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Tag: davis cup

February 20, 2025 UPDATE

FAIR The 2025 springtime edition of Romania’s Travel Fair got underway on Thursday in Bucharest in the presence of the Minister of Economy, Digitalization, Entrepreneurship and Tourism, Bogdan Ivan. According to him, authorities are preparing a series of visa facilities for tourists who want to travel to Romania. Currently at its 51^st edition, the event is taking place until Sunday on a surface of 12 thousand square meters and brings together 190 exhibitors from Romania and abroad, thus strengthening its status as a reference platform in the tourism industry, the organizers say. This edition brings together a significant number of international participants who account for 52% of the total companies attending. Travel agencies and operators have prepared significant discounts for a wide range of travel packages. Romania’s most beautiful regions are being promoted during the fair offering the visitors the opportunity of discovering these marvelous regions for themselves. The present edition comes with a series of exclusive offers and special discounts for the holidays of 2025 and also includes inter-active presentations and conferences given by experts in the industry as well as virtual tours of the top destinations.

TENNIS Romania’s male tennis team will be up against El Salvador in the Davis Cup’s World Group Two in September this year, the Romanian Tennis Federation announced on its Facebook page on Thursday. The matches are to take place over September 12 – 13 or 13 – 14. Romania conceded a 3-1 defeat to Bulgaria in Craiova, southern Romania, in the World Group One’s play-offs held in late January early February. In Group Two, El Salvador outperformed the Republic of Moldova 3-2 on their own turf in Santa Tecla. Romania hasn’t played Salvador yet whose best known player is Marcelo Arevalo, world leader in doubles contests. Worth mentioning is that the singles ranking doesn’t include any Salvadorian player.

UKRAINE Ilie Bolojan, the interim president of Romania, stated after Wednesday’s informal meeting in Paris that Ukraine’s security is directly linked to the security of Europe and of Romania, reaffirming the importance of the collaboration between the European states and the United States to achieve a just and lasting peace. “A fair peace cannot be achieved without the participation of Ukraine and the European Union in the negotiations,” Ilie Bolojan also stated. Before the meeting, which was also attended by leaders from Norway, Canada, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, the Czech Republic, Finland, Greece, Sweden and Belgium, the interim president of Romania had talks with the president of France, Emmanuel Macron. “We have ensured once again that, just as France has been by Romania’s side in the very important moments of our country’s history, it stands by our side today. We have reconfirmed the strategic partnership with France,” said President Bolojan. He also added, “we have reconfirmed the stability of the French military presence in Romania. At the request of our country, this presence will be strengthened in the coming period.” Bucharest and Paris will also continue their economic cooperation, including in the defense industry, with the development of production capacities in Romania being taken into account for the coming years.

TALKS Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has said, regarding the peace negotiations in Ukraine, that the momentary harsh statements made by the world leaders are not important, what is important is a just and lasting peace in that country, which can only be achieved with the help of the US. He stressed that peace will bring lower energy and gas prices and an economic recovery throughout Europe. It is then vital to participate in the reconstruction of Ukraine, it is a project of over 500 billion euros, from which Romanian companies must gain as much as possible, Ciolacu added. He announced, on the other hand, that during the working visit he will make to Brussels on Friday, he will meet with the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. The discussions will focus, among other things, on aspects related to the renegotiation of the NRRP as well as the security situation in the current international context. The Head of the Executive specified that he will be accompanied to Brussels by the Minister of Investments and European Projects, Marcel Boloş, and the Minister of Finance, Tanczos Barna.

(bill)

20 February 2025
February 1, 2025 UPDATE 2

INVESTIGATION – European Parliament Vice-President Victor Negrescu, has called for the launch of a European action plan to recover the four Romanian artifacts stolen a week ago from an exhibition in the Netherlands, stressing that the robbery must be treated as a crime against the common European heritage. In the Netherlands, the police have revealed the identity and published the photos of two of the three arrested suspects (all Dutch). Law enforcement officers are trying to find out what became of the stolen items: the golden helmet from Coțofenești and the three Dacian bracelets. In the meantime, the exhibits from the collection displayed at the Drents Museum in Assen, except the four artifacts, have arrived in Romania.

SOCIAL MEDIA – Europe is testing the readiness of its digital platforms to cope with foreign interference via social media. The European Commission, the German authorities and online social networks, from X and Facebook to TikTok, on Friday took part in a so-called “stress test”. The Commission is interested in the response of these platforms to manipulation attempts, system errors and other interference that might impact the upcoming election of February 23 in Germany. Brussels is currently investigating X, the platform owned by billionaire Elon Musk, which openly supports the extremist party AfD, and which is suspected of having illegally modified its algorithms to add increased visibility to certain posts.

TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Simona Halep will take on Lucia Bronzetti of Italy in the first round of the Transylvania Open, set to kick off on Monday in Cluj-Napoca (northwest). Halep (868 WTA) played her last match at the end of October 2024, whereas Bronzetti (66 WTA) won the Billie Jean King Cup with the Italian team at the end of last year. Two other Romanian players, Jaqueline Cristian (61 WTA) and Sorana Cîrstea (70 WTA), will face opponents coming from the preliminary phase. Irina Begu (78 WTA) will make her debut against Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto (59 WTA), Gabriela Ruse (113 WTA) will face the fourth-seed Anhelina Kalinina of Ukraine (48 WTA), while Ana Bogdan (119 WTA) will play Jodie Burrage of Great Britain (150 WTA) in the opening round. The 5^th edition of Transylvania Open will be held indoors on hard court. A total of 32 players will compete in singles matches, and 16 teams in doubles, for 250 WTA points and total prizes of some 275 thousand USD in prize money. In other news from tennis, Romania lost 3-1 to Bulgaria in the opening round of the playoffs for World Group 1 in the Davis Cup. Bulgaria won the match after Adrian Andreev (233 ATP) defeated Filip Cristian Jianu (234 ATP) in three sets, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in a match played in Craiova (south). (VP)

1 February 2025
January 31, 2025 UPDATE

GOVERNMENT The Romanian government has completed all the preliminary procedures before passing the draft 2025 state budget law on Saturday. According to PM Marcel Ciolacu, the news that the budget bill has been finalised has triggered a decrease in the interest rates at which the country borrows money in foreign markets. He said that, after the budget is endorsed in Parliament, other positive effects will follow. Ciolacu mentioned that exports will increase this year by over 3% as a result of Romania’s full Schengen accession, and emphasised that the warm weather in January allowed construction works to progress significantly, especially as regards the highway infrastructure. As a result, the budget earmarked to transportation has been increased by almost 20% compared to last year. A priority for this year is attracting foreign investments, Ciolacu added. In this respect, he announced that a foreign holding has announced plans to relocate a factory from Bulgaria to Romania. Moreover, the PM said that there are clear signals that the strategic partnership with the US is entering a new economic dimension and that next week he will have talks with the heads of major American investment funds.

