeded 6.2 million
and the vaccine rollout has been given such a boost of late making the
authorities to predict that if this pace maintained until the end of the year
Romania could have a rate of 70% vaccinated. Over 12,100 new infections were
reported on Saturday as well as 413 fatalities. Roughly 20 thousand people are
currently being treated in hospitals, out of whom 1858 in ICUs. A medical team
from Germany has arrived in Romania to asses Covid-infected patients who can be
treated in hospitals in that country and an aircraft belonging to German air
forces has been made available for the transport of these patients. In another
development, Romania is to receive next week a batch of 10 thousand monoclonal
antibodies as part of the contract the European Commission has signed with the
producer, Romania’s Health Minister Andrei Baciu has announced. The country’s
National Committee for Emergency Situations has also updated the list of
countries and territories with a high-risk of infection with the Netherlands
and Russia in the red tier. In the yellow zone there are Malaysia, Cuba, Costa
Rica, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein
and Jordan.

TENNIS Romanian Simona Halep on Saturday qualified for the finals of the
Transylvania Open underway in Cluj, north-western Romania. The competition’s
odds-on favourite, Halep has outperformed Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine 6-0, 6-1 and
will be up against Anett Kontaveit of Estonia in the finals. Also on Saturday,
the Romania-Georgian pair Irina Bara/Ekaterina Gorgodze qualified for the
finals after a 6-3, 2-6, 10-7 win against Romanian pair Irina Begu/Andreea
Mitu.

FIRE On Saturday Romania commemorated 6
years since the blaze that ripped through the Colectiv night club in Bucharest
killing 65. Another 150 wounded in the fire caused by fireworks during a rock
concert on October 30th 2015, are still being treated for the wounds
they suffered. Religious services and wreath laying ceremonies were held on
Saturday to the memory of those who lost their lives in the disaster. The
survivors, relatives of the victims together with representatives of the civil
society have called into attention the fact that little has changed in the
country’s healthcare system since then. Six years on from the tragedy, the
survivors who are still undergoing treatment, have pointed to the fact that the
infections in hospitals around Romania are still unreported and unmonitored.
Romania still lacks burn care facilities for the treatment and recovery of
those who suffered severe burns. The court trial opened shortly after the event
is still underway.

(bill)

31 October 2021
October 30, 2021

COVID-19 Roughly 120 thousand people have got the anti-Covid vaccine in Romania
in the past 24 hours, out of whom 82 thousand got the first jab. The number of
those fully vaccinated has exceeded 6.2 million and the vaccine rollout has
been given such a boost of late making the authorities to predict that if the
pace maintained until the end of the year Romania could have a rate of 70%
vaccinated. Over 12,100 new infections were reported on Saturday as well as 413
fatalities. Roughly 20 thousand people are currently being treated in
hospitals, out of whom 1858 in ICUs. A medical team from Germany has arrived in
Romania to asses Covid-infected patients who can be treated in hospitals in
that country and an aircraft belonging to German air forces has been made available
for the transport of these patients. In another development, Romania is to
receive next week a batch of 10 thousand monoclonal antibodies as part of the
contract the European Commission has signed with the producer, Romania’s Health
Minister Andrei Baciu has announced. The country’s National Committee for
Emergency Situations has also updated the list of countries and territories
with a high-risk of infection with the Netherlands and Russia in the red tier.
In the yellow zone there are Malaysia, Cuba, Costa Rica, the Czech Republic,
Denmark, Hungary, Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein or Jordan. Palestine has
been included in the green tier.

VACCINE The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized the
emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for the prevention of
COVID-19 to include children 5 through 11 years of age thus paving the way for
a new major stage of the vaccine rollout targeting 28 million children in the
country. The authorization was based on the FDA’s thorough and transparent data
assessment that included input from independent advisory committee experts who
overwhelmingly voted in favor of making the vaccine available to children in
this age bracket. At least 246 million Covid-19 infections have been reported
worldwide so far and 5 million people have died, according to worldmeters.info.

