Radio România Internațional

Tag: defence

May 11, 2021 UPDATE

ATTACK At least 9 people have been killed and over 20 wounded by a man
who opened fire in a school in the Russian city of Kazan, 820 kilometers east
of Moscow. The city is the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan, which has a
Muslim majority. The 19 year old assailant is a former student of the aforementioned
school and he is the legal owner of the weapon used in the massacre. On Tuesday
President Putin ordered the laws regulating gun possession in Russia be
revised. Such attacks are rare in the Russian Federation though. A similar
attack took place in annexed Crimea in 2018, when a student killed 18
colleagues before turning the gun on himself. In September 2004, about 325
people, mostly children were killed after the special forces stormed a school
in Beslan, the North Osettia, which had been occupied by pro-Chechen
mercenaries, who took over 1000 hostages.

REPORTS Parliament in Bucharest on Tuesday rejected
the activity reports submitted by the public radio and television for the years
2017, 2018 and 2019. According to Anca Dragu, president of the Senate, the
rejection of the aforementioned reports entails the sacking of the two institutions’
board of directors. Parliament is to nominate interim directors for the two
aforementioned institutions with 6-month tenures.

VIRUS 1156 new SARS-CoV-2 infections have been
reported in Romania in the past 24 hours out of 36 thousand tests carried out,
the Strategic Communication Group (GCS) announced on Tuesday. According to the
same sources, 101 of those infected died bringing the death toll to 29,135.
Since the onset of the pandemic, 190 Romanian citizens who live abroad have
been killed by the virus. 6181 patients are being treated in hospitals around
the country, out of which 919 in intensive care. Since the onset of the
pandemic, over one million Romanians have been infected with the novel coronavirus
and over 90% have been cured. Also on Tuesday, GCS announced that Bucharest and
Cluj in the country’s northwest are presently out of the so-called yellow zone
in terms of the number of infections like all the other counties with a rate of
1.5 cases per thousand. The vaccine rollout carries on at a higher pace with
more than 100 thousand people vaccinated per day. Authorities have stepped up the
rollout through a series of measures, such as vaccination marathons and drive
throughs. Family physicians have actively got involved in the vaccination campaign.
Coordinator Valeriu Gheorghita said
on the other hand that there is not enough scientific data to confirm the need
for a third vaccine dose to cover possible viral mutations.

ALERT The state of alert was extended by another
month as of Thursday, the government of Romania decided. Certain restrictions
have been lifted, such as the ones concerning participation in religious processions
or pilgrimages, while others, including in the hospitality sector, remain in
place. Pilot cultural and sports events will be organised, attended by people
who have got the vaccine or recovered from COVID in the past 3 months, as well
as those who test negative for the disease.

DRILL The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis and his
Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda on Tuesday attended a multinational military
exercise in Galaţi County in the east. The exercise takes place at the Smârdan
base, and Poland takes part with the military forces it has deployed to Romania
as part of the Allied matched forward presence in the eastern flank through the
NATO multinational brigade stationed in Craiova. Justice Sword 21
is a tactical exercise aimed at testing the capacity of participating structures
to implement planned actions and measures, as well as Romania’s ability to
provide support to the military forces and equipment that transit its
territory. Such exercises are extremely important to check and increase the
interoperability degree. We are training for defence in the Eastern Flank,
Romanian president Klaus Iohannis said on this occasion. In turn, his Polish
counterpart Andrzej Duda has underlined the importance of cooperation between
the Romanian and Polish troops. In another development, the Romanian president
sent a letter to Parliament in Bucharest briefing it on the Romanian forces
participation in the NATO extended mission in Iraq starting with the second
half of 2021.

(bill)

11 May 2021
May 10, 2021

COVID-19 620 new infections
with the SARS-CoV-2 have been reported in Romania in the past 24 hours after
more than 10,700 tests have been carried out across the country, says the
Strategic Communication Group. Another 68 people have died bringing the death
toll to 29,034. 1,066,731 infections have been confirmed in Romania since the
beginning of the pandemic and 1,015,092 patients have been cured. 962 patients
are presently in intensive care. The regions with the highest infection rates
in the past 14 days have been capital city Bucharest and Cluj in western
Romania. These two regions are the only ones still in the so-called yellow zone
in terms of infections. No more fatalities have been reported among the
Romanians abroad in the past 24 hours. Romania’s vaccine rollout continues with
a series of vaccination marathons and 3.6 million people have so far got the
second jab in this country.

PANDEMIC About 159 million people have
got infected with the novel coronavirus since the onset of the pandemic the
world over and more than 3.3 million have died, the latest data published by
worldometers.info says. Against the backdrop of a diminished number of
infections Europe announces new relaxation measures. After more than six months
of severe restrictions, Italy gives up the quarantine imposed on foreign
tourists, while Germany has eased up a series of restrictions in the case of
the people who got both doses. A series of relaxation measures have been
adopted in Spain, although only 12% of its population has been vaccinated. British
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has today confirmed relaxed measures in Britain
where more than two thirds of the adults have got the first jab. The number of
infections in India has dropped under 400 thousand a day and the number of
deaths has also started to decrease after two days with more than 4 thousand
fatalities.

PLAN Romanian Prime Minister Florin
Citu is this week going to Brussels to present the development projects
included in the latest version of the country’s Recovery and Resilience Plan
(RRP). Upon the latest talks with the European Commission representatives, authorities
in Bucharest say that none of the projects included in the plan have been
scrapped but the sums allotted have been seriously trimmed. The initial version
of the plan had a budget of 42 billion euros, over 12 billion more than it can
get from the EU. The RRP presently boasts a 3.7 billion euro budget for
education as well as for other projects, such as the A7 motorway section
linking the cities of Ploiesti to Buzau in the country’s south-east.

SUMMIT US president Joe Biden and
secretary of state Antony Blinken are today attending a video conference of the
Bucharest Format Summit B9 hosted by Romanian president Klaus Iohannis jointly
with his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda. The event involves the participation of
the other heads of state of the Bucharest Format as well as the NATO Secretary
General Jens Stoltenberg. According to the presidential administration in
Bucharest high on the agenda are preparations for the upcoming NATO summit in
Brussels on June 14th with special emphasis on strengthening the
transatlantic relation and the alliance’s defence and deterrence posture on the
Eastern Flank. The event is also expected to focus on the dialogue and
cooperation with partners in the eastern neighbourhood, the support given for strengthening
their defence capabilities as well as raising the resilience of NATO, its
allies and partners to face the present defence challenges. The Bucharest
Format Summit B9 is an initiative launched by Romanian president Klaus Iohannis
and the president of the Polish Republic Andrzej Duda, which brings together
NATO members on the alliance’s eastern flank like Bulgaria, the Czech Republic,
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary.