MOLDOVA Romania has stood by the R of Moldova and will continue to do so, in order to increase its energy resilience and support it in its EU accession efforts, the Romanian foreign minister Emil Hurezeanu promised in Chişinău on Friday, during his first official visit in this capacity. He was received by president Maia Sandu and had meetings with his Moldovan counterpart Mihai Popşoi, and with the speaker of parliament Igor Grosu. Maia Sandu and Emil Hurezeanu discussed ways to strengthen economic ties between the two states and to encourage Romanian companies to invest in Moldova. Emphasis was also placed on improving transport infrastructure, including the construction of new bridges over the Prut and streamlining cross-border traffic. During his meetings in Chişinău, Emil Hurezeanu emphasised that Moldova’s citizens are not alone in facing the energy crisis and can count on the support of Romania and other partners. ‘The destabilising effects of the energy crisis have helped tighten our ties. We are happy that Romania has managed to cover over 60% of the citizens’ current energy demand, and the preparation of high-voltage lines is also underway. We have been and will remain by the side of the Republic of Moldova,’ Emil Hurezeanu concluded.

THEFT The Romanian justice minister Radu Marinescu called on his Dutch counterpart David van Weel to carry on efforts in the case of the theft of Romania’s Dacian treasury items and offered the Dutch side all the necessary support. The two ministers had a bilateral meeting during an informal meeting of EU justice ministers hosted by Warsaw. So far, 3 persons have been detained in connection to the theft. A break-in occurred last weekend at Drents Museum during which a golden helmet and three gold Dacian bracelets were stolen, some of Romania’s most important national heritage items.

FLU The number of respiratory infections is on the rise in Romania and the health ministry declared a state of epidemiological alert. Official data show that almost 134,000 patients were diagnosed with respiratory infection symptoms last week, including 11,000 flu cases. Eight people died from flu last week, taking the toll to 22 this season.

JUSTICE The Romanian justice minister Radu Marinescu Friday took part in an informal meeting of EU justice ministers in Warsaw, where current issues were discussed, such as mutual cooperation in the field of justice, the consequences of Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine and the future of justice. According to a news release issued by the Romanian justice ministry, Radu Marinescu stressed that Romania has offered war victims both support for access to justice, through professional bodies, and other forms of counseling, through Romanian NGOs and authorities. In a separate work session, Radu Marinescu welcomed the initiative of the Polish presidency to continue discussions dedicated to judicial cooperation, under the umbrella of the rule of law.

SPORTS Romanian football champions FCSB (Bucharest) lost 2-0 on Thursday on home turf to the English team Manchester United, in Europa League’s 8th and final round. According to the draw in Nyon (Switzerland) on Friday, the Bucharest team will take on the Greek side PAOK Thessaloniki, coached by the Romanian Răzvan Lucescu, in Europa League’s play-offs for the round of 16. FCSB will play the first leg away from home on February 13, and the return leg in Bucharest on February 20. The winner will play in the round of 16 against Olympique Lyon. In tennis, Romania plays Bulgaria in Craiova on Friday and Saturday, in the Davis Cup World Group I play-offs. The winner moves up to World Group I, while the defeated team will play in World Group II. Romania and Bulgaria have met only once before in the Davis Cup, in 1988, when Romania won decisively with a score of 5-0. (AMP)

31 January 2025
September 15, 2024 UPDATE

A roundup of local and international news.

FLOODS – A crisis cell was set up at the Health Ministry to provide the necessary medical assistance to the residents of Galati and Vaslui counties (eastern Romania) affected by the floods. The Interior Ministry and the Defense Ministry have mobilized hundreds of firefighters, gendarmes, soldiers and equipment to help evacuate the victims and repair the infrastructure destroyed by the waters. Dozens of modular homes have already been sent and others are being prepared. More than 5,000 households were flooded, 300 people were evacuated, and another five died, according to the authorities’ latest report. Aid from the state reserves is taken to the affected areas. On Sunday, an energy command was convened by minister Sebastian Burduja. According to him, all teams of the local distribution operator are mobilized in Galati County. The number of people without electricity exceeded 24,000 on Saturday. Several sections of national and county roads in Galati and Vaslui were still closed on Sunday due to the flooding.

WEATHER – Torrential rains have severely affected Central and Eastern Europe in recent days, causing rivers to swell and triggering flood warnings in the Czech Republic, Poland, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. Flood dams were erected in Prague. Tens of thousands of households in northern areas of the Czech Republic were affected by power outages. In Poland, one person died and thousands of residents in flood-ravaged areas were left without electricity. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk urged the affected population to cooperate with rescue teams. Heavy rainfalls are becoming more frequent in Europe, as in most areas of the world, due to climate change. A warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, which leads to more precipitation.

FARMERS – Farmers in the European Union will benefit from faster advance payments to cope with this year’s drought and other extreme weather phenomena. The European Commission announces that it has authorized such payments based on requests received from several member states. Thus, starting from October 16, farmers will be able to receive up to 70% of direct payments in advance, compared to 50% at present. According to the European Commission, farmers in the EU face liquidity problems due to the extreme weather phenomena of recent years, drought, but also floods, high interest rates on the financial markets and high production costs. In Bucharest, the Minister of Agriculture, Florin Barbu, gave assurances that farmers whose crops were affected by this year’s drought will receive compensations by October 15. According to official data, over two million hectares of corn and sunflower crops were compromised by the lack of precipitation in Romania.

LIBERALS – The Liberal Party’s National Council validated, on Sunday, in Bucharest, the candidacy of Nicolae Ciucă for president. Former general and chief of the Army General Staff, Nicolae Ciucă is currently the speaker of the Senate. Mircea Geoană, former president of Social Democrats and former NATO deputy secretary general, recently announced his candidacy as an independent. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, president of the PSD, as well as Elena Lasconi, the mayor of Campulung Muscel and leader of the Save Romania Union (USR, in opposition), are also part of the race for president. The first round of the presidential elections will take place on November 24, and the second on December 8. At the same time, the legislative elections are scheduled for December 1, on Romania’s National Day.

ELECTIONS – Romanian citizens who have their domicile or residence abroad can express their electoral option by mail in the presidential and parliamentary elections, scheduled in November and December. The application deadline is September 24. So far, approximately 2,800 applications for voting by mail in the parliamentary elections have been registered on the website of the Permanent Election Authority. A little over 3,000 Romanian citizens domiciled or residing abroad registered for the presidential elections. We remind you that the first round of the presidential elections is scheduled for November 24, and the second for December 8. The voting for the election of the future Parliament will take place on December 1, when the National Day of Romania is being celebrated.