DST
On Saturday night Romanians will adjust their clocks setting them back by one
hour as part of the Daylight Saving Time practice. So, the day of October 31st
is going to be the year’s longest day with 25 hours and Romania is going to
have a two-hour GMT advance. The DST started being implemented by the European
countries in the past century in an attempt to save on electricity, mainly
during the war and the oil crises in back in the 1970s. However, doctors
believe that the DST can affect the bodies of children and the elderly alike as
it takes up to two weeks for people to adjust to the change. This year might be
the last in which the DST can be applied as the European Parliament in 2019
voted in favour of scrapping the practice. Romania has not made a decision in
this respect yet.

GOVERNMENT Romania’s Prime Minister designate, retired general
Nicolae Ciuca, is to submit to Parliament today the ruling programme and the
list of the cabinet ministers endorsed by the National Liberal party PNL. The
new cabinet is to be sworn in next week. Ciuca says that although
mathematically speaking, the cabinet he proposes stands no chances to be
approved, talks are underway with MPs until the last moment. The interim Prime
Minister and PNL leader Florin Citu has given assurances the new cabinet will
get the necessary votes. His opinion is not shared by Kelemen Hunor, leader of
the partner UDMR, who believes the minority Executive will not get support and
that rebuilding the coalition with USR would have been the best alternative.
The opposition Social Democrats and USR have announced they are not going to
vote for the new cabinet. The political situation in Romania went south after
USR had left the coalition government headed by Florin Citu and voted for a
PSD-initiated censure motion against it jointly with the nationalist opposition
AUR. Former Chief of Staff and Defence Minister, General Ciuca is presently a
PNL senator and the second Prime Minister designated to forge a new government
after the abortive attempt of USR leader Dacian Ciolos. Pundits believe, a
rejection of the Ciuca cabinet would pave the way for snap election although
the Constitution allows president Iohannis to propose a third Prime Minister.

(bill)

30 October 2021
26.10.2021

Covid en Roumanie – En Roumanie, la situation épidémiologique demeure compliquée, avec 16 765 nouveaux cas d’infection au SARS CoV 2 et 523 décès des suites de la maladie – dont 12 enregistrés dans les jours précédents – selon les chiffres officiels partiels annoncés mardi. 1.867 malades de covid sont en réanimation. Un bilan supérieur du nombre de cas d’infection et de décès a été rapporté le 19 octobre, respectivement 18 863 cas et 574 décès. Sur le fond de cette situation dramatique, de plus en plus de Roumains choisissent de se faire immuniser. Plus de 93 000 personnes ont fait la première dose de vaccin – un record en Roumanie – et le total des personnes au schéma complet de vaccination touche les 6 millions, selon le rapport le plus récent.

Médicaments – La Commission européenne a identifié 10 moyens thérapeutiques qui pourraient s’avérer efficaces dans le traitement de la Covid 19. Ces médicaments seront disponibles au plus vite, à travers l’Union à condition que leur sureté et efficacité soient confirmées par l’Agence européenne des médicaments. Les 10 remèdes sont partagés en trois catégories : anticorps viraux monoclonaux, les plus efficaces au début de l’infection, antiviraux oraux, à employer au plus vite après l’infection et immunomodulateurs, utilisés pour traiter les malades hospitalisés. La commissaire à la Santé, Stella Kyriakides, a déclaré avoir déjà signé des contrats de marché publics commun visant différents traitements contre la Covid. Le mois prochain un événement paneuropéen sera organisé pour favoriser des contacts en vue de produire d’une manière industrielle des moyens thérapeutiques et contribuer à développer de nouveaux médicaments, tout en mobilisant la capacité de production pharmaceutique de l’UE.