(bill)

10 May 2021
May 6, 2021 UPDATE

Vaccination. President Klaus
Iohannis said Romania’s vaccination campaign is going extraordinarily well.
He recalled that from Friday, those who wish to get the vaccine will be able to
do so without an appointment. He said that although there are fewer and fewer
infections and ICU admissions and fewer deaths every day, the pandemic is not
over and called on the population to get the vaccine. To date, more than 2
million Romanians are fully vaccinated and on Thursday it was for the first
time that Romania saw more than 100,000 jabs administered in the space of 24
hours. 1,632 new Covid cases and 94 new related fatalities were recorded on
Thursday. The death toll now passes 28,700. More than 7,300 people are
receiving hospital treatment, while some 1,100 are in intensive care.

Migrants. Some 50 migrants were
caught in the last 24 hours by the Romanian border police as they were trying
to cross the border illegally into Hungary. The 44 foreign nationals, 28 men,
14 women and 2 children, originating from Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, were
found hidden in the trailers of two trucks driven by Turkish nationals
travelling to Poland. Five other persons were found in a field some 100 metres
of the border with Hungary travelling on foot. Aged between 30 and 44, they
came from Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria. All were detained by the border police.

Debt. Romania’s long-term foreign
debt stood at 90.947 billion euros at the end of February this year, 2% lower
than at the end of last year, according to data published by the central bank
in Bucharest. Direct public debt amounts to some 56 billion euros from over 57
at the end of 2020. The guaranteed public debt stood at 212.7 million euros, of
which 102 million to multilateral institutions. Private debt stood at 33.458
billion euros. Long-term deposits for non-residents amounted to 105 million
euros. According to the National Bank of Romania, the short-term public debt
amounted to 32.668 billion euros at the end of February this year, from 33.1
billion at the end of 2020.

Defence. EU
defence ministers on Thursday approved the participation of the NATO members
United States, Canada and Norway in a joint project aiming to help speed up
troops movement across Europe. NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg welcomed
the decision, underlining that non-EU allies play an essential role in protecting
and defending Europe. The project on military mobility is meant to facilitate the
movement of troops across Europe, actions viewed by NATO as crucial in the
event of a conflict with Russia, France Presse news agency notes. The meeting
of EU defence ministers was also attended by the Romanian defence minister
Nicolae Ciucă.

Tennis. The
Romanian-German pair Horia Tecău and Kevin Krawietz lost to fourth seeds Ivan
Dodig of Croatia and Filip Polasek of Slovakia in the round of last 16 of the
Madrid tennis tournament, worth 2.6 million dollars in prize money. Earlier, Tecău
and Krawietz had defeated the Finnish-French pair Henri Kontinen and Edouard
Roger-Vasselin. Tecău has two doubles titles in Madrid, in 2016 and 2019, when
he paired with Jean-Julien Rojer of the Netherlands. (CM)

6 May 2021
May 5, 2021

Pandemic. More than 85,000 people received the
Covid vaccine in the last 24 hours in Romania, according to official reports. Almost 2.1
million people nationwide have been given both doses since the start of the
mass vaccination campaign. The authorities have diversified the means by which Romanians
can get the vaccine if they wish to do so and
thus be able to reach the 5 million-people target set for 1st June. Vaccines are administered in non-stop vaccination centres, drive-through clinics, at the
workplace, at GP practices and in non-Covid hospitals and, from Friday, no
appointment will be necessary. 1,564 new
coronavirus cases and 142 new related fatalities were recorded today in Romania,
with total infections passing 1 million and the death toll at more than 28,600.

Economy. In its
weekly meeting today, the government is again assessing the country’s National
Recovery and Resilience Plan. Prime minister Florin Cîţu and his cabinet will
continue to assess the plan to harmonise it with the latest recommendations of
the European Commission. The plan contains projects worth 29 billion euros. The
prime minister said recently that the plan will absorb all European funds made available
to Romania.

Anti-corruption.
GRECO, the Council of Europe’s anti-corruption body concludes in a report
published today that Romania’s level of compliance with its anti-corruption
recommendations in respect of parliamentarians, judges and prosecutors is still
globally unsatisfactory. The report says that Romania only fully implemented
five of GRECO’s 18 recommendations following an evaluation from 2015 and an
ad-hoc evaluation procedure launched in 2017 on aspects related to judicial
reform. The report does welcome the further consolidation of the supervisory
role of the Superior Council of Magistracy and the judicial inspectorate and
the carrying out of awareness-raising
initiatives to strengthen judicial integrity and providing more uniform
and swift disciplinary procedures in the judicial system.

Defence. Some 15,000 military, including 10,000
Romanian and 5,000 from 17 allied and partner nations, are taking part in the
most complex training operation held since the start of the pandemic, namely a
series of exercises known as Dacia 21 Livex, led by the Joint Forces Command of
the Romanian Defence Staff. The participating countries include France,
Germany, Italy, the UK, the Republic of Moldova, Spain, the US, Turkey and
Hungary. The drills are aimed at consolidating national and allied defence and deterrence
posture.

Tennis. The Romanian-German pair Horia Tecău and Kevin Krawietz on Tuesday reached the
third round of the Madrid tennis tournament as they defeated the Finnish-French
pair Henri Kontinen and Edouard Roger-Vasselin. Tecău and Krawietz will next
play fourth seeds Ivan Dodig of Croatia and Filip Polasek of Slovakia. Tecău
has two doubles titles in Madrid, from 2016 and 2019, when he paired with Jean-Julien
Rojer of the Netherlands.