DAVIS CUP – Romania defeated China 3-2, in the Davis Cup’s World Group II, after the tennis player Cezar Creţu defeated Rigele Te, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, on Saturday, in Craiova (south). Also on Saturday, the Romanian tennis player Gabi Adrian Boitan was defeated by Yunchaokete Bu, 6-3, 7-6 (7/3), while the Victor Cornea/Bogdan Pavel pair was defeated by Fajing Sun and Rigele Te, 6-4, 6-4, in the doubles. On Friday, in the first singles match, Cezar Creţu (292 ATP) defeated Yunchaokete Bu (113 ATP) 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4), while Gabi Adrian Boitan (364 ATP) beat Yi Zhou (527 ATP) 7-6 (7/4), 6-2. Romania and China have never met before in the Davis Cup.

15 September 2024
September 15, 2024

A roundup of local and international news.

FLOODS – A crisis cell was set up at the Health Ministry to provide the necessary medical assistance to the residents of Galati and Vaslui counties (eastern Romania) affected by the floods. The Interior Ministry and the Defense Ministry have mobilized hundreds of firefighters, gendarmes, soldiers and equipment to help evacuate the victims and repair the infrastructure destroyed by the waters. Dozens of modular homes have already been sent and others are being prepared. Camps with capacities of hundreds of places were set up in the most affected localities. At least four people died and thousands of homes were destroyed following the floods in the last few days. Also, aid from the state reserves is taken to the affected areas. On Sunday, an energy command was convened by minister Sebastian Burduja. According to him, all the intervention teams of the local distribution operator are mobilized in Galati County. The number of people without electricity exceeded 24,000 on Saturday. Several sections of national and county roads in Galati and Vaslui were still closed on Sunday due to the flooding.

WEATHER – Torrential rains have been reported in Central and Eastern Europe in recent days, causing rivers to swell and triggering flood warnings in the Czech Republic, Poland, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. Flood dams were erected in the Czech capital, Prague. 51,000 households in the northern part of the country were affected by power cuts, according to Czech electricity company CEZ. Poland has evacuated residents of Glucholazy, a town near the border with the Czech Republic, after the very high level of a river threatened the lives of people in the area.

FARMERS – Farmers in the European Union will benefit from faster advance payments to cope with this year’s drought and other extreme weather phenomena. The European Commission announces that it has authorized such payments based on requests received from several member states. Thus, starting from October 16, farmers will be able to receive up to 70% of direct payments in advance, compared to 50% at present. According to the European Commission, farmers in the EU face liquidity problems due to the extreme weather phenomena of recent years, drought, but also floods, high interest rates on the financial markets and high production costs. In Bucharest, the Minister of Agriculture, Florin Barbu, gave assurances that farmers whose crops were affected by this year’s drought will receive compensations by October 15. According to official data, over two million hectares of corn and sunflower crops were compromised by the lack of precipitation in Romania.

ELECTIONS – Romanian citizens who have their domicile or residence abroad can express their electoral option by mail in the presidential and parliamentary elections, scheduled in November and December. The application deadline is September 24. So far, approximately 2,800 applications for voting by mail in the parliamentary elections have been registered on the website of the Permanent Election Authority. A little over 3,000 Romanian citizens domiciled or residing abroad registered for the presidential elections. We remind you that the first round of the presidential elections is scheduled for November 24, and the second for December 8. The voting for the election of the future Parliament will take place on December 1, when the National Day of Romania is being celebrated.

DAVIS CUP – Romania defeated China 3-2, in the Davis Cup’s World Group II, after the tennis player Cezar Creţu defeated Rigele Te, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, on Saturday, in Craiova (south). Also on Saturday, the Romanian tennis player Gabi Adrian Boitan was defeated by Yunchaokete Bu, 6-3, 7-6 (7/3), while the Victor Cornea/Bogdan Pavel pair was defeated by Fajing Sun and Rigele Te, 6-4, 6-4, in the doubles. On Friday, in the first singles match, Cezar Creţu (292 ATP) defeated Yunchaokete Bu (113 ATP) 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4), while Gabi Adrian Boitan (364 ATP) beat Yi Zhou (527 ATP) 7-6 (7/4), 6-2. Romania and China have never met before in the Davis Cup.

15 September 2024
September 14, 2024

A roundup of local and international news.

WEATHER – The weather is getting colder in Romania in most regions, with temperatures below the normal ones for this time of year. Normal values are recorded in the eastern and southeastern areas. Showers and storms are present in most regions. Five people lost their lives in Galati (east), on Friday night, and hundreds of people were evacuated following severe flooding caused by the heavy rain. In certain situations, the fire-fighters had to use pneumatic boats, as the water was 1.5m high in some areas. The floods led blocked county and national roads. Maximum temperatures today are between 13 and 25 degrees Celsius, with 17 degrees Celsius in Bucharest at noon.

DEFENSE – The U.S. State Department on Friday announced it has approved the sale of 32 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters to Romania, in a deal worth $7.2 billion. Romania’s deal for the Lockheed Martin-made F-35s will also include F135 engines made by Pratt & Whitney for each jet and a spare engine, the Pentagon announced. The Romanian Defense Ministry hailed the decision and specified that, in addition to the jets, the purchase would also provide logistics and maintenance support, navigation, communications and cryptographic equipment, ammunition and weapons, training for pilots and other personnel, and simulators. “Romania is a key NATO Ally in promoting security and stability in the Black Sea region and beyond. The F-35As will provide Romania with unparalleled air defense capabilities and enhance interoperability among NATO air forces”, U.S. Ambassador Kathleen Kavalec said.

ENERGY – Romania’s natural gas deposits are full and the coal stocks are are at the required level. This is the conclusion of Friday’s meeting of the National Energy Command, convened by Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja. He specified that the problem is the significant fluctuation of energy prices in the short term, and one cause is the lack of interconnectivity between Austria and Hungary. The energy ministers from Romania, Bulgaria and Greece will present in about 10 days, to the Council of Ministers of the European Union, a preliminary plan for accelerating investments in interconnections, so that when energy is cheaper in one part of Europe, the other part can also benefit similar prices. Romania continues to be the second largest gas producer in the EU.

GERMAN BORDER – The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs warns its citizens traveling to Germany to prepare for longer waiting times, because the government in Berlin has decided to extend temporary checks at all land borders to reduce illegal migration. As of Monday, in addition to the temporary checks already in place at the land borders with Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Poland, there will also be checks at the borders with France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark, for a period of six months. Romanians facing special situations can call the embassy’s hotlines in Berlin, as well as the Romanian consulates in Germany.