Politique – A Bucarest, le premier ministre désigné, le libéral Nicolae Ciuca n’a pas réussi à obtenir jusqu’ici l’appui politique nécessaire à l’investiture d’un gouvernement minoritaire PNL-UDMR. Le PSD conditionne son appui à l’introduction au programme de gouvernance de 10 mesures urgentes dans les secteurs sanitaire et économique. Pour sa part, l’USR a annoncé ne pas soutenir un cabinet minoritaire et propose en échange de refaire la coalition PNL – USR – UDMR, constituée en décembre dernier et détruite en septembre à cause du conflit entre les ministres de l’USR et le premier ministre, l’actuel leader libéral Florin Citu. Son exécutif a été destitué par motion de censure. Avant la fin de cette semaine Nicolae Ciuca doit présenter au parlement un programme de gouvernance et une équipe gouvernementale.

Visite – Le président roumain, Klaus Iohannis, fait mercredi une visite en Egypte, à l’invitation de son homologue, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, fait savoir l’Administration présidentielle. Cette visite se déroule dans le contexte de l’anniversaire cette année des 115 années de relations diplomatiques entre la Roumanie et l’Egypte. Au programme : des entretiens sur la coopération politique et diplomatique, mais aussi économique. Les deux pays cherchent à stimuler les échanges commerciaux et les investissements dans de nouveaux secteurs d’intérêt. Klaus IOhannis rencontrera aussi le président de la Chambre des représentants du Parlement égyptien, Hanafy Ali El-Gebaly, et le président du Sénat du parlement égyptien, Abdel-Wahab Abdel-Razeq.

Déficit – La Roumanie a enregistré un déficit budgétaire de 3,77% du PIB durant les 9 premiers mois de cette année, en baisse de 2,6% par rapport à la période similaire de l’année dernière. Les recettes budgétaires ont progressé de pas moins de 18,7% durant les 9 premiers mois de l’année 2021, par rapport à l’année dernière, selon le ministère des Finances. Les dépenses au budget consolidé ont-elles aussi progressé de 6,7% par rapport à la même période de 2020.

Tennis – Deux joueuses roumaines de tennis : Irina Begu et Irina Bara, s’affrontent aujourd’hui à l’Open de Transylvanie, qui se déroule à Cluj dans le nord-ouest. Une autre roumaine, Jaqueline Cristian, affronte Kajei Juvan, de Slovénie.Simona Halep joue demain contre sa compatriote Gabriela Ruse. Lundi, Ana Bogdan s’est qualifiée dans les huitièmes de finale du tournoi après avoir battu la serbe Ivana Jorovici, en deux sets. Dans les huitièmes de finale Ana Bogdan affrontera la gagnante du match entre la britannique aux origines roumaines Emma Răducanu, qui a remporté l’US Open cette année et la slovène Polona Hercog. Deux autres roumaines, Alexandra Ignatik (Cadanţu) et Andreea Prisăcariu, ont été éliminées lundi au premier tour de la compétition.

Météo – Temps relativement frais en Roumain avec des températures allant de 9 à 17 degrés. Ciel bleu à l’exception du sud-est où les nuages persistent et quelques pluies isolées sont possibles. 12 degrés et du soleil à Bucarest, après une matinée avec 4 degrés seulement.

26 October 2021
April 2, 2021

PANDEMIC The World Health Organisation
has criticized the sluggish pace of Europe’s vaccine rollout, also mentioning
the latest surge in coronavirus infections. The statement was made by the WHO
European branch several days ahead of the Catholic Easter. Immunization and
restrictions remain the main solutions to contain the spread of the more
contagious variants, which have become dominant in countries like France, Spain
or Germany. On Thursday, authorities in Berlin reported over 24 thousand new
cases and over 200 Covid-related fatalities. In Spain, which has a major
community of Romanians, the infection rate exceeded 150 cases per one hundred
thousand people and in some regions indoor bars and restaurants have been
closed. Travel restrictions have been imposed in these days when Spain is celebrating
the Holy Week without street events for the second time in a row. In Greece,
where the number of active cases and infections isn’t going down, authorities
have decided to open shops under very strict medical protocols after six weeks
of lockdown. According to worldometers
over 130 million people have been infected with the novel coronavirus and 2.8
million have died since the beginning of the pandemic.