Volleyball. Romania
will play Albania in Nitra, in Slovakia, in their first match as part of the
qualifying campaign for the 2021 Men’s European Volleyball Championship.
Romania are in Group E together with Slovakia, Switzerland and Albania.
Qualifying matches were initially due last summer, but they were first
postponed and then grouped into two distinct tournaments. Romania will next play
Slovakia on Friday and Switzerland on Saturday. The second qualifying round
will be held next weekend in Ploieşti, Romania. The winners of the seven
preliminary groups will qualify for the European Championships, as well as five
of the second best-placed teams. The championship will be hosted by four
countries, namely Poland, the Czech Republic, Estonia and Finland and will take
place between 1st and 9th September. (CM)

5 May 2021
THE WEEK IN REVIEW 25 April – May 1

Vaccination, “the only way out of the pandemic

The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis Tuesday once again called on citizens to get the COVID-19 vaccine, stating that this is the only way to end the pandemic. As many Romanians vaccinated means getting rid of restrictions and returning to normal, the head of state pointed out. In turn, PM Florin Cîţu reiterated that the government targets 5 million Romanians vaccinated by 1 June, and that as of that moment we will be able to talk in different terms about returning to normal.

Florin Cîţu: “For us there is no other way. The only solution, if we want to go to concerts again, to have family gatherings, to go on holiday abroad or in Romania, to go to restaurants, to the cinema, to the theatre, to do everything we used to do, is for us to get the vaccine. This vaccination campaign is a campaign for life, for ourselves, for returning to normal.

In turn, an inter-ministry committee working for Romanias return to normal as of 1 June, 2021, had a new meeting highlighting the need to gradually adjust the lifting of containment measures to each sector of the economy. The group also discussed the progressive reopening of the hospitality sector, as the vaccine rollout continues.

Meanwhile, several drive-through vaccination centres have been opened in the country, where people can get the vaccine without previous appointments. Moreover, between 7 and 9 May an anti-COVID vaccination marathon will be organised in Bucharest, after the operation proved a success elsewhere in the country. At present around 1,000 vaccination centres are active, with a combined capacity of over 120,000 people immunised daily.

The number of daily new COVID-19 cases has dropped across the country, and this week a number of containment measures are being lifted. The number of patients in intensive care is also dropping, and so is the number of COVID-related deaths. Of the total number of Romanians infected since the start of the pandemic, over 90% have recovered.

Talks on the National Recovery and Resilience Plan

The ruling coalition in Bucharest agreed on a National Recovery and Resilience Plan with projects worth 29 billion euro. The Plan will be submitted to Brussels as of 10 May, when final negotiations with the European Commission will be held. PM Florin Cîţu announced that no project will be dropped, but that the funding for some investment lines will be reduced, after Romania received comments from the EC especially concerning projects related to irrigation systems, natural gas networks and motorways.

The prime minister said there are no problems in the negotiations with the Commission, but that Brussels asked for more details regarding Romanias plan. In turn, the minister for investments and European funding Cristian Ghinea said, discussions continue on all the components, and the European Commission has this kind of dialogue with all member countries.

Cristian Ghinea: “We are trying to adjust to as many of the Commissions comments as possible, and we have even brough allocations in line with these comments. As for the projects that are our priorities, even if the Commission has a different opinion at this time, we will move forward with them.

According to the Romanian official, several countries are to submit their National Plans after the end of April, the original deadline set by the Commission. Meanwhile, the vice-president of the EC Margrethe Vestager announced that she had a “constructive meeting with the Romanian minister concerning the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, and said progress has been made.

Protection for Romanian workers abroad

At the suggestion of the labour ministry, the government passed an emergency order providing better protection for the Romanians working abroad. The order includes new obligations for recruitment agencies and for providers of relevant services, which grant additional protection to Romanian citizens.

One provision is that mediation services for Romanians getting employment abroad should be free of charge, and that employment contracts should be provided in Romanian as well. Romanian workers are also to receive their written employment contracts before leaving the country. The labour minister Raluca Turcan also mentioned that transport companies must comply with certain requirements:

Raluca Turcan: “When transport companies take over Romanian workers who got jobs abroad, they must be grouped together depending on the chosen job. Also, when they take over workers for a particular country, a company must drop them at the employers site.

The order passed by the government also provides for tougher penalties for breaching the law.

Supreme Defence Council discusses Black Sea, Afghanistan situations

Romania will pull out its troops from Afghanistan in coordination with the other NATO members, beginning 1 May. All the 615 troops and over 80 tonnes of materials and equipment will be brought back on Romanian and NATO military aircraft, the Presidency announced at the end of Tuesdays meeting of the Supreme Defence Council. The withdrawal will be phased and spread across the forthcoming months. In the anti-terrorist mission in Afghanistan launched shortly after the 9/11attacks in the US, 27 Romanian troops lost their lives.

In the same meeting the Supreme Defence Council also decided that Romania would continue to promote efforts to strengthen the Allied posture in the country and in the region, in a responsible manner and in line with international law. Moreover, concerned with the recent build-up of Russian troops at Ukraines eastern border, Romania is interested in solving the protracted conflicts in the Black Sea region, and the foreign ministry has presented the EU with some initiatives in this respect, the presidency also said in a news release. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

1 May 2021
April 22, 2021 UPDATE

COVID-19 Three counties in Romania, Bucharest, Ilfov (south-east) and Cluj (centre-west) are still in the red zone, with little over 4 COVID infections per thousand inhabitants. The other counties have reported infections rates below 3 per thousand. On Thursday the authorities announced nearly 3,000 new infections and 150 COVID-related deaths in 24 hours, while 1,405 patients are in intensive care. At the end of the first meeting of an inter-ministry committee working for Romanias returning to normal as of June 1 this year, PM Florin Cîțu said reaching this goal depends on vaccination. It is a prerequisite, this will not happen without vaccination. It is the only solution, the PM said. Vaccination remains the only way to stop the spread of coronavirus, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis said in his turn, urging all who haven’t got the vaccine yet to get immunised because only this way we can have a summer without so many restrictions. The total number of people who got at least one vaccine dose is over than 2.8 million people. According to the authorities, Romania has now the capacity to immunize 120,000 people a day.

HEALTH Romania’s new Health Minister, Ioana Mihaila, begins her term in office with three key priorities, which she says are going to guide her work, alongside the strategy to curb the pandemic. The new minister’s priorities are, attracting funds for reforms and investment, increasing people’s access to basic medical services as well as raising the competitiveness of the managing boards of hospitals and county health insurance agencies. According to Minister Mihaila, over 2.6 billion Euros worth of EU funds are to be invested in streamlining the country’s healthcare system and in the next government meeting a draft emergency order will be discussed, regulating the involvement of family physicians in the vaccine rollout. Nominated by the USR-PLUS Alliance, Ioana Mihaila has replaced Vlad Voiculescu, recently sacked by the Liberal Prime Minister Florin Citu.