FARMERS – Romanian farmers will receive a bigger advance from the European funds, the Agriculture Ministry in Bucharest announced. According to the institution, advances will be granted in the amount of 70% from the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund for direct payments and 85% from the European Fund for Rural Development, as a result of a derogation approved by the European Commission. The Romanian Agriculture Minister, Florin Barbu, has said that this will help farmers cope with the liquidity problems they face, in order to prepare for the new agricultural year. The Agency for Payments and Intervention in Agriculture specified that a budget of approximately 1 billion euros was allocated to cover these amounts and that it is making efforts to start payments on October 16.

DRUGS – Three Albanian and three Romanian drug traffickers were detained by the Romanian law-enforcement agency DIICOT, after they were caught with approximately 4.5 kg of heroin. The drugs were prepared in a house in Ialomiţa county (south) and were intended for the Romanian market. The value of the heroin is approximately 50,000 euros. According to the Romanian Police, investigations began after two Albanian citizens entered the country on September 9, with the aim of trafficking a large amount of heroin. They then met with other members of the group in a house in Ialomiţa, where the drugs were mixed with additives, portioned and packaged. Later, the narcotics were distributed among the members of the group, according to DIICOT.

DAVIS CUP – The Romanian team leads China 2-0 in the Davis Cup World Group II after the first matches in Craiova (southwest). Saturday has started with the doubles match pitting Victor Cornea/Bogdan Pavel against Fajing Sun/Rigele Te. The last two singles matches will be played between Filip Cristian Jianu and Bu Yunchaokete, and between Creţu and Yi Zhou respectively. On Friday, tennis player Cezar Creţu beat Yunchaokete Bu 3-6, 6-4, 7-6, and Gabi Adrian Boitan defeated Yi Zhou 7-6, 6-2. Romania and China have never met at the Davis Cup before.

14 September 2024
Nachrichten 04.02.2024

Bukarest: In Rumänien gilt bis Montagmorgen eine Warnung vor starkem Wind, Schnee und Schneesturm. Der Wind wird im grö‎ßten Teil des Landes zunehmen und im Südwesten, im Zentrum, im Nordwesten und in den Bergen Geschwindigkeiten von 55-70 km/h erreichen, in Höhen über 1.500 m sogar 90-110 km/h. In den Bergen wird auch mit Regen gerechnet, der zur Schneeschmelze führt, während in Höhen über 1.700 m Schnee angesagt wird. Für die Regionen in den Süd- und Südostkarpaten wurde für Montag eine Warnung der Stufe Orange wegen Wind- und Schneesturm ausgegeben.

Brüssel: Au‎ßenministerin Luminiţa Odobescu nimmt an einem informellen Treffen der EU-Au‎ßenminister in Brüssel teil, bei dem unter anderem über das 13. Sanktionspaket gegen Russland und einen möglichen klareren Fahrplan für den EU-Beitritt der Ukraine und der Republik Moldau gesprochen wurde. In Bezug auf die militärische Unterstützung der Ukraine sagte Odobescu, es lägen umfassende Vorschläge auf dem Tisch, und sie hoffe, dass in dieser Frage bald eine Einigung erzielt werden könne. Bei dem Treffen in Brüssel wurden auch die Beziehungen der Union zur Türkei erörtert. Darüber hinaus sagte Odobescu, dass die Bedürfnisse der palästinensischen Zivilbevölkerung für Rumänien weiterhin eine Priorität darstellen, und zwar im Rahmen einer Untersuchung betreffend UNWRA, dem Hilfswerk der Vereinten Nationen für Palästinaflüchtlinge im Nahen Osten. Bis diese Untersuchung abgeschlossen ist, wird das Au‎ßenministerium keine neuen Verfahren für freiwillige Beiträge einleiten.

Bukarest: Ein für Montag angekündigter Generalstreik der Gemeindebediensteten in Rumänien wurde um zwei Wochen verschoben. Nach Angaben der Gewerkschaft “Solidarität der Städte und Dörfer” wurde diese Entscheidung nach Beratungen mit ihren Mitgliedern getroffen, von denen sich 85 % dafür aussprachen, der Regierung mehr Zeit für die Erfüllung ihrer Forderungen zu geben. Die Beschäftigten in den Rathäusern fordern eine Angleichung ihrer Gehälter an die der öffentlichen Verwaltung, da sie in den letzten Jahren keine Gehaltserhöhungen erhalten haben. Im Rahmen eines Warnstreiks legten die Beschäftigten von 800 Rathäusern am 31. Januar für zwei Stunden die Arbeit nieder.

Sport: Griechenland führt nach den Einzelspielen am Samstag in Athen in den Playoffs zum David Cup der Weltgruppe I mit 2:0 gegen Rumänien. Nicholas David Ionel verlor gegen Aristotelis Thanos, während Marius Copil gegen Stefanos Tsitsipas unterlag. Im heutigen Doppel spielen Copil und Victor Vlad Cornea gegen Petros und Stefanos Tsitsipas, während in den letzten Einzelspielen Stefanos Tsitsipas gegen Nicholas David Ionel und Copil gegen Thanos antritt. Im Frauenhandball besiegte CSM Bukarest am Samstag in der Champions League die ungarische Mannschaft Gyor. Gyor führt die Gruppe an, während CSM auf dem dritten Platz liegt.

4 February 2024
February 3, 2024

AGREEMENT The PM
of Romania Marcel Ciolacu and the representatives of farmers and carriers
Friday reached an agreement ending the recent protests. On Monday, the PM’s
office will set up an inter-ministry committee tasked with identifying the best
solutions for the protesters’ demands. Farmers and carriers in Romania
protested for 3 weeks against high business costs, low prices for produce, the
import of cheap foodstuffs from Ukraine and the constraints introduced by the
EU as part of its climate change action.

COMMEMORATION A
ceremony commemorating the prominent politician Iuliu Maniu, a former prime
minister of Romania and leader of the National Christian-Democratic Party, was
held on Saturday at the Memorial for the victims of communism in Sighetu
Marmaţiei (north-west). Maniu died on the night of February 4 1953, in the political
prison in Sighet, where he was serving a life sentence for high treason
pronounced by the communist regime. His name was cleared under a Supreme Court
ruling in 1998, and a monument was erected in his honour in the Revolution
Square in Bucharest.

MOLDOVA Chişinău
extended an entry ban against the leader of the Romanian nationalist party AUR,
George Simion, by another 5 years. Under Moldova’s legislation, foreigners may
be declared undesirables if they have or if there are strong reasons to believe
they intend to conduct activities likely to endanger the country’s national
security or public order. According to the R. of Moldova, the Romanian
authorities have been notified in this respect, and George Simion challenged
the decision in court. The AUR leader was expelled from Moldova in 2018, with
an entry ban in place for a period of 5 years.