EASTER Roman-Catholic and protestant
believers the world over, including from Romania are celebrating the most
important Christian holiday, the Lord’s Resurrection, on April 4th, a month
before the Orthodox believers. This is for the second year when Pope Francis,
leader of the Catholic believers from all over the world, will deliver a mass
in front of a lower number of participants because of the pandemic. On the Good
Friday, Pope Francis is expected to commemorate Christ’s passions and crucifixion.
The Way of the Cross will not be observed according to tradition at the
Colosseum, but in front of the St. Peter Basilica just like a year ago. In
spite of the lockdown imposed in Italy, churches are open and citizens can
attend religious services close to their homes.

VACCINE Romania’s vaccine rollout is in
full swing with over 2 million people vaccinated. Half of these have also got
the booster dose. 432 thousand dozes of Astra Zeneca vaccine are expected to
arrive in Bucharest today. The country’s president Klaus Iohannis has announced
that in the following period Romania will receive a significant quantity of
vaccine and the rollout can be stepped up. The head of the Romanian state has
urged the Romanians to trust the benefits of immunization. In turn, National
Defence Minister Nicolae Ciuca announced that 15 new vaccination centers are to
become available as of April 5th. On Friday Romania registered a new all-time
high in the number of patients in intensive care 1,454. Over 5800 new
infections have been reported at national level and 146 related fatalities.
Roughly one million Romanians have been infected since the onset of the
pandemic and the death toll stands at 24 thousand. The Ilfov county close to
the capital Bucharest has reported the largest aggregated number of infections
9.45 cases per thousand in the past 14 days. Capital Bucharest has an infection
rate slightly above 7 per thousand while another 12 counties have been included
in the so-called red zone with over 3 cases per thousand. In Cluj Napoca,
north-western Romania, tougher restrictions are being applied as of today as
the 7.5 rate has been exceeded. A curfew between 20 pm and 5 am will be applied
over the weekend in the regions with an infection rate above four cases. In
these regions shops are to be closed at 18 hours. At a rate above 7.5 cases,
these measures are applied throughout the week, not only at weekends.

PROTESTS Restrictions imposed by the authorities in Romania to contain the
pandemic sparked off new protests on Thursday for the fifth day in a row. They
were not as big as the previous ones but during them the protesters have again voiced
their discontent towards limited shopping hours, the curfew and the compulsory
face covering in open spaces. According to the authorities the aforementioned measures
are needed to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

(bill)

2 April 2021
February 18, 2021 UPDATE

MEASURES The government in Bucharest on
Thursday passed an emergency ordinance under which a series of budget
expenditures are being cut. The measures include maintaining the present value
of the pension point until 2022, the cancellation of the 30% bonus granted to
prefectures for managing the medical crisis and of the holiday gift vouchers. According
to Prime Minister Citu, the draft budget for this year designed to achieve 7.16%
of the GDP and significant funds for investment is to be passed on Friday. Also
on Thursday, the Romanian government adopted a draft law on dismantling the
controversial department for investigating offenses in the country’s legal
system. This is a pledge made by the ruling coalition and also a recommendation
for the observance of the Verification and Control Mechanism, the minister
explained.

VACCINE Roughly 40 thousand vaccine doses have been
administered in Romania in the past 24 hours, mostly produced by Pfizer,
AstraZeneca and Moderna, all three approved by the European Union. Since the
vaccination campaign kicked off on December 27th last year, nearly
one million three hundred thousand doses have been administered to more than
750 thousand people. In another development, 3058 new cases of Covid infections
have been reported in the past 24 hours. Since the onset of the pandemic,
Romania has confirmed over 771 thousand cases with a death toll exceeding
19,600. 936 people are presently being treated in IC units.

