Radio România Internațional

Tag: EMA

  • Agenția Europeană a Medicamentului recomandă aprobarea noului vaccin adaptat împotriva COVID-19

    Agenția Europeană a Medicamentului recomandă aprobarea noului vaccin adaptat împotriva COVID-19

    Vaccinul, cunoscut sub numele de Comirnaty Omicron XBB,urmează să fie utilizat pentru prevenirea COVID-19 la adulți și copii, începând de la vârsta de 6 luni. Potrivit recomandărilor EMA și ale Centrului European pentru Prevenirea și Controlul Bolilor, adulții și copiii cu vârsta de peste 5 ani care necesită vaccinare ar trebui să primească o singură doză, indiferent de istoricul lor de vaccinare împotriva COVID-19. Copiii cu vârsta cuprinsă între 6 luni și 4 ani pot primi una sau trei doze, în funcție decâte vaccinări au avut anterior sau dacă au avut boala.

    În decizia sa de a recomanda autorizarea, Comitetul pentru medicamente de uz uman a luat în considerare date de laborator care arată un răspuns puternic al vaccinului adaptat împotriva suvariantei Omicron XBB și a tulpinilor asociate ale virusului care provoacă COVID-19. Vaccinurile COVID-19 sunt adaptate astfel încât să se potrivească mai bine cu variantele circulante, precizează specialiştii.

    De la prima autorizare a Comirnaty, autoritățile au dobândit cunoștințe extinse despre siguranța vaccinului. Efectele secundare sunt de obicei ușoare și de scurtă durată. Acestea includ dureri de cap, diaree, dureri articulare și musculare, oboseală, frisoane, febră și durere sau umflare la locul injectării. Reacții adverse mai grave pot apărea rar.

    EMA va trimite acum recomandarea de autorizare Comisiei Europene pentru o decizie la nivelul UE. Ca și în cazul altor vaccinuri împotriva COVID-19, autoritățile naționale din statele membre UE vor stabili modul de utilizare a acestui vaccin în campaniile naționale de vaccinare, ținând cont de factori precum ratele de infectare și spitalizare, riscul pentru persoanele vulnerabile și disponibilitatea vaccinului. Vaccinurile adaptate funcționează în același mod ca și cele originale bazate pe structura ARN mesager.


  • PE propune statelor membre o îmbunătățire a cadrul Uniunii de prevenire și control al bolilor

    PE propune statelor membre o îmbunătățire a cadrul Uniunii de prevenire și control al bolilor

    Politica comunitară în domeniul își
    propune să ofere protecție împotriva amenințărilor la adresa sănătăţii și să
    armonizeze strategiile între statele membre. În
    noiembrie 2020 Comisia Europeană a propus un nou cadru de securitate
    sanitară, bazat pe experiența dobândită în combaterea coronavirusului.

    Cadrul contine un pachet legislativ format din trei iniţiative, printre care extinderea
    mandatelor Agenţiei Europene a Medicamentului (EMA), adoptat in iulie,
    respectiv a Centrului European de Prevenire şi Control al Bolilor( ECDC) şi
    regulamentul privind cooperarea transfrontalieră. Ultimele două iniţiative au
    fost aprobate în septembrie deeurodeputaţi.

    Cu detalii Dana Popp, ofiţer de presă în cadul
    Parlamentului European: Acest pachet conţine 3 propuneri: consolidarea
    mandatelor celor două agenţii europene care s-au regăsit în prima linie pe
    durata pandemiei şi anume Agenţia Europeană a Medicamentului(EMA) şi Centrul
    European de Prevenire şi Control al Bolilor (ECDC).

    Cea de a treia propunere
    priveşte consolidarea cooperării transfrontaliere şi în special în ceea ce
    priveşte regiunile de frontieră. Parlamentul
    European şi-a stabilit deja în luna iulie poziţia pentru negocierile
    interinstituţionale privind EMA, iar în septembrie, au urmat celelalte două
    iniţiative. In ceea ce priveşte extinderea mandatului ECDC, PE solicită,
    printre altele şi introducerea bolilor netransmisibile grave, cum ar fi bolile
    cardiovasculare, respiratorii, cancerul sau diabetul. Deputaţii europeni
    doresc, de asemenea, ca statele membre să furnizeze date de calitate,
    comparabile şi comunicate în timp util.