MIDDLE EAST The
US conducted scores of air raids against targets operated by Iran-controlled
groups in Iraq and Syria. The Pentagon said the raids were a response to the recent
drone attack by Iran-supported fighters, which killed 3 US troops at a military
base in Jordan, the BBC reports. Taking part in Friday’s raids were B1
long-range bombers, flying out of the US. Iran condemned the strikes, claiming
they violated the sovereignty of Syria and Iraq, AFP reports. In Bagdad, a
government spokesman announced the US strikes in western Iraq killed at least
16 people, including civilians. Meanwhile, the US state secretary Antony
Blinken will travel to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Israel and the West Bank
between February 4-8, primarily to reach a deal securing the freeing of all the
Israeli hostages kept in Gaza following the Hamas terror attack of October 7.

TENNIS The
Romanian player Marius Copil takes on Stefanos Tsitsipas, no. 10 in the world,
in Athens today, in the first match between Romania and Greece in the playoffs
for the Davis Cup World Group I. The second singles match will be pitting Nicholas
David Ionel against Aristotelis Thanos. The doubles match and 2 other singles
games are scheduled for Sunday. Romania and Greece played twice against each
other in the Davis Cup before, with one win each. Previously in this year’s competition,
in the first round of the World Group I, Romania lost to Taiwan and Greece was
defeated by Slovakia. (AMP)

3 February 2024
September 16, 2023 UPDATE

Grains. The European
Commission has decided not to extend the ban on grain imports from Ukraine, in
exchange for some commitments assumed by Kyiv. Until September 18, the
Ukrainian side must present an action plan with effective measures to control
grain shipments. According to this plan, the Bucharest Government claims that
it will take the appropriate decisions to protect local farmers. Farmers want
the Government to make a unilateral decision and extend the restriction for the
entire duration of the war, even if Brussels has a contrary position. If the
authorities do not extend the ban, as decided by Poland, the Romanian farmers
threaten to block the customs in the west of the country, as well as the Black
Sea port of Constanţa (southeast). Among
the five countries that initially requested the introduction of this ban, only
Bulgaria has announced that it does not want to extend the embargo imposed on
wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower imports from Ukraine.

Schengen.
Austria’s opposition to Romania’s accession to the Schengen
Area is not directed against Bucharest, but against this system of free
movement – said the Austrian Minister of European Affairs, Karoline Edtstadler.
The reaction comes at the request of the media, after the Bucharest government
warned that it would sue Vienna if it kept opposing Romania’s accession.
Edtstadler has stated that she understands the position of the Romanian
authorities, but stressed that one cannot turn a blind eye to an already
defective system. She says that the European Union should ensure a protection
of the external borders that works. In an interview that appeared in the
Austrian media on Friday, Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu says that, in
the event of a new opposition, he will have to appeal this decision at the
European Court to demand compensation for the losses caused by Romania’s
failing to join the Schengen Area.

Ukraine. The Russian
anti-aircraft defense shot down two Ukrainian drones over the regions of Kaluga
and Tver, in the west of the country , the Russian Defense Ministry announced on Saturday. Also on Saturday, the so-called authorities installed by Moscow in
the annexed Crimea stated that they intended to sell about 100 Ukrainian
properties, previously nationalized, including one belonging to
President Volodymyr Zelensky. The president of the Crimean pseudo-parliament,
Vladimir Konstantinov, claims that the nationalized properties will be sold
soon and that the authorities have already organized the first
eight auctions for the assets of Ukrainian businesspeople. The sales contracts
amounted to more than 815 million rubles (equivalent to about 8.51 million US
dollars).

Mourning.
In the Republic of Moldova (ex-Soviet, predominantly
Romanian-speaking), Saturday was a day of national mourning, in memory of the
first president of this state, Mircea Snegur, who died on September 13. He was
an active supporter of the national revival movement and had an essential role
in promoting the independence, freedom and sovereignty of the Republic of
Moldova – reads a press release from the Presidency in Chisinau. Snegur was
born in 1940, in the old Romanian county of Soroca (east). He was a doctor in
agricultural sciences and an activist of the single communist party. President
of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the republic, in August 1989 he
agreed to support the bills that gave the Romanian language the status of an
official language and decided to return to the Latin script and the Romanian
tricolor flag, a fact that amplified his popularity. On August 27, 1991, Mircea
Snegur was one of the protagonists of the great national assembly in Chisinau,
where the Republic of Moldova proclaimed its independence from the Soviet
Union. He was head of state between 1991 and 1996.

Libya. An
aircraft of the Romanian Air Force took off, on Saturday, bound for Benghazi,
Libya, to transport the first installment of the aid that Romania sends as free
international assistance to that country, affected by catastrophic floods.
According to a press release issued by the Ministry of National Defense, the
Air Force has planned six flights on this route, in which a total of 55 tons of
goods will be transported, consisting of food products and shelter items. The
flights are carried out under the Civil Protection Mechanism of the European
Union, based on the Decision of the National Committee for Emergency
Situations.

Rugby. The national rugby
team of Romania meets, on Sunday, September 17, in the second match they are
playing at the World Cup in France, the holder of the trophy, South Africa. The
match takes place in Bordeaux (west). A week ago, also in Bordeaux, in the
first match of the World Cup, Romania was defeated by the Irish team, with a
score of 82-8 (33-8). The Romanian rugby players will take on Scotland on
September 30 and Tonga on October 8, both in Lille (north).

Tennis. Cezar Cretu
brought the Romanian men’s tennis team the point of honor in the match against
Taiwan, won by the Asians 3-1, on Saturday, in the first round of the Davis Cup
World Group, in Mamaia (southeast). He defeated Tung-Lin Wu 6-4, 6-4 in a
straight game. Also on Saturday, in the doubles match, the Victor Cornea/Cezar
Creţu pair was defeated by the Yu Hsiou Hsu/Tsung-Hao Huang couple 6-1, 6-4,
ensuring Taiwan’s victory. On Friday, in the first singles match, Nicholas
David Ionel was defeated by Chun-Hsin Tseng, 6-3, 6-0, and Marius Copil was
defeated in the second by Yu Hsiou Hsu with a score of 7- 6, 7-5. At the
beginning of next year, Romania will play a play-off to stay in World Group I
of the Davis Cup. (MI)

16 September 2023
September 16, 2023

Grains. The European Commission has decided not to extend the ban on grain imports from Ukraine, in exchange for some commitments assumed by Kyiv. Until September 18, the Ukrainian side must present an action plan with effective measures to control grain shipments. According to this plan, the Bucharest Government claims that it will take the appropriate decisions to protect local farmers. Farmers want the Government to make a unilateral decision and extend the restriction for the entire duration of the war, even if Brussels has a contrary position. If the authorities do not extend the ban, as decided by Poland, the Romanian farmers threaten to block the customs in the west of the country, as well as the Black Sea port of Constanţa (southeast). Among the five countries that initially requested the introduction of this ban, only Bulgaria has announced that it does not want to extend the embargo imposed on wheat, corn, rapeseed and sunflower imports from Ukraine.