BRANCUSI A number of events devoted to the
Constantin Brâncuşi National Day, celebrated every year in Romania on February
19, are organised across the country this week, to mark 145 years since the
great sculptor’s birth. On Friday, the Tinerimea Română National Art Centre
will give a special concert devoted to the occasion, and illustrated with
images of Brancusi’s works on display at the National Museum of Art. Also on
Friday, an exhibition entitled Mirrors of Brâncuşi opens at the Romanian
Peasant Museum. On Saturday, the National Library has an event entitled
Dialogues at the table of silence: 145 years since the birth of sculptor
Constantin Brâncuşi. The event is held online, on Zoom platform, and can also
be followed on the Youtube channel of the National Library of Romania. In turn,
the Romanian Cultural Institutes
in Bucharest, Brussels, Chişinău, Lisbon, London, Madrid and Paris have
scheduled online events devoted to the world-famous Romanian artist.

DEFENCE The Romanian defence Minister Nicolae
Ciucă, taking part in a meeting of NATO defence ministers, pointed out
Romania’s commitment to covering defence expenditure. He reaffirmed Bucharest’s
support for deepening and strengthening NATO’s defence and deterrence
posture, in line with medium and
long-term security requirements. NATO’s secretary general Jens Stoltenberg
suggested the Alliance should increase funding for joint defence and deterrence
activities. One of the reasons for suggesting increased NATO funding for
deterrence and defence is that this will incentivise more Allies to provide
more capabilities, especially in the Baltic and Black Sea regions, the NATO
chief explained. Jens Stoltenberg also said the Alliance needs to invest more
in new technologies, including artificial intelligence and quantum computing.

(bill)

18 February 2021
December 17, 2020 UPDATE

Covid-19 Ro — 5,697 new cases of SARS-CoV-2 contamination have been registered in Romania in the last 24 hours, after 28,099 tests have been made at national level – the Strategic Communication Group informed on Thursday afternoon. In the same period, 107 infected people died, taking the total death toll to 13,969. 11,860 COVID-19 patients are hospitalized in specialized health units, of whom 1,297 in intensive care. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, 577,446 cases of people infected with the new coronavirus have been confirmed in Romania, of whom over 477 thousand have recovered. The number of Romanians abroad confirmed with the new coronavirus increased to 7,034, three more than the latest figure reported, with the number of deaths remaining at 127. President Klaus Iohannis convened a new working meeting to manage the COVID-19 epidemic, to be attended by the interim Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă and the main officials in the health domain. The health minister Nelu Tataru announced that the executive approved on Thursday the norms regarding the authorization, organization and functioning of vaccination centers against COVID-19. The document creates the legal framework for the involvement of the Defense and Interior Ministries in this campaign. Funds were also approved that are necessary for the organization and functioning of vaccination centers as well as additional funds for the Health Ministry, meant for the purchase of new medicines stocks and anti-COVID-19 treatments.

Rules — The National Committee for Emergency Situations on Thursday established a series of health protection rules for the organization of official events, parliamentary sessions, meetings, preparatory working meetings, as well as ceremonies commemorating the events of December 1989. At official ceremonies taking place indoors the participants are obliged to wear face masks and to keep physical distance of at least one meter. Also the organizers of the events have to ensure areas of four square meters for each person and to ventilate the rooms for at least 10 minutes every 2 hours. The first 3 rules also apply to official events held in open spaces where a maximum of 100 participants are allowed. Also on Thursday, the National Committee for Emergency Situations updated the list of countries and territories considered to have a high epidemiological risk. The people coming to Romania from these countries must be quarantined for 14 days, a period that can be shortened after the 3rd day based on a negative COVID-19 test. The list of so-called yellow zones includes the Republic of Moldova, the Netherlands, Cyprus and Turkey, with Italy having been eliminated. All in all, 37 states and territories are on the updated list of the Romanian authorities.