    Criza provocată de pandemia de
    COVID-19 a arătat că la nivelul UE trebuie să se facă mai mult pentru a susține
    cooperarea dintre statele membre, mai ales dintre regiunile de frontieră. In
    septembrie, eurodeputaţii au
    adoptat o propunere legislativă menită
    să îmbunătățească prevenirea, pregătirea și răspunsul Uniunii în caz de criză
    în fața unor viitoare amenințări transfrontaliere grave pentru sănătate.

    Cu
    alte detalii, Dana Popp, ofiţer de presă în cadrul PE: Parlamentul
    European doreşte de asemenea consolidarea capacităţii de prevenire, pregătire
    şi răspuns la adresa ameninţărilor viitoare privind sănătatea publică. In acest
    sens, în propunerea de regulament privind cooperarea transfrontalieră,
    parlamentarii solicită proceduri clare şi mai multa transparenţă în achiziţiile
    publice comune. Ameninţările la adresa sănătaţii trebuie privite în ansamblul
    politicilor europene deoarece s-a dovedit că pot avea un impact puternic asupra
    tuturor sectoarelor economiei. Chiar dacă protejarea sănătăţii rămâne o
    competenţă naţională de bază, aceste propuenri sunt menite să îmbunătăţească
    cooperarea, schimbul de informaţii, expertiza şi bune practici. UE este cu
    siguranţă mai puternică atunci când vorbeşte cu un singur glas, cum ar fi în
    cadrul negocierilor cu sectorul producători de medicamente sau echipamente
    medicale. Pentru toate cele trei iniţiative negocierile cu statele membre au
    început, deja, finalizarea acestora este aşteptată până la finele acestui an,
    sub preşedinţia slovena a Consiliului.




  • The danger of the Delta variant

    The danger of the Delta variant

    The number of new infections with SARS-Cov-2 has almost tripled in two weeks alone in Romania. A record number of cases has been reported, putting pressure on intensive care units which are already full in many medical units. Little over 800 hospital beds are currently available for patients in critical condition, and almost all have already been occupied. Authorities are struggling to double the number of hospital beds, as thousands of people infected are being treated in medical units and their number keeps growing. Among them are minors, some of them with severe symptoms.



    The National Public Health Institute has announced that the Delta variant of the virus is more and more frequent, accounting for over 40% of infections and is expected to spread fast. Coronavirus hotbeds have also been reported and additional protection measures have been taken in a number of localities, after an alarming increase in the number of cases. According to the head of the mass vaccination campaign, Valeriu Gheorghita, the Delta variant spreads faster than previous variants, which makes authorities expect an overwhelming number of infections. According to statistics, one in two Romanians is vulnerable to the virus, for not being vaccinated or nor having had the disease.



    The main danger is the fact that the Delta variant spreads faster and generates more severe forms of the disease, affecting mostly people who have not been vaccinated. Valeriu Gheorghita: “Unfortunately, we see an increasing number of people who need intensive care in a rather short time, which is worrying from my viewpoint. Of the people diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2, over 80% of those infected and more than 92% of those who died from it, did not get immunized.”