Ukraine. The Russian anti-aircraft defense shot down two Ukrainian drones over the regions of Kaluga and Tver, in the west of the country , the Russian Defense Ministry has announced today. Also today, the so-called authorities installed by Moscow in the annexed Crimea have stated that they intend to sell about 100 Ukrainian properties, previously “nationalized”, including one belonging to President Volodymyr Zelensky. The president of the Crimean pseudo-parliament, Vladimir Konstantinov, claims that the nationalized properties will be sold “soon” and that the authorities have already organized the first eight auctions for the assets of Ukrainian businesspeople. The sales contracts amounted to more than 815 million rubles (equivalent to about 8.51 million US dollars).

Mourning. In the Republic of Moldova (ex-Soviet, predominantly Romanian-speaking), today is a day of national mourning, in memory of the first president of this state, Mircea Snegur, who died on September 13. He was an active supporter of the national revival movement and had an essential role in promoting the independence, freedom and sovereignty of the Republic of Moldova – reads a press release from the Presidency in Chisinau. In all localities, as well as at diplomatic and consular missions of the Republic of Moldova abroad, the state flag has been lowered to half mast. Snegur was born in 1940, in the old Romanian county of Soroca (east). He was a doctor in agricultural sciences and an activist of the single communist party. President of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the republic, in August 1989 he agreed to support the bills that gave the Romanian language the status of an official language and decided to return to the Latin script and the Romanian tricolor flag, a fact that amplified his popularity. On August 27, 1991, Mircea Snegur was one of the protagonists of the great national assembly in Chisinau, where the Republic of Moldova proclaimed its independence from the Soviet Union. He was head of state between 1991 and 1996.

Libya. An aircraft of the Romanian Air Force took off, on Saturday, bound for Benghazi, Libya, to transport the first installment of the aid that Romania sends as free international assistance to that country, affected by catastrophic floods. According to a press release issued by the Ministry of National Defense, the Air Force has planned six flights on this route, in which a total of 55 tons of goods will be transported, consisting of food products and shelter items. The flights are carried out under the Civil Protection Mechanism of the European Union, based on the Decision of the National Committee for Emergency Situations.

Rugby. The national rugby team of Romania meets, on Sunday, September 17, in the second match they are playing at the World Cup in France, the holder of the trophy, South Africa. The match takes place in Bordeaux (west). A week ago, also in Bordeaux, in the first match of the World Cup, Romania was beaten by the Irish team, with a score of 82-8 (33-8). The Romanian rugby players will take on Scotland on September 30 and Tonga on October 8, both in Lille (north).

Tennis. The Romanian mens tennis team was defeated by the Taiwan team 3-0, in the first round of the World Group I of the Davis Cup, after the pair Victor Cornea/Cezar Creţu was defeated by the pair Yu Hsiou Hsu/Tsung-Hao Huang with 6-1, 6-4, today, in the Black Sea resort of Mamaia (south-east). On Friday, in the singles matches, Nicholas David Ionel was defeated by Chun-Hsin Tseng, 6-3, 6-0, and Marius Copil by Yu Hsiou Hsu 7-6 (7/5), 7-5. At the beginning of next year, Romania will play a play-off to stay in World Group I of the Davis Cup. (MI)

16 September 2023
September 15, 2023 UPDATE

CVM. The European Commission has officially lifted the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) for Bulgaria and Romania. CVM was introduced upon the two countries EU accession in 2007, as a measure to help them reform their justice systems and combat corruption and organized crime. President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Romania and Bulgaria for the significant progress reported since their accession, and pointed out that the rule of law is one of the fundamental EU values, a field in which both Romania and Bulgaria have implemented major reforms. In turn, Romanias president Klaus Iohannis said the lifting of CVM is a great achievement for Romania. “We can conclude Romania has changed, it is a rules-based democracy with a functional judiciary”, the president added.

Schengen. In an interview to the Austrian publication Der Standard, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said Romania will refer Austrias opposition to Romanias Schengen accession to the European Union Court of Justice. The Romanian official said losses due to the repeated postponements stand at 2% of the GDP, something which Transport Minister Sorin Grindeanu had said earlier this week. Romania says it will seek justice in court should Austria again oppose Romanias Schengen accession at the upcoming informal meetings in October and December. We recall that in December 2022, Austria again vetoed the Schengen accession of Romania and Bulgaria at the Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting, invoking the high flows of illegal immigrants passing through the two countries.

Plan. The Romanian Government has updated its emergency plan on securing natural gas supplies. The document falls in line with European regulations and was drafted following consultations with the main market players. Measures to cap and subsidize natural gas bills will remain in effect until spring next year. The current legislation stipulates that state aid will remain in place until 2025. On the other hand, according to the Energy Ministry, the government is also considering the growing influence of prosumers in covering nationwide consumption.

Ukraine. Romania intends to double its transit capacity for grain from Ukraine, through the Black Sea port of Constanta, to four million tons, said the Minister of Transport, Sorin Grindeanu. He stated that the goal was achievable, at a meeting in Constanta with officials from Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, the European Commission and the United States. On the other hand, Romanian farmers request the extension of the ban on the import of Ukrainian grains. They claim, in a letter addressed to the authorities, that the measure is necessary to limit the losses of agricultural producers and to avoid reducing Romanias competitiveness as an exporter on the grain market. Farmers also want the allocation from the European budget of at least 30 euros per ton to compensate for the increase in transport tariffs.

Moldova. Moldova belongs in Europe, in the family of Western democracies, NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană said on the sidelines of a meeting he had in Chișinău with Moldovas Prime Minister, Dorin Recean. Mircea Geoană hailed the Moldovan authorities plea for “extended interoperability with NATO”, underlining that the military alliance is the strongest structure of its kind in the world. The NATO official denied the existence of Russian military risks facing the Republic of Moldova, but pointed out this country is fighting a hybrid war triggered by the Russian Federation.

Tennis. The Romanian team is led by the Taiwan team with a score of 2-0, in the first round of World Group I of the Davis Cup. Tennis player Nicholas David Ionel was defeated by Chun-Hsin Tseng, 6-3, 6-0, and Marius Copil lost to Yu Hsiou Hsu 7-6, 7-5. The matches are hosted by the Black Sea resort of Mamaia, in the south-east. The doubles match and the last singles matches are scheduled for Saturday. The day will be opened by the pairs Marius Copil / Victor Cornea and Yu Hsiou Hsu / Tsung-Hao Huang. The singles matches will oppose Ionel and Hsu, respectively Copil and Tseng. Romania and Taiwan have never met before in the Davis Cup. In February, in the World Group I play-off, Romania beat Thailand 3-2 away from home, and Taiwan beat Mexico 3-1, also away.