MEETING Bucharest is hosting for two days the Trilateral Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Romania, Poland and Turkey. The event was preceded by an online conference on current security challenges. Taking the floor during the event, Romanian Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu has highlighted the value of the trilateral meeting in handling these crises, mainly in consolidating the NATO deterrence and defence posture in the eastern flank. The Romanian official also touched on the complex regional background fraught with concerning developments, affecting the area from the Black Sea to the Baltic Sea and which is mainly visible at Ukraine’s western border and in the illegally occupied Crimea. The situation in the Black Sea region is high on the agenda of the Romania-Poland-Turkey trilateral meeting.

UKRAINE The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis announced the Supreme Defence Council would convene on 27 April to discuss the situation at the Black Sea. The head of state said tensions emerged in that area, especially in Ukraines eastern border region, and described the situation as “worrying. “I have had several discussions with the defence minister and the heads of other specialised services, we are well aware of the situation there and the tensions emerging in the region are a concern for us, Klaus Iohannis added. On Thursday, Russia announced pulling out the troops it had deployed near the Ukraine-Crimea border, stating the military exercises conducted in the area were completed. “The troops have demonstrated their ability to ensure a reliable defence of the country. So I decided to complete the inspection activities in the southern and western military districts, said Russia’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu in a press release.

NATO NATO leaders will convene in a summit in Brussels on June 14, the Alliances secretary general Jens Stoltenberg announced on Thursday. “Russias aggressive actions, the threat of terrorism, cyber-attacks, emerging and disruptive technologies, the security impact of climate change, and the rise of China will be on the agenda of the meeting. According to Stoltenberg, “This is a unique opportunity to reinforce NATO as the enduring embodiment of the bond between Europe and North America. Also, he added, decisions will be made on the organisations 2030 agenda to deal with the challenges of today and tomorrow.

TENNIS
Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, no. 3 in the world, Thursday defeated Marketa
Vondrousova of the Czech Republic, 6-1, 6-3 in the round of 16 of the tennis
tournament in Stuttgart. Halep, a former Roland Garros champion, has won all
the major clay tournaments in Europe, except for the one in Stuttgart, where
she only made it to the semifinals in 2017. In 2020, the Romanian clinched two
titles in Prague and Rome. Also in Stuttgart, the pair made up of Raluca Olaru
of Romania and Nadia Kicenok of Germany has qualified for the doubles quarter
finals after a 7-6, 6-4 win against Hayley Carter of the USA and Luisa Stefani
of Brazil.(tr. A.M. Popescu)

22 April 2021
February 18, 2021

VACCINE A new batch of over 163,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine reaches Romania today. This is the third COVID-19 vaccine available in EU member states, and was introduced in Romania this week. According to the National Vaccination Coordination Committee, since the start of the vaccination programme in Romania on December 27, over 1.2 million doses have been administered. Most people have received the Pfizer vaccine, and the others doses produced by Moderna, available in Romania since February 4. Meanwhile, 3,058 new SARS-CoV-2 cases were reported in the past 24 hours. 71 people died and 936 patients are in intensive care.

DEFENCE The Romanian defence minister Nicolae Ciucă, taking part in a meeting of NATO defence ministers, pointed out Romanias commitment to covering defence expenditure. He reaffirmed Bucharests support for deepening and strengthening NATOs defence and deterrence posture, in line with medium and long-term security requirements. NATOs 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.

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 sculptors birth. On Friday, the “Tinerimea Română National Art Centre will host a special concert devoted to the occasion, and illustrated with images of Brancusis 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.

PROTESTS Over one hundred workers at the Lupeni coal mine in Valea Jiului (central-western Romania) are carrying on the sit-in protest initiated yesterday. Their salaries are nearly 10 days late although the union signed a protocol in this respect with the Hunedoara Power Compound management. Meanwhile, leaders of coal mining trade unions convene to find legal methods to step up salary payments. Yesterday, protests were staged by Cartel Alfa and Solidaritatea Sanitara trade unions, both in front of the government headquarters and of parties in the ruling coalition. Trade unions are unhappy with the 2021 state budget bill, which they say will extend the economic crisis and will drive down living standards. Railway workers also picketed the government head offices on Tuesday and Wednesday, demanding investments and salary increases in the railway sector.

PANDEMIC The European Commission announced a deal was signed with Moderna for an additional 150 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, to be delivered this year, and confirmed a previous agreement on the purchase of another 200 million doses of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. On Wednesday, the Commission also unveiled plans to monitor SARS-CoV-2 variants, to step up the approval of vaccines against such variants and to strengthen vaccine production capabilities in Europe. The EC initiated a bio-defence preparedness plan called “Hera Incubator, targeting new coronavirus variants that threaten to reduce the efficacy of current vaccination campaigns. Moreover, the EC president Ursula von der Leyen announced the Commission boosts measures against the growing number of COVID-19 vaccine frauds. In turn, the UN secretary general Antonio Guterres called on G20 to set up a “global vaccination plan so that no country is left behind in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

18 February 2021
October 17, 2020 UPDATE

COVID-19 In Romania, 3,952 new coronavirus infections were reported for the past 24 hours, according to the Strategic Communication Group. The overall number of cases is 176,468. Also, 63 more people died, taking the death toll to 5,812. A new negative record was also reported in terms of ICU patients—745. The authorities are seeking solutions to make sure as many hospitals as possible are involved in the fight against the pandemic. The head of the Department for Emergencies, Raed Arafat, said that according to experts this second wave of the pandemic may last throughout the winter. In the context of the coronavirus pandemic, over 1,000 schools in the country operate exclusively online. The Education Ministry says over 11,300 schools still work in the face-to-face teaching system, while 5,235 schools use both in-person and online classes.

PANDEMIC The number of coronavirus infections worldwide is drawing near 40 million, with more than 1.1 million COVID-19-related deaths and nearly 30 million patients recovered, according to Worldometers updates. The World Health Organisation warns that several European cities are facing a surge in the number of COVID-19 patients that require intensive care. A growing number of countries announce record-high number of cases. On Saturday, the Czech Republic confirmed over 11,000 new cases, Italy almost 11,000, the Netherlands and Germany 8,000 each. In London, a ban on households mixing indoors came into force on Saturday, after on Friday 15,000 new infections were confirmed in the UK. In 10 major cities in France, including Paris and its suburbs, a curfew is in place as of Saturday between 9:00 PM and 6:00 AM. The measure will be in place for at least 4 weeks, amid a rise in the number of daily new cases to over 25,000. New restrictions are also introduced in Warsaw and other Polish cities included in a “red-zone: high-schools and colleges are switching to the online mode, restaurants will only be open until 9 PM, weddings are banned and the number of people entering shops, churches and public transport will be restricted.