    Authorities say that under these circumstances, vaccination, mask wearing and avoiding crowded places continue to be the best protection measures against the disease. Valeriu Gheorghita hopes that a third dose of the anti-Covid vaccine will be administered as of October, following a decision of the European Medicine Agency. The pace of the mass vaccination campaign in Romania continues to be slow, in spite of numerous calls for vaccination from experts and authorities. A little over 5.2 million Romanians have been fully vaccinated, which is one third of the eligible population. (EE)

  • Proiect pentru consolidarea rolului Agenției Europene pentru Medicamente

    Proiect pentru consolidarea rolului Agenției Europene pentru Medicamente

    Statele membre ale Uniunii Europene au căzut de acord asupra unor modificări ale propunerii inițiale a proiectului de norme de consolidare a rolului Agenției Europene pentru Medicamente, pentru a clarifica dispozițiile financiare și cele privind protecția datelor. Acestea subliniază că transferurile de date cu caracter personal în contextul noului mandat EMA vor face obiectul normelor UE privind protecția datelor, cum ar fi Regulamentul general privind protecția datelor. Alte modificări se referă la componența și funcționarea grupului operativ pentru situații de urgență, în special la rolul consultativ al acestuia în contextul elaborării de teste clinice pentru medicamente destinate să facă față unei urgențe sanitare.

    Acest proiect de norme pentru un mandat consolidat al Agenției Europene pentru Medicamente face parte dintr-un pachet mai amplu privind uniunea europeană a sănătății (care include, de asemenea, un mandat consolidat pentru Centrul European de Prevenire și Control al Bolilor și un proiect de lege privind amenințările transfrontaliere la adresa sănătății). Toate cele trei propuneri au fost prezentate de Comisia Europeană la 11 noiembrie 2020.

    Obiectivele propunerii vizează monitorizarea și atenuarea deficitelor potențiale și reale de medicamente și de dispozitive medicale considerate esențiale pentru a aborda urgențele care afectează sănătatea publică; asigurarea dezvoltării în timp util a unor medicamente de calitate superioară, sigure și eficace, cu un accent deosebit pe abordarea urgențelor de sănătate publică; asigurarea unei structuri pentru funcționarea grupurilor de experți care evaluează dispozitivele medicale cu risc ridicat și oferă consiliere esențială privind pregătirea pentru crize și gestionarea acestora.

    Abordarea generală la care s-a ajuns oferă președinției Consiliului un mandat de negociere pentru a conveni asupra unei poziții comune cu Parlamentul European.


  • March 19, 2021

    March 19, 2021

    COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – Some 5,600 new cases of COVID-19 infection were
    reported in Romania on Friday, the Group for Strategic Communication announced.
    Another 143 related fatalities were also signaled during a 24-hour interval. The
    number of people currently in intensive care has exceeded 1,300, a national
    record since the start of the pandemic. Over 887,000 people got infected with
    SARS-CoV-2 in Romania starting last year. Bucharest and another eight counties
    are in the so-called red scenario, where the incidence of the virus exceeds 3
    per thousand inhabitants. Several localities around the capital city are now
    under lockdown. On the other hand, starting December 27, 2020, over 1.6 million
    people have been vaccinated in Romania with one of the three serums being
    rolled out in Romania – Pfizer- BioNTech, Modern and AstraZeneca. On Monday,
    the vaccination campaign entered its third stage addressing the general
    population. For the time being, the campaign is carried out in localities where
    the incidence rate exceeds 4.5 per thousand inhabitants. The rest of the population
    can register on waiting lists on the online platform.




    VACCINE – Several European countries, including France,
    Germany and Spain, have announced they will resume administering the AstraZeneca
    anti-COVID-19 vaccine, after European pharmaceutical agencies announced the
    vaccine is safe and effective. On Thursday, the European Medicines Agency
    expressed confidence the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks,
    considering many countries expressed concerns after blood clots were identified
    in people who were given the serum. The WHO Director for Europe, Hans Kluge,
    also said the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine outweigh any potential health
    risks, adding that European countries should continue administering the vaccine
    to help save lives. So far, over 45 million doses of AstraZeneca have been
    administered in the European Economic Area.




    CVM – The European Commission supports the lifting of the Cooperation and
    Verification Mechanism monitoring the Romanian judiciary by the end of 2021,
    Prime Minister Florin Cîţu said on a Facebook post. The announcement follows a
    meeting with European Commission vice-president, Vera Jourová. Florin Cîţu says
    the Government wants to eliminate and repair the amendments brought to the justice
    laws over 2017-2019, and shares the Commission’s desire to finalize by mid-2021
    all commitments regarding the rule of law. The European Commission has mainly
    recommended the elimination of the Special Section Investigating Crime in
    Justice, the update of the Criminal Code and Criminal Procedure Code,
    continuing the fight against corruption and defending freedom and pluralism of
    the press.