15 September 2023
September 15, 2023

CVM – The European Commission has officially lifted the
Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) for Bulgaria and Romania. CVM was
introduced upon the two countries’ EU accession in 2007, as a measure to help
them reform their judiciaries and combat corruption and organized crime.
President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Romania and Bulgaria for the significant
progress reported since their accession, and pointed out that the rule of law
is one of the fundamental EU values, a field in which both Romania and Bulgaria
have implemented major reforms. In turn, Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis
said the lifting of CVM is a great achievement for Romania. We can conclude
Romania has changed, it is a rules-based democracy with a functional
judiciary, the president added.

STRIKE – Some 300 passenger and freight trains were suspended on Friday morning
following a two-hour strike staged by rail infrastructure employees. Trade
unions say some problems can no longer be talked about only at the level of the
Transport Ministry and the Government. Rail employees are disgruntled over the
lack of revenue and spending budgets adopted for 2023, as well as the absence
of strategic and coherent funding of the Romanian railways.

SCHENGEN – In an interview to the Austrian publication Der Standard, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said Romania will refer
Austria’s opposition to Romania’s Schengen accession to the European Union
Court of Justice. The Romanian official said losses due to the repeated
postponements stand at 2% of GDP, something which Transport Minister Sorin
Grindeanu had said earlier this week. Romania says she will seek justice in
court should Austria again oppose Romania’s Schengen accession at the upcoming
informal meetings in October and December. We recall that in December 2022,
Austria again vetoed the Schengen accession of Romania and Bulgaria at the
Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting, invoking the high flows of illegal
immigrants passing through the two countries.

PLAN – The Government has updated its emergency plan on securing natural gas
supplies. The document falls in line with European regulations and was drafted
following consultations with the main market players. Measures to cap and
subsidize natural gas bills will remain in effect until spring next year. The
current legislation stipulates state aid will remain in place until 2025. On
the other hand, according to the Energy Ministry, the government is also
considering the growing influence of prosumers in covering nationwide
consumption.

MOLDOVA – Moldova belongs in Europe, in the family of Western democracies, NATO
Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană said on the sidelines of a meeting he
had in Chișinău with Moldova’s Prime Minister, Dorin Recean. Mircea Geoană
hailed the Moldovan authorities’ plea for extended interoperability with
NATO, underlining that the military alliance is the strongest structure of its
kind in the world. The NATO official denied the existence of Russian military
risks facing the Republic of Moldova, but pointed out this country is fighting
a hybrid war triggered by the Russian Federation.

TENNIS – Nicholas David Ionel is today playing Chin-Hsin Tseng in the first match
of the Davis Cup encounter pitting Romania against Taiwain in World Group 1,
hosted by Mamaia on the Black Sea coast. Ionel (226 ATP) and Tseng (326 ATP)
have only played each other once before, in 2021, Tseng winning 6-3, 6-4. In
the second singles match today, Marius Copil (327 ATP) will play Yu Hsiou Hsu
(180 ATP). On Saturday, the pair made up of Marius Copil and Victor Cornea will
play Yu Hsiou Hsu and Tsung-Hao Huang in the doubles match. In the singles,
Ionel will play Hsu whereas Copil will take on Tseng. This is the first match
pitting the two teams in the Davis Cup. In February, in the World Group
playoffs, Romania defeated Thailand 3-2 away from home, whereas Taiwan defeated
Mexico 3-1, also away from home. (VP)

15 September 2023
November 28, 2021 UPDATE

Covid Ro — A plane of the national airlines Tarom will be sent to Pretoria to bring to Romania the Romanian citizens who remained stranded in South Africa, after the cancellation of flights to the EU. According to the Romanian FM Bogdan Aurescu, 39 Romanian citizens from South Africa need to be repatriated. The aircraft will have another 50 – 55 free seats, which Romania offers to the citizens of the European states who want to leave the area. The Romanian government met on Sunday, in an extraordinary session, against the backdrop of international concern over the spread of the new variant of the coronavirus from South Africa, Omicron, which is believed to be more contagious. The list 7 South African countries on the red list was extended to 8, to include Malawi. Those who arrive in Romania from this area must be quarantined for 14 days. They may be released from quarantine on the 10th day if the result of their COVID-test is negative. In another development, the number of new Covid 19 cases in Romania continues to decrease. The authorities reported, on Sunday, 1,400 cases and a little over 100 deaths. 1,200 patients are in ICUs. Only four counties are still in the red scenario. A little over 10 thousand people have been vaccinated in the past 24 hours with the first dose. Since the start of the vaccination campaign in December 2020, 7.4 million people have been fully vaccinated.

UfM — The Romanian Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, participates, as of Sunday, for two days, in Barcelona, in the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Regional Forum and in the EU – Southern Neighborhood Ministerial Meeting. According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry – MAE, in his speech at the forum, Bogdan Aurescu will emphasize the strategic relevance of the European Neighborhood and will highlight the need to develop synergies between the two dimensions, Eastern and Southern, of the Neighborhood Policy. At the same time, FM Bogdan Aurescu will refer to the need for a close cooperation between the member states of the Union for the Mediterranean in areas such as climate change, digital transition and civil protection and will underline the importance of joint reconstruction of the link between security and development in the region. At the EU- Southern Neighborhood Ministerial Meeting, Bogdan Aurescu will address, in his speech, the major regional challenges, such as illegal migration, the impact of climate change and terrorism. The Foreign Ministers of the Union for the Mediterranean states meet once a year at the Regional Forum to define priorities and areas of strategic cooperation. The EU-Southern Neighborhood Ministerial Meeting is a dialogue format attended by representatives of the European institutions, of EU states and of the Unions 10 partners in the Southern Neighborhood (Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, Palestine and Tunisia).

Tennis – Romania also won the third singles match of the competition with Peru, in the qualifying playoffs for the Davis Cup final, which took place on Saturday and Sunday in Cluj-Napoca (northwest). The decisive match was the doubles, won, on Sunday, by the Romanian pair Marius Copil / Horia Tecău against the pair Sergio Galdos / Arklon Huertas del Pino. On Saturday, Marius Copil defeated Conner Huertas del Pino, and Nicolae Frunză had the upper hand over Nicolas Alvarez. Romania will play next year in the Davis Cup qualifiers for a place in the final tournament, among the best 16 national teams in the world.

Statistics – Almost a quarter of Romanias inhabitants lived last year in a household whose income was lower than the so-called poverty threshold – the National Institute of Statistics informs. The relative poverty rate was, in 2020, 23.4%, i.e. the phenomenon affected over 4.5 million people. The highest poverty rates were recorded in the regions in the northeast, southwest (Oltenia) and southeast of the country, and the lowest poverty rate was reported in Bucharest-Ilfov, only 2.4%.