SUMMIT The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis will take part on Monday in the Virtual Summit and Web Forum of the Three Seas Initiative, organised by Estonia. According to the Romanian Presidency, a report on smart connectivity will be released on this occasion. The Three Seas Initiative is a presidential-level political platform that brings together the 12 EU member states located between the Baltic, Adriatic and Black Sea (Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia). The initiative seeks to contribute to the economic development of the member states, by encouraging interconnectivity in 3 main sectors—transport, energy and digital, and to strengthening unity and cohesion within the EU.

DIPLOMACY Romanias foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu has political consultations in Washington on Monday with the US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, as part of a visit to the US by the Romanian official at the invitation of his American counterpart. The visit takes place in the context of this years celebration of 140 years of diplomatic relations between the 2 countries. According to the Foreign Ministry, this is a “good opportunity to reconfirm the main coordinates of the strategic partnership. The talks between Bogdan Aurescu and Mike Pompeo will focus on bilateral cooperation in the political, military, energy and economic sectors, including strategic projects promoted by Romania under the Three Seas Initiative.

DEFENCE The Romanian Defence Ministry welcomes the approval by the US State Department of Romanias application for purchase of the Naval Strike Missile Coastal Defence Systems. The clearing has been forwarded to the US Congress. The Naval Strike Missile is a sea-skimming, over-the-horizon anti-ship missile, and Romania wants to buy two of the systems under one of the 5 programmes in the Romanian Armys upgrade plan. The proposed sale will improve Romanias capability to meet current and future threats by improving Romanias maritime defence capabilities in the Black Sea.

ATTACK The president of France Emmanuel Macron Saturday announced national commemorative events for the 47-year old teacher killed by a young Chechen on Friday in an Islamist terror attack near Paris. Samuel Paty, who taught history and geography, was attacked because during a lesson on the freedom of speech he showed his students controversial caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu sent a condolence message to the French teachers family and friends and firmly condemned the gruesome attack. Aurescu emphasised that Romania and France are “united in the fight against terror. According to the French investigators, the attacker was a legal refugee in France. (translated by: A. M. Popescu)

17 October 2020
October 17, 2020

VOTING The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu called on all Romanians living abroad to vote by mail, and reminded them that October 22 is the deadline for registration for this type of voting for the December 6 parliamentary election. Bogdan Aurescu warned that postal voting is the best way to protect Romanians health in the current pandemic. The foreign minister also says the full list of the documents required for voting is available on the ministrys home page in the section devoted to this years general election. The Foreign Ministry warned several times that some countries have restrictions in place, which will affect the number of polling stations that the Romanian authorities will be allowed to open abroad.

COVID-19 In Romania, a new record-high number of coronavirus infections in 24 hours has been reported—4026, according to the Strategic Communication Group. The overall number of cases is 172,516. Also, 75 more people died, taking the death toll to 5,749. A new negative record was also reported in terms of ICU patients—726. The authorities are seeking solutions to make sure as many hospitals as possible are involved in the fight against the pandemic. The head of the Department for Emergencies, Raed Arafat, said that according to experts this second wave of the pandemic may last throughout the winter. In the context of the coronavirus pandemic, over 1,000 schools in the country operate exclusively online. The Education Ministry says over 11,300 schools still work in the face-to-face teaching system, while 5,235 schools use both in-person and online classes.

PANDEMIC The World Health Organisation warns that several European cities are facing a surge in the number of COVID-19 patients that require intensive care, and that ICUs may reach their full capacity in the coming weeks. NATO is prepared to provide assistance to Europe. According to the deputy secretary general of the Alliance, Mircea Geoană (Romania), NATO already has a special fund and logistical support plans in place for member and partner states. He explained that NATOs main concern is for the current healthcare crisis not to turn into a security crisis. France Press reports new restrictions introduced across Europe. In London, a ban on households mixing indoors came into force on Saturday, after on Friday 15,000 new infections were confirmed in the UK. In 10 major cities in France, including Paris and its suburbs, a curfew is in place as of Saturday between 9:00 PM and 6:00 AM. The measure will be in place for at least 4 weeks, amid a rise in the number of daily new cases to over 25,000. New restrictions are also introduced in Warsaw and other Polish cities included in a “red-zone: high-schools and colleges are switching to the online mode, restaurants will only be open until 9 PM, weddings are banned and the number of people entering shops, churches and public transport will be restricted.

DATATHON Romania won the first prize in the 4th challenge, “A Europe fit for the digital age, in the EU Datathons online final. The Romanian teams submission, which also won a check for 12,000 euro, is called Digital Dryads, and is designed to protect forests from illegal logging using spectral analysis, machine learning and state-of-the-art satellite imagery produced under the EU Copernicus programme. The EU Datathon is an annual competition inviting original ideas on how to exploit EU Open Data.

DEFENCE The Romanian Defence Ministry welcomes the approval by the US State Department of Romanias application for purchase of the Naval Strike Missile Coastal Defence Systems. The clearing has been forwarded to the US Congress. The Naval Strike Missile is a sea-skimming, over-the-horizon anti-ship missile, and Romania wants to buy two of the systems under one of the 5 programmes in the Romanian Armys upgrade plan. The proposed sale will improve Romanias capability to meet current and future threats by improving Romanias maritime defence capabilities in the Black Sea.

LITERATURE A Romanian-British literature festival is held online and in London as of today until November 13. Entitled Romania Rocks, the event brings together Romanian and British authors and translators, and is designed to promote Romanian literature around the world. All events may be accessed free of charge on the communication channels of the Romanian Cultural Institute and the European Literature Network. (translated by: A.M. Popescu)

17 October 2020
October 7, 2020 UPDATE

CORONAVIRUS Romanian president Klaus Iohannis on
Wednesday night launched a new appeal for the strict compliance with the rules
aimed at containing the novel coronavirus. The appeal comes after 2,958 new
infections were reported on Wednesday, a record high since the beginning of the
pandemic. The total number of infections reached 142,570. The death toll of 82
in a single day is also a record high, which brings the total to 5,203. 612
patients are in intensive care. Authorities in Bucharest have again decided to
close down indoor bars, clubs and discotheques as well as cinemas and theatres.