    PLAN – The Government in Bucharest is today holding a special meeting to
    discuss the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, before adopting it next
    week. The document must be submitted to the European Commission in April, so
    that Romania should be allotted €30 billion worth of developments funds until
    2026, by which date all projects included in the plan must be completed. Prime
    Minister Florin Cîţu said the Plan represents a huge opportunity for a swift
    economic recovery and improving Romanians’ living standards.




    RUSSIA – Russian President Vladimir Putin says he is ready to hold online talks
    with the American President Joe Biden, Reuters reports. The White House, on the
    other hand, says Biden doesn’t regret calling the Kremlin leader a killer.
    Moreover, Moscow said Biden’s statements are a clear sign Washington isn’t in
    the least interested in repairing relations with Moscow. On Wednesday, Russia
    recalled its ambassador to the United States for consultations, expressing, at
    the same time, its willingness to avoid an irreversible degradation of
    relations with the USA.




    TENNIS – Romanian tennis player
    Jaqueline Cristian (160 WTA) is today playing Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia (39
    WTA) in the quarterfinals of the WTA 500 tournament in St. Petersburg, totaling
    565 thousand dollars in prizes. On Thursday, Cristian ousted Jelena Ostapenko
    of Latvia, a former winner at Roland Garros and seeded 6th in the
    competition. In the doubles, the pair made up of Monica Niculescu of Romania
    and
    Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove of the Netherlands are today playing Raluca Olaru of
    Romania and Nadia Kicenok of Ukraine in the semi-finals. The top favorites,
    Olaru and Kicenok, ousted Arina Rodionova of Australia and
    Rosalie Van Der Hoeck of the Netherlands in the quarterfinals. (V.P.)

  • March 18, 2021 UPDATE

    March 18, 2021 UPDATE

    COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – Almost
    6,200 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Romania on Thursday. The total
    number of infected people nationwide has exceeded 880,000. Most cases were
    registered in Bucharest, with more than one thousand new infections in 24
    hours. The capital and eight other counties are currently in the red scenario,
    with over 3 cases per one thousand inhabitants. There are 1,286 people in
    Intensive Care, a new record for the last months. Another 90 people infected with
    SARS-CoV-2 have died, bringing the death toll to 22,000. The alert state
    imposed in the pandemic context has been extended in Romania, since March 14,
    by another 30 days. All restrictions imposed so far are still in place, and in
    addition, night curfew now starts at 10 pm.




    VACCINE – In Romania, the national
    immunization campaign against COVID 19 continues. Since its start on December
    27, over 1.6 million people have been vaccinated, mostly with Pfizer-BioNTech,
    but also with Moderna and AstraZeneca. Romania has decided to continue
    vaccination with AstraZeneca, based on scientific data and the recommendations
    of the European Medicines Agency, the coordinator of the national immunization
    campaign, Colonel Valeriu Gheorghiţă, explained. He said the decision was not
    easy when many European countries – including Germany, Italy and France -
    decided to temporarily suspend the use of the vaccine as a precautionary
    measure following reports of blood clotting problems in people who had been
    given a dose of this vaccine. The third stage of vaccination has started this
    week, addressing the general population. For the time being, vaccinations are
    taking place in localities where the incidence of COVID-19 cases is higher than
    4.5 per one thousand inhabitants. The rest of the population can subscribe to
    waiting lists on the electronic platform.