Donation — Germany has donated to Romania medical equipment for the intensive care units where COVID-19 patients are being treated. The equipment consists of 40 pulmonary ventilation devices intended for the treatment of patients suffering from moderate and severe forms. The equipment was transported to Bucharest by a Romanian air force aircraft. The same aircraft brought home 4 Romanian soldiers who had been wounded in October in a mission in Afghanistan and who were treated at a medical center in Germany. According to the Romanian Defense Ministry, they will be hospitalized for evaluation by a medical commission. Depending on the outcome of clinical and paraclinical investigations, the military will benefit from specialized medical treatments, psychological assistance and counseling and postoperative neuromotor recovery programs that are adapted and individualized.

Negotiations — In Romania, the negotiations between PNL, USR-PLUS Alliance and UDMR for the formation of a center-right governing coalition will continue on Friday, the leaders of the three parties have announced. In a joint statement, they said that all solutions were on the table and that each party expressed flexibility. The negotiations resumed on Thursday, after the three parties had not managed to reach an agreement in the last two days. The Liberals have come up with two options for the prime minister post – the current finance minister, Florin Cîţu and the former PM, the Liberal president Ludovic Orban. According to the Liberals, this decision could make the negotiations more flexible, but the USR- PLUS Alliance has already rejected the idea of Ludovic Orban re-entering the race for the PM position. On the other hand, the Social Democrats propose Professor Alexandru Rafila for this position. President Klaus Iohannis urged the parties to reach a compromise and adding that he would nominate for the post of prime minister any person supported by a center-right coalition.

Commemoration — Thursday was a day of mourning in Timişoara (western Romania), where, on December 17, 1989, the dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu ordered the use of lethal ammunition against people who challenged, in the street, the communist regime he was leading. The protests in Timisoara, where almost 100 people died and about 350 were injured, were the spark that led, a few days later, to the fall of the dictator, following the bloodiest Revolution in Southeast Europe. In memory of the heroes of Timisoara, religious services were scheduled for this years commemoration as well as wreath laying ceremonies, pilgrimages to the monuments erected in the city in the hottest places of the Revolution, an exhibition and a special meeting of the Local Council.

Research – The interim government in Bucharest, led by Defense Minister Nicolae Ciucă, approved, in Thursdays meeting, a draft decision on the reorganization of the National Institute for Research and Development in Informatics. Thus, the Institute will be able to open, develop and put into practice the latest technologies and discoveries in the field of informatics and cyber security. At the same time, two other projects related to the payment of contributions to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development have been approved. The executive also analyzed a memorandum on the negotiation of the financing contract between Romania and the European Investment Bank, worth 250 million Euros, to support the Iasi Regional Emergency Hospital (northeast). (tr. L. Simion)

17 December 2020
15.12.2020 (mise à jour)

Coronavirus
en Roumanie – 6.171 nouveaux cas de Covid 19 ont été rapportés les dernières 24
heures en Roumanie, selon les chiffres transmis mardi par le Groupe de
communication stratégique. Le bilan total de la pandémie a dépassé les 565
mille personnes infectées. 204 décès ont été recensés en 24 heures. Jusqu’ici
13.698 personnes dépistées positives à l’infection au SARS CoV-2 sont décédées.
Le nombre des malades en soins intensifs demeure élevé, soit 1.255. Le
président Klaus Iohannis a convoqué aujourd’hui une nouvelle réunion sur le
thème de l’évolution de la pandémie de Covid 19. Y participaient le premier
ministre par intérim Nicolae Ciuca, le ministre de la Santé, Nelu Tataru et le
chef du Département des situations d’urgence Raed Arafat. Les autorités
recommandent aux Roumains de réduire leurs déplacements durant la période des
fêtes d’hiver afin de limiter la propagation du nouveau coronavirus. Selon les
autorités l’incidence des cas de Covid 19 a pourtant baissé suite à
l’institution de la quarantaine locale.