ECONOMY The World Bank expects Romania’s economic
output to shrink 5.7% this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic and to see a 4.9%
growth next year. However, these figures may depend on the severity of the
medical crisis, the response of the authorities, the impact of the economic
incentives and the measures taken at the EU level. According to the
aforementioned institution, emerging economies in Europe and Central Asia are
in for the severest recession since the 2008 crisis and might see a 4.4%
economic slump by the end of 2020. Last week, the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development envisaged a 5% economic drop for Romania and a
3% growth next year.

CYBERCRIME Stepping up public sector partnerships in
the face of increasingly pervasive cybercrime threats was the theme of the 8th
INTERPOL-Europol Cybercrime Conference held on October 6. Taking place online
for the first time, the one-day conference saw more than 400 cyber experts from
law enforcement, private industry, international organizations, CERTs and
academia tune in to discussions on emerging cyber threats, trends and
strategies. Recent findings from both Interpol and Europol have made clear that
cybercriminals around the world have been able to capitalize on the global
COVID-19 pandemic, turning the health crisis into an opportunity, Europol said
in a press release after the conference. At the same time, the pandemic has
accelerated the digital transformation and increased people’s reliance on
connectivity and digital tools. In a world where more than 4,5 billion people
are online, more than half of humanity is at risk of falling victim to
cybercrime at any time, said INTERPOL Secretary General Jurgen Stock.

DEFENSE – Romanian Defense Minister, Nicolae
Ciuca, is paying a 5-day official visit to the US starting on Wednesday, upon
an invitation extended by the US Secretary of Defense Mark Thomas Esper, the
Romanian Defense Ministry has announced. Minister Ciuca will have a series of
meetings with high-level officials of the US Department of Defense to discuss
ways to consolidate the bilateral strategic partnership. The Romanian official
will reiterate Bucharest’s commitment to develop its defense capacity through
training programmes and the purchase of modern equipment. Also discussed will
be Romania’s concerns regarding the security situation at the Black Sea and the
need for a coherent approach regarding the defense and deterrence strategy on
NATO’s eastern flank.

(bill)

7 October 2020
October 6, 2020

COVID-19 On Tuesday in Romania record-high figures were reported both in terms of the number of deaths (73) and patients taken in intensive care in the last 24 hours (608). 2, 121 new infection cases were also reported, taking the total number of confirmed cases since the start of the pandemic to nearly 140,000. Some 110,000 of them have recovered. Romanian authorities announce new restrictions in localities with more that 1.5 cases per thousand capita in the past 14 days. The National Committee for Emergency Situations last night requested county committees to look at the local situation and introduce additional containment measures, such as banning private events or closing restaurants. Restrictions will also be introduced for travelers coming from countries with more coronavirus cases than Romania.

INDUSTRY The Romanian airspace company Romaero received from the American firm Raytheon a first order for components for Patriot anti-missile systems, more specifically for parts that will be included in the construction of the Patriot radar. After this first order has been completed, the Romanian company will have a chance to receive subsequent orders from all the 17 countries that own Patriot systems. Romaero is the second Romanian company to receive orders for parts and pieces, after Aerostar Bacău in 2019.

DEFENCE Romanias Supreme Defence Council is holding an online meeting today, chaired by president Klaus Iohannis, to look at defence and national security issues. The agenda includes topics like such as a strategic defence analysis, the White Paper on Defence, the implementation plan for the national defence strategy 2020 – 2024. The last meeting of the Council was held in late May. PM Ludovic Orban, deputy chairman of the Council, requested a COVID-19 test on Monday, after he was recently on a TV set with a person who tested positive for the virus. The Government subsequently announced that the test was negative, but that the PM will stay in quarantine until Thursday, working without physical contact with any other individuals. Ludovic Orban will be tested again on Thursday.

EUROSTAT Romania has imported face masks worth 272 million euros in the first half of 2020, according to data made public by Eurostat today. In the first 6 months of the year compared to 2019, the EUs face masks imports rose 1,800%, from 800 million euro to 14 billion euro. Data per capita point to substantial differences between member states. Luxembourg, which distributes face masks under a governmental policy, has imported by far the largest number of such products per capital in the EU (121 euro per capita). Next come Belgium, Germany and France, the only countries with imports above 50 euro per capita. At the opposite pole, imports were under 10 euro per capita in Cyprus, Poland, Sweden, Croatia, Greece and Bulgaria. Romania is ranked in the lower half of the list, with face masks imports amounting to 14 euro per inhabitant.

NOBEL Scientists Roger Penrose (UK),
Reinhard Genzel (Germany) and Andrea Ghez (USA) were awarded on Tuesday the Nobel
Prize for physics for their discoveries related to black holes. On Monday, researchers Harvey J. Alter, Michael Houghton and Charles M. Rice were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for 2020, for the discovery of the Hepatitis C virus. The recipients of the Nobel Prize for chemistry, literature and peace will also be announced this week. The winner of the Nobel Prize for Economy will be made public on October 12. With the latter’s exception, the other Nobel Prizes were created by the Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel (1833-1896), the inventor of the dynamite. In 2020, each Nobel Prize will be accompanied by a $1.1 million check, which is more than in previous years. The Nobel Awards organisers have announced that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the prize recipients will most likely receive their awards in their home countries, without having to attend an award ceremony in Stockholm.

PANDEMIC The total number of COVID-19 cases worldwide is over 35.7 million, with over 1 million deaths, according to worldometers updates. The US president Donald Trump returned to the White House, after receiving treatment for the virus. He urged people, in a video message, not to be scared or overwhelmed by this disease. The US remains the country with the largest number of cases and deaths in the world. Record-high figures are also reported in a growing number of European countries, and additional protection measures are introduced across the continent. The Czech Republic and Slovakia reintroduced a state of emergency on Monday. (translated by: A.M. Popescu)

6 October 2020
October 5, 2020 UPDATE

COVID-19 1,591 new cases of COVID-19 and 45 new fatalities have been reported nationwide in the last 24 hours, the Group for Strategic Communication announced on Monday. The total number of infections stands at 137,491, while the death toll stands at 5,048. 108,526 patients have recovered. There are currently 592 people in intensive care. 6,702 Romanians living abroad have tested positive for SARS CoV-2, while 126 have died. Most of these cases have been reported in Germany, Italy and Spain. The negative evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic in recent days does not require the reintroduction of the state of emergency, authorities say, insisting however on the importance of basic health safety measures, such as the wearing of face masks, observing physical distance and rigorous hand hygiene. The head of the Department for Emergency Situations, Raed Arafat, warned that harsher restrictions might be introduced in those areas where the infection rate has gone up significantly.