    EMA – The European Medicines Agency (EMA) on
    Thursday announced the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe and effective against
    COVID-19. The announcement came from EMA director, Emer Cooke, who pointed out
    the benefits of this vaccine outweigh the risks, and that there is no
    connection between the administration of this vaccine and the development of
    blood clots in patients who were given the jab.
    The announcement comes after several European Union member states suspended
    the administration of this vaccine for fear of side effects. On January 29, the
    EMA gave the green light to this vaccine developed by the British-Swedish
    laboratory AstraZeneca and Oxford University. Last month, the World Health
    Organization authorized the AstraZeneca vaccine for emergency use, making it
    easier for developing countries to access this relatively cheap serum.




    JUDICIARY – The judicial
    committee of the Chamber of Deputies on Thursday adopted, by majority of votes,
    the Government’s bill on abolishing the Special Section Investigating Crime in
    Justice. The document also includes an amendment tabled by the group of
    national minorities, which calls for an opinion from the Superior Council of
    Magistrates for indicting magistrates. The opposition and part of magistrates’
    associations have criticized the bill. Social-Democrat leader Marcel Ciolacu
    said his party would challenge the bill at the Constitutional Court if adopted
    by Parliament. Coalition parties on the other hand expressed their support for
    the bill, which is due to be debated in the Chamber of Deputies. The Senate is
    the decision-making body in this matter. Prime Minister Florin Cîţu in February
    said shutting down the Special Section is one of the projects of his coalition
    government, as well as a recommendation of the European Commission under the
    Cooperation and Verification Mechanism.




    ALPINE CLIMBING – Romanian
    alpine climber Horia Colibăşanu has left for Nepal where he begins his 17th
    expedition in the Himalayas. His objective is open up a new route to Dhaulagri
    summit (8.167m). The 2021 expedition will take place over March – June. His
    team also includes another two seasoned climbers: Marius Gane – a
    top-performing athlete and high-altitude climber and Peter Hamor, a Slovakian
    climber who’s summited all 14 8,000-meter peaks in the Himalayas. The three
    will try to summit without oxygen and Sherpa support. This will be Colibăşanu’s
    22nd international expedition. He is the only Romanian climber to be
    awarded the Spirit of Mountaineering distinction by the British Alpine Club,
    the first and most prestigious mountaineering club in the world.




    TENNIS – Romanian tennis player
    Jaqueline Cristian (160 WTA) obtained the best performance of her career after qualifying
    to the quarterfinals of the WTA 500 tournament in St. Petersburg, totaling 565
    thousand dollars in prizes. Cristian ousted Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, a
    former winner at Roland Garros and seeded 6th in the competition. In
    the next round, Jaqueline Cristian will take on Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia
    (39 WTA). In the doubles, the pair made up of Monica Niculescu of Romania and Lesley Pattinama
    Kerkhove of the Netherlands advanced to the semi-finals, where they will play
    Raluca Olaru of Romania and Nadia Kicenok of Ukraine. The top favorites, Olaru
    and Kicenok, ousted Arina Rodionova of Australia and Rosalie
    Van Der Hoeck of the Netherlands in the quarterfinals. (M.I. & V.P.)

  • March 18, 2021

    March 18, 2021

    Covid-19RO. Almost 6,200 new cases of COVID-19 have been
    reported in Romania today. The total number of infected people nationwide has exceeded
    880,000. Most cases were registered in Bucharest, with more than one thousand
    new infections in 24 hours. The capital and eight other counties are currently
    in the red scenario, with over 3 cases per one thousand inhabitants. There are
    1,286 people in Intensive Care, a new record for the last months. Another 90
    people infected with SARS-CoV-2 have died, bringing the death toll to 22,000. The
    alert state imposed in the pandemic context has been extended in Romania, since
    March 14, by another 30 days. All restrictions imposed so far are still in
    place, and in addition, night curfew now starts at 10 pm.