Covid world — The Netherlands joins the EU states where cases of infection with the latest variant of the coronavirus, Omicron, have been confirmed. The cases were detected among the passengers of two flights that came from South Africa on Friday, Reuters reports. The Omicron variant, reported by South Africa to the World Health Organization on November 24, is a cause for concern worldwide as it has multiple mutations and appears to be even more contagious than the Delta variant. The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control has estimated that the overall level of risk for the EU and the European Economic Area associated with the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 is considered high to very high. On the other hand, Switzerland approved by referendum the law on combating COVID-19, which allowed it to instate the health passport. The referendum had been launched by the opponents to this passport. In Greece, the authorities have introduced new restrictions requiring believers to present a negative COVID-19 test to attend church services, following an increase in the number of coronavirus cases in recent weeks. (LS)

28 November 2021
November 27, 2021 UPDATE

Covid-19 Ro – In Bucharest, the National Committee for Emergency Situations decided that the Romanian citizens or citizens from the EU and Switzerland, who come from southern African countries, where the new, more contagious strain of the noel coronavirus emerged, will be quarantined, regardless of whether they are vaccinated or not. They can be released from quarantine after 10 days if the Covid-test-result is negative. The authorities have also updated the list of countries/territories with a high epidemiological risk which now also includes Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. The access on the Romanian territory of the non-EU foreigners arriving from the mentioned countries has been forbidden. On the other hand, 1,727 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the last 24 hours in Romania, and 180 deaths, of which 19 were registered prior to the reference period. Only four counties are still in the red scenario. The COVID-19 incidence rate calculated for a period of 14 days for Bucharest dropped to 2.26 cases per thousand inhabitants. As for the vaccination campaign, since its start in December, about 7.35 million people have been fully vaccinated.

COVID world — The World Health Organization has labeled the new coronavirus variant from Africa, called Omicron, a ‘variant of concern’. The variant has a large number of mutations and could be even more contagious than the Delta variant. More and more states have decided to close their borders to people in southern Africa. Restrictions have been announced by the US, Canada, Turkey, as well as by some EU member states. The President of the EC, Ursula von der Leyen, said that all Member States, through coordination, should activate the so-called Safety Mechanism to suspend flights to countries in southern Africa. The new variant has already been detected in Europe.

Resilience plan — The loan agreement through the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism between the European Commission and Romania for the disbursement of a first tranche, worth approximately 15 billion Euros, was initialed on Friday by the new Finance Minister, Adrian Câciu, the finance ministry announced on Saturday. The loan will be used to finance the state budget deficit and to refinance the government public debt, based on budget expenditures made for the reforms provided for in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). The amounts will be made available in ten installments, based on the fulfillment by the Romanian side of the targets provided in the reforms and investments associated with the loan. At the same time, the European Commission will make available a pre-financing of 13% of the loan (about 1.94 billion Euros), after the Agreement comes into force. Under the PNRR Romania benefits from approximately 29 billion Euros, almost half of the amount being a grant and the rest a loan.

Tennis — Romania’s team leads the team of the state of Peru 2-0 in the qualification playoffs for the Davis Cup final phase after the tennis player Marius Copil defeated Conner Huertas del Pino 7-5, 6-2 on Saturday in Cluj (northwest), in the second singles match of the competition. In the first singles match, Nicolae Frunză defeated Nicolas Alvarez, in 2 sets, 6-2, 6-4. The doubles match between Marius Copil / Horia Tecău and Sergio Galdos / Arklon Huertas del Pino will take place on Sunday. Sunday will also see the singles matches between Marius Copil – Nicolas Alvarez and Nicolae Frunză – Conner Huertas del Pino. Romania and Peru meet for the first time in the Davis Cup.

27 November 2021
November 27, 2021

Resilience plan — The loan agreement through the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism between the European Commission and Romania for the disbursement of a first tranche, worth approximately 15 billion Euros, was initialed on Friday by the new Finance Minister, Adrian Câciu, the finance ministry announced on Saturday. The loan will be used to finance the state budget deficit and to refinance the government public debt, based on budget expenditures made for the reforms provided for in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). The amounts will be made available in ten installments, based on the fulfillment by the Romanian side of the targets provided in the reforms and investments associated with the loan. At the same time, the European Commission will make available a pre-financing of 13% of the loan (about 1.94 billion Euros), after the Agreement comes into force. Under the PNRR Romania benefits from approximately 29 billion Euros, almost half of the amount being a grant and the rest a loan.

COVID Ro – 1,727 new cases of COVID-19 were registered in the last 24 hours in Romania, and 180 deaths, of which 19 deaths were registered prior to the reference interval, the authorities announced on Saturday. The COVID-19 incidence rate calculated for a period of 14 days for Bucharest dropped to 2.26 cases per thousand inhabitants. The highest SARS-CoV-2 infection rate in Bucharest was reached on October 22, namely 16.54 cases per thousand inhabitants. As for the vaccination campaign, since its beginning, in December last year, about 7.35 million people have been fully vaccinated.

COVID world — The World Health Organization has labeled the new coronavirus variant from Africa, called Omicron, a ‘variant of concern’. The variant has a large number of mutations and could be even more contagious than the Delta variant. More and more states have decided to close their borders to people in southern Africa. Restrictions have been announced by the US, Canada, Turkey, as well as by some EU member states. Ursula von der Leyen said that all Member States, through coordination, should activate the so-called Safety Mechanism to suspend flights to countries in southern Africa. The new variant has already been detected in Europe, in Belgium. Tens of passengers on two flights from South Africa were tested positive for COVID-19 on arrival in Amsterdam, the Dutch health authority said on Saturday. They are analyzing the results to see whether it is the new variant of the virus, France Press and Reuters report. First suspected case of infection with the new variant was also identified in Germany in a person who has recently returned from South Africa.

Tennis — The Romanian tennis player Nicolae Frunză on Saturday defeated Nicolas Alvarez, in 2 sets, in Cluj (northwest), in the first singles match of the competition pitting the team of Romanian against that of the state of Peru, in the qualification playoffs for the Davis Cup final phase. The second singles match of the day will pit Marius Copil against Conner Huertas del Pino. The doubles match between Marius Copil / Horia Tecău and Sergio Galdos / Arklon Huertas del Pino will take place on Sunday. Sunday will also see the matches between Marius Copil – Nicolas Alvarez and Nicolae Frunză – Conner Huertas del Pino. With the exception of Horia Tecau, ranked 17th in the world doubles classification, none of the players is in the top 100 of the professional ranking. The two teams meet for the first time in the Davis Cup. (LS)

27 November 2021