LOCAL ELECTIONS The unaffiliated candidate Nicuşor Dan, backed by the Liberals and the USR-PLUS alliance, won the election for Bucharest Mayor General with 42.81% of the votes (282,631), according to the final results of the local elections in Bucharest, posted on the home page of the Permanent Electoral Authority. The Social Democratic candidate Gabriela Firea got 37.97% of the votes, followed by Traian Băsescu, from the Peoples Movement Party, with 10.99%, Florin Călinescu (Green Party) with 2.08% and Călin Popescu Tăriceanu (ALDE) with 1.49%. In the Bucharest General Council, the Social Democratic Party holds 21 seats, followed by USR – PLUS with 17, the Liberals with 12 and the Peoples Movement Party with 5 seats. The turnout at the Bucharest local election on September 27 was 36.76%.

PRIME MINISTER On Monday Prime Minister Ludovic Orban tested negative for the COVID-19, but he will stay in quarantine until Thursday, working without physical contact with any other individuals, the Government announced. According to the source, the test was voluntary. The prime minister will be tested again on Thursday, 10 days after he was on a TV shooting set with a person who tested positive for the virus.

DEFENCE Romanias Supreme Defence Council will hold an online meeting on Tuesday, chaired by president Klaus Iohannis, to look at defence and national security issues, such as a defence strategic analysis, the White Paper on Defence, the implementation plan for the national defence strategy 2020 – 2024, national security risks, threats and vulnerabilities forecast for next year, the Presidency announced. The last meeting of the Council was held in late May.

ELECTION The investigation of local election fraud allegations and the elimination of taxes for three years in the hospitality industry rank high on Parliament’s agenda this week. Another topic under debate is the proposed postponement of the legislative election to March 14, 2021. The date originally set for the legislative election is December 6. Unaffiliated MP Adrian Dohotaru, who tabled this proposal, claims the legislative election should be postponed due to the alarming increase in the number of SARS-CoV-2 infections in Romania and the growing pressure on the health care system.

NOBEL PRIZE The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2020 has been awarded jointly to researchers Harvey J. Alter, Michael Houghton and Charles M. Rice for the discovery of Hepatitis C virus. The recipients of the Nobel Prize for physics, chemistry, literature and peace will also be announced this week. The winner of the Nobel Prize for Economy will be made public on October 12. With the latter’s exception, the other Nobel Prizes were created by the Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel (1833-1896), the inventor of the dynamite. In 2020, each Nobel Prize will be accompanied by a $1.1 million check, which is more than in previous years. In 2019 the Nobel Prize for Medicine was awarded to American researchers William Kaelin and Gregg Semenza and to British researcher Peter Ratcliffe for their study on how cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability. The Nobel Awards organizers have announced that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the prize recipients will most likely receive their awards in their home countries, without having to attend an award ceremony in Stockholm. (translated by A.M. Popescu, V. Palcu)

5 October 2020
July 9, 2020

COVID-19 Romania ranks 1st in the EU by number of new coronavirus cases confirmed in 24 hours, with 555, which is more than during the state of emergency. The death toll is over 1,800. The number of patients in intensive care is also close to the highest number reported during the state of emergency. The number of cases has grown lately due to failure to comply with containment rules, an attitude reinforced by fake news and by peoples distrust of the authorities, says dr. Virgil Musta, head of the COVID ward at the Victor Babeş Hospital in Timişoara (west). He explained that unless measures are taken immediately, the virus may spread at alarming rates and the healthcare system might become unable to handle the situation. The health minister Nelu Tătaru said he is not considering a new state of emergency at this point, but a decision in this respect will be based on further assessments. Tǎtaru also mentioned that new relaxation measures are also out of the question until the number of new cases is steady.

BILL A bill on self-isolation and quarantine drafted by the Government is on the agenda of the Chamber of Deputies as of today. The Government passed the bill on Monday, after the Constitutional Court dismissed previous bills on compulsory isolation and quarantine as unconstitutional, on grounds that they are lacking in clarity and predictability, and do not guarantee that certain fundamental rights and freedoms are complied with. The Constitutional Court also found that introducing quarantine under a government order is a violation of fundamental rights. The Social Democrats in opposition announced they would substantially alter the text of the bill, because it comes against citizen rights and freedoms. On the other hand, the Government accuses the Social Democratic Party of irresponsibility over postponing debates on this bill, which according to the Cabinet enhances the efficiency of COVID-19 containment measures while at the same time complying with the Constitutional Court ruling. The Senate will cast the decisive vote on this bill early next week.

EU The German Chancellor Angela Merkel presented the European Parliament with the programme of the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, which Berlin will be holding for the next 6 months. The German official once again called for solidarity and unity among member states, so that they may emerge stronger from the coronavirus crisis. Merkel described this health crisis as the biggest challenge for the EU and explained that the future multi-annual budget as well as the post COVID-19 recovery fund must not only help in the short run, but also lead to a long-term reform of the Union. In turn, the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen warned politicians and institutions not to disregard the multi-annual budget in favour of the economic recovery instrument, dubbed “Next Generation EU. Member states must overcome divergences over a number of issues, such as the funds earmarked for the recovery plan, its duration, the loan-to-grant ratio or the criteria for fund allotment to member countries.

DEFENCE The Romanian Army Chief of Staff, lieutenant-general Daniel Petrescu, takes part in a meeting of the EU Military Committee in Brussels. According to the Defence Ministry, the agenda includes topics like the EU-NATO cooperation, assessments of security threats, and the prospects of military training missions in the Central African Republic, Mali and Somalia. Participants will also discuss the security issues related to migration flows and the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic for command and control structures.