    Vaccine. In
    Romania, the national immunization campaign against COVID 19 continues. Since
    its start on December 27, over 1.57 million people have been vaccinated, mostly
    with Pfizer-BioNTech, but also with Moderna and AstraZeneca. Romania has
    decided to continue vaccination with AstraZeneca, based on scientific data and
    the recommendations of the European Medicines Agency, the coordinator of the
    national immunization campaign, Colonel Valeriu Gheorghiţă, explained. He said
    the decision was not easy when many European countries – including Germany,
    Italy and France – decided to temporarily suspend the use of the vaccine as a
    precautionary measure following reports of blood clotting problems in people
    who had been given a dose of this vaccine. The third stage of vaccination has
    started this week, addressing the general population. For the time being,
    vaccinations are taking place in localities where the incidence of COVID-19
    cases is higher than 4.5 per one thousand inhabitants. The rest of the
    population can subscribe to waiting lists on the electronic platform.




    EMA. The European
    Medicines Agency (EMA) is to announce today the result of its safety assessment
    of the AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19, after several European Union
    member states suspended the administration of this vaccine for fear of side
    effects. EMA chief Emer Cooke has already said she is firmly
    convinced that the benefits outweigh the risks with this vaccine. On
    January 29, the EMA gave the green light to this vaccine developed by the
    British-Swedish laboratory AstraZeneca and Oxford University. Last month, the
    World Health Organization authorized the AstraZeneca vaccine for emergency use,
    making it easier for developing countries to access this relatively cheap
    serum.






    Economy. Even if
    the economic recovery is stronger than expected this year, the world will be
    left with a ‘hole’ of about 10 trillion dollars due to the coronavirus pandemic
    and lockdowns, estimates the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
    estimates in a report quoted by dpa on Thursday. According to UNCTAD, although
    global economy could grow by 4.7% in 2021, it will still register a minus of 10
    trillion dollars – about twice Japan’s GDP – compared to the situation in which
    the pandemic would not have occurred. . Last year, the global economy was
    marked by the sharpest annual decline since the introduction of aggregate economy
    statistics in the early 1940s, the report said. UNCTAD warns that while
    developed economies have launched extensive recovery plans, people in smaller
    and poorer countries continue to struggle.




    Russia. Russia has
    recalled its ambassador to the US for consultations after US President Joe
    Biden made several statements about his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. The
    White House has a number of grievances that Biden has communicated directly to
    Putin. These include Moscow’s involvement in the US elections, the massive
    SolarWinds cyber attack and the alleged rewards to the Taliban for killing US
    military. According to the Radio Romania correspondent in Washington, the White
    House leader Joe Biden has said in an interview on ABC that Russian President
    Vladimir Putin will pay for interfering in the 2020 presidential election. The
    interview was broadcast after the publication of a report by the Information
    Community, which shows that Putin authorized an undercover campaign to
    denigrate Joe Biden and help Donald Trump win the election.






    Moldova. The parliamentary majority in Chisinau nominated
    Vladimir Golovatiuc, the ambassador to Moscow of the Republic of Moldova
    (ex-Soviet, predominantly Romanian-speaking), for the position of prime
    minister, jurnal.md reports. The candidate is proposed by a parliamentary
    majority consisting of 53 deputies from the Party of Socialists of the Republic
    of Moldova and the ‘For Moldova’ platform, which also includes deputies from
    the Shor Party. Two days ago, the pro-European president Maia Sandu appointed
    the interim leader of the Action and Solidarity Party, Igor Grosu, for the
    position of prime minister. PSRM challenged at the Constitutional Court the
    decree appointing Igor Grosu.








    Tennis. The
    Romanian tennis player Jaqueline Cristian (22, 160 WTA) achieved the highest
    performance of her career, by qualifying for the quarterfinals of the WTA 500
    tournament in St. Petersburg, with $ 565,530 in prize money. She defeated in
    two sets the Latvian Jelena Ostapenko, former winner at Roland Garros, the
    sixth seed of the competition. In the doubles, the Romanian-Dutch pair Monica
    Niculescu / Lesley Pattinama Kerkhove qualified for the semifinals, after
    beating the Japanese Makoto Ninomiya and the Czech Renata Voracova in two sets.
    In the semifinals, Monica Niculescu and Pattinama Kerkhove will play against the
    winners of the quarter between the main favorites, the Romanian Raluca Olaru
    and the Ukrainian Nadia Kicenok, and the pair Arina Rodionova (Australia) /
    Rosalie van der Hoek (Netherlands). (MI)

  • Anti-Covid vaccine greenlighted in EU

    Anti-Covid vaccine greenlighted in EU

    The good news came on Monday from the European Medicines Agency headquartered in Amsterdam: the Pfizer BioNTech anti-COVID-19 vaccine, already in use in Britain and the US, has been authorised, and EU member countries will be able to start their national vaccination campaigns this very week.