Négociations politiques -
Le président roumain, Klaus Iohannis a décidé de convoquer le nouveau Parlement
le 21 décembre et annoncé et de continuer les consultations avec les partis
parlementaires pour désigner un nouveau premier ministre. Le premier round de
négociations ce lundi a échoué. Le PNL, l’alliance USR-Plus et l’Union
démocrate magyare de Roumanie affirment qu’ils négocient toujours pour la
création d’une coalition de centre-droit alors que le PSD plaide pour la
création d’un gouvernement d’union nationale.

Décoration – Le premier ministre par intérim de Roumanie,
Nicolae Ciuca a été décoré de la Légion du Mérite au rang d’officier dans le
cadre d’une cérémonie à l’ambassade des Etats Unis en Roumanie. Cette médaille
reconnait ses mérites durant le déroulement de son activité en tant que chef de
l’Etat major de la défense entre janvier 2015 et décembre 2019. L’ambassadeur
des Etats Unis a précisé que la Légion du Mérite est la plus haute décoration
que les forces armées des Etats Unis peuvent accorder à une personne qui n’est
pas citoyen américain. Pour sa part, Nicolae Ciuca a affirmé que le partenariat
stratégique entre Bucarest et Washington est un des piliers sur lesquels repose
la défense de la Roumanie et a considérablement contribué au développement des
forces armées roumaines.

Corruption -
L’ex-président du Sénat de Bucarest, Calin Popescu-Tariceanu, ancien premier
ministre roumain a été déféré à la Justice mardi par le Parquet général pour
abus de fonction et complicité à l’usurpation de qualités officielles.
Conformément aux procureurs, du 2 mars 2017 au 2 septembre 2019, lorsqu’il a
rempli les fonctions de président du Sénat, Tariceanu n’a pas fait des
démarches pour constater la fin du mandat de sénateur de Cristian Marciu, même
si celui-ci avait été déclaré incompatible avec toute fonction publique.
Cristian Marciu a été traduit en Justice dans le même dossier pour usurpation
de qualités officielles. En mars, M Tariceanu a été auditionné par les
procureurs dans ce dossier. A l’époque il a déclaré que l’enquête du Parquet
était inconstitutionnelle et illégale, puisque les élus nationaux ne pouvaient
pas être accusés d’abus de fonction puisqu’ils n’avaient aucune attribution de
fonctionnaires.

Retraites -
La Cour Constitutionnelle de Roumanie a décidé mardi que la Loi prévoyant un
impôt de 85% sur les pensions de retraite dépassant les 7000 lei (environ 1440
euros) était non-constitutionnelle. Cette décision a été prise à l’unanimité de
voix, la loi étant déclarée non constitutionnelle dans son ensemble. L’acte
normatif avait été adopté par le Parlement en juin dernier et contesté tout de
suite par l’Instance suprême, selon laquelle il transgresse le principe de
l’équité fiscale. La Cour Constitutionnelle, dont les membres comptent parmi
les bénéficiaire des régimes spéciaux de retraites avait par 4 fois ajourné la
décision en la matière. En début d’année, plus de 9000 Roumains touchaient des
pensions de retraite dites spéciales, dont d’anciens magistrats, diplomates,
parlementaires, aviateurs, militaires, policiers, gendarmes, pompiers et des
employés des services de renseignement. Notons aussi que le Parlement de
Bucarest a décidé cet été que les retraites allant jusqu’à 2000 lei (410 euros)
soient exemptes d’impôt, et qu’un impôt de 10% soit imposé à celles allant de
2000 à 7000 lei.

Météo – Dans les 24
prochaines heures il fera toujours assez chaud en Roumanie pour cette période
de l’année. Le ciel sera couvert notamment sur l’est et le sud. Les maxima ne
dépasseront pas les 9 degrés.

15 December 2020