PANDEMIC The total number of COVID-19 cases worldwide is over 12.1 million, with the death toll reaching 552,000, according to worldometers.info. One-quarter of the total number of cases were confirmed in the US, while Brazil, the second hardest hit country, has more than 1.7 million infection cases. The US secretary of state Mike Pompeo says progress has been made in the talks with the EU on reopening borders to travellers from the US, France Presse reports. EU countries agreed to reopen EU and Schengen borders as of July 1 to passengers from 15 countries, in a list that includes China, under certain conditions, but not the USA. The list, based on epidemiologic criteria, was approved by EU member states following difficult negotiations, at the start of the summer tourist season. The US had in turn introduced travel restrictions for EU citizens during the pandemic. The US president Donald Trump said at that time that the large number of infections in the US was owing to the travellers coming from Europe, because, he claimed, the EU failed to ban travel to and from China in due time.

FOOTBALL FCSB is the first team to qualify into the Romanian Cup final, after defeating another Bucharest-based club, Dinamo, 3-0 and 1-0 respectively. The other semi-final, due tonight, is pitting CSM Poli Iasi against Sepsi OSK Sfântu Gheorghe. In the first leg, Sepsi won 5-1 on home turf. The games are played without public. the final is scheduled on July 22 in Ploiesti. (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

9 July 2020
23 December 2019, UPDATE

Commemoration. Religious and military ceremonies
commemorating the 40 gendarmes killed on December 23rd, 1989, have
been held at the Otopeni Airport, near Bucharest. Just one day after dictator
Ceausescu lost power, they were killed by the forces that were protecting the
airport, who thought the gendarmes were terrorists. They had in fact been sent
there to enforce defence around the airport.

Government. The Romanian government has assumed responsibility in Parliament for the
state budget bill, a first in Romanian politics. The Orban government also
assumed responsibility for the social security bill and another bill amending
an emergency order that introduced additional fees on energy and
telecommunications companies and banks. In his Parliament address, the Liberal
prime minister Ludovic Orban said passing legislation by assuming
responsibility, which involves a vote of confidence, is a democratic move and
is stipulated in the Romanian Constitution. He also said that it was the only
solution to pass the budget bill for 2020 by the end of this year. He explained
that he agreed to a number of amendments before presenting the bill in
Parliament. He said he gave up a cap on bonuses for special working conditions
and a ban on receiving both a state pension and a salary at the same time in
the public sector. Healthcare and education budgets are to grow next year, and the
2% defence spending will be maintained. The Social Democrats have criticised
the government’s move to pass legislation by assuming responsibility in
Parliament. According to a statement by the Constitutional Court made public on
Monday, the Court was asked to look into the possibility of a legal conflict
between the government and Parliament by the speakers of the Senate and the
Chamber of Deputies. The Court has set the date of January 10th for
the two parties to state their case in writing.

Currency. Most CFA analysts in Romania expect a depreciation of the Romanian
currency in the coming 12 months, down to the value of 4.8633 lei per one euro,
and an average inflation rate of 3.52%, as indicated by November’s
Macroeconomic Confidence Indicator, published on Monday. CFA Romania is one of
the most important local professional organisations bringing together
investment professionals from banking, asset management, insurance, private
equity, pension funds and other areas and is a member of the CFA Institute
Global Network of Societies. It has some 240 members in Romania. The indicator
was launched in Romania in May 2011.

Army. The Romanian defence minister
Nicolae Ciuca and the chief of the defence staff, lieutenant general Daniel
Petrescu on Monday received the chief of the defence staff in the Canadian
army, general Jonathan H. Vance, who is on a visit to Romania. The meeting took
place at the Mihail Kogalniceanu air base in south-western Romania. According
to a statement by the defence ministry in Bucharest, the three officials
discussed the stage of cooperation between the Romanian and Canadian armies
within NATO, the UN and the OSCE, as well as the security situation in the
greater Black Sea area. The Romanian officials thanked the Canadian general for
the contribution to supporting ongoing regional initiatives and the support
given to the Romanian detachment carrying out medical evacuation operations in
Mali.

Drugs. The Romanian police and
prosecutors have confiscated more than 33 kg of heroin worth more than 1
million euros on the black market, following searches at the homes of a number
of persons suspected of drug trafficking. According to an official statement, a
crime group made up of four suspects was carrying out transactions involving
significant amounts of drugs. The members of the group were allegedly planning
to sell a large quantity of heroin in Romania and other EU member states, which
they had acquired from a Turkish citizen. Two of the four suspects are in
custody, while the other two are in temporary house arrest.

23 December 2019
Decisions of the Supreme Defence Council

The Supreme Defence Council convened on Wednesday for its first meeting attended by the members of the new Cabinet headed by PM Ludovic Orban. The members approved the appointment of Lieutenant Gen. Daniel Petrescu as Chief of the Defence Staff, replacing Gen. Nicolae Ciuca, who stepped down after being appointed defence minister. “He is a well-known, respected, eminent army man, President Iohannis said about the new Chief of Staff. He also emphasised that Daniel Petrescus professional background includes tactical, operational and strategic positions in the Romanian Land Forces, under NATO command, and participation in missions in the theatres of operations in Angola, Albania, Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Supreme Defence Council also decided on Wednesday to strengthen Romanias participation in missions abroad in 2020. The number of Defence Ministry employees will be increased by over 200, to exceed 2,100 civilian and military staff, of whom over 800 will continue to take part in the NATO mission in Afghanistan. Another over 790 troops and police officers from the Interior Ministry will also be deployed in international missions.

Klaus Iohannis: “This impressive number from both the Defence and the Interior Ministry proves that Romania takes very seriously its mission to provide security, to export security to regions where this is a goal still to be attained. We take part in many missions, and our military are highly appreciated everywhere they go.

The head of state also emphasised that the Supreme Defence Council members discussed public procurement for the Army:

Klaus Iohannis: “We discussed the purchase of 6 more F16 aircraft. The Government presented the Defence Council with a draft law that has been approved, but I remind you that purchases in excess of 100 million euros also require the endorsement of Parliament.

The Council also analysed and approved a bill concerning adjustments in the state budget with respect to the institutions in the national defence and security field for 2019. In addition, Romanias objectives for the NATO leaders meeting due on December 3 and 4 in London have been approved. In this meeting, the head of state Klaus Iohannis will insist on the importance of the Black Sea region for the eastern flank, and will reassure the Allies that Romania will continue to earmark 2% of its GDP to the defence sector. The meeting in London takes place in the context of NATOs 70th anniversary, and is aimed at reconfirming the unity of the Allies and the strength of the trans-Atlantic relation.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

28 November 2019