    “This is an important step forward in our fight against this pandemic, which has caused suffering and hardship for so many, said Emer Cooke, Executive Director of EMA. She said the vaccine safety criteria were the institutions top priority, and provided another reassuring piece of information: for the time being, the mutation in Britain does not raise concerns regarding the vaccine efficacy.



    EU member states announced plans to start vaccination on December 27. In Bucharest, the authorities say everything is in place to begin the vaccination campaign on that date. The first 10,000 shots are expected to reach the country on Saturday, and immunisation will begin with the healthcare staff on the frontline of the fight against the pandemic. The Romanian interim PM Nicolae Ciucă urged people to get their information on the vaccine from official sources.



    Nicolae Ciucă: “Each of us plays a major role in the successful implementation of this campaign. So getting our information from safe, specialised sources, and having other sources of information available, we can all conclude that it is important for us to get the vaccine, if this pandemic is to end.



    Experts and officials plead for immunisation, highlighting the efficacy of the shot, the minimal risks compared to the benefits, and the possibility to return to what the world lost a year ago: a normal life. But vaccination against scepticism will likely be a lengthy process. Opinion polls across the EU have revealed reservations with respect to the vaccine.



    Romania is no exception. According to a recent poll, over half of education employees are unwilling to get the vaccine. At national level, recent polls indicated that only one in five Romanians would get it, and 30% said they would wait for a while and get the vaccine only if they heard other people that have received the treatment had no problems. Conversely, among healthcare staff the vaccine acceptance rate is very high: 95% for the staff of COVID hospitals and 70% among the personnel of non-COVID hospitals. Experts say that for the pandemic to be eradicated, 70% of the population must receive the vaccine. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • Relocarea agențiilor europene din Marea Britanie

    Relocarea agențiilor europene din Marea Britanie

    EBA – la Paris, EMA – la Amsterdam



    Autoritatea Bancară Europeană (EBA) va avea sediul la Paris în timp ce Agenția Europeană a Medicamentului (EMA) va fi mutată la Amsterdam, după ce Regatul Unit al Marii Britanii va părăsi UE. Decizia a fost luată, luni, la Consiliul UE pentru Afaceri Generale. Miniștrii celor 27 state europene, întruniți la Milano, nu au reușit, însă, un vot majoritar după trei runde, astfel că gazdele celor două instituții a fost stabilită prin tragere la sorți, de către președinția estoniană a UE. Astfel, Paris a câștigat în fața capitalei Iralndei, Dublin, în timp ce Amsterdam a intrat în finală alături Milano.



    Votul de luni a stârnit reacții negative din partea Slovaciei, care a concurat pentru găzduirea EMA. După ce Bratislava s-a clasat pe a patra poziție în votul statelor UE, Slovacia a refuzat să mai voteze, amendând faptul că niciuna din țările nou intrate în blocul comunitar nu vor găzdui Agenția Europeană a Medicamentului, deși reprezentații statelor UE au fost de acord să acorde prioritate une țări din Estul Europei .



    19 orașe și-au depus candidatura pentru găzduirea viitorului sediu al EMA, printre care și București. Capitala României nu avea șanse mari, fiind la coada clasametului în preferințele angajaților, împreună cu alte două capitale est-europene, Varșovia (Polonia) și Sofia (Bulgaria). În urma votului de luni, România rămâne pe lista scurtă a țărilor UE care nu găzduiesc nicio agenție europeană.




    Ce sunt EBA şi EMA?



    Agenția Europeană a Medicamentului are circa 900 de angajați, în timp ce 150 de persoane lucrează, în prezent, pentru Autoritatea Bancară Europeană. EMA evaluează și monitorizează medicamentele din Uniunea Europeană și facilitează dezvoltarea de noi medicamente și accesul la acestea. La rândul său, EBA are ca scop crearea unei piețe unice a produselor bancare și se ocupă de implementarea unui set standard de norme privind reglementarea și supravegherea sistemului bancar, informează site-ul Uniunii Europene.



    Declarația de presă a vice-ministrului eston pentru afaceri europene, Matti Maasikas, la finalul întrunirii de la Milano (video în limba engleză):



  • Nachrichten 16.11.2017

    Nachrichten 16.11.2017

    Rumäniens Staatschef Klaus Iohannis nimmt am Freitag, im schwedischen Göteborg, am sozialen Gipfel für die Föderung von Arbeitsplätzen und des fairen Wirtschafts-Wachstums in der EU teil. Das Treffen bringt EU-Staats- und Regierungs-Chefs, soziale Partner und hochrangige Entscheidungsträger zusammen. Der Gipfel umfasst eine Plenarversammlung und drei thematische Sitzungen betreffend den Zugang zum Arbeitsmarkt, die Lage des Arbeitsmarktes und der Wandel der Arbeitsplätze. Der rumänische Präsident Klaus Iohannis wird eine Ansprache betreffend den Zugang zum Arbeitsmarkt halten.



    Die National-Liberale Partei (mitte-rechts, von der Opposition) hat am Donnerstag bekanntgegeben, sie werde am Freitag einen Misstrauensantrag gegen die Regierung der Sozialdemokratischen Partei (PSD) und der Allianz der Liberalen und Demokraten (ALDE) einreichen. Dem Regierungskabinett des Premiers Mihai Tudose wird vor allem die Änderung des Steuergesetzbuches vorgeworfen. Gemäß des abgeänderten Steuergesetzbuches sollen die Arbeitnehmer die Zahlung der Sozialbeiträge komplett übernehmen. Weiter soll die Einkommenssteuer von 16 auf 10 % sinken und die Arbeitgeber sollen einen Solidaritätsbeitrag zahlen. Auf dem Hintergrund der von der Regierungskoalition durchgesetzten Änderung des Steuergesetzbuches und der Justizgesetze gab es in den letzten Wochen Straßenproteste in der Hauptstadt Bukarest und in den rumänischen Großstätden. Ministerpräsident Mihai Tudose behauptet, dass die Steuerreform mehr Geld zum Staatshaushalt und zum Rentenfonds bringen wird, und dass die Unternehmen vereinfachte Verfahren genießen werden.



    Das rumänische Verfassungsgericht hat am Donnerstag bekanntgegeben, dass die Entscheidung über den Antrag des Senatspräsidentes, Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu betreffend einen möglichen Konflikt zwischen der Exekutive und dem Öffentlichen Ministerium zum Thema Regierungsbeschlüsse bis nächste Woche aufgeschoben wird. Besagten Antrag hatte der Senatspräsident auf dem Hintergrund eines von der Antikorruptionsbehörde DNA eingeleiteten Strafverfahrens eingereicht, in dem gegen die ehemalige Umweltministerin Rovana Plumb und gegen die ehemalige Ministerin für regionale Entwicklung und Vizepremierministerin Sevil Shhaideh wegen Amtsmissbrauch strafermittelt wird. Die zwei ex-Ministerinnen haben vor einem Monat infolge der Anschuldigungen ihre Ämter abgelegt. Den Staatsanwälten zufolge seien durch Beschlüsse der Ministerinnen Teile der Donauinsel Belina und des Donauarms Pavel unrechtmäßig aus dem Staatsbesitz in regionale Verwaltung übertragen und dann ebenfalls illegal einem Privatunternehmen verpachtet worden. Staatsbesitz könne allein per Gesetz übertragen werden, so die Staatsanwälte.



    Die Beurteilung der Europäischen Arzneimittel-Agentur betreffend die eventuelle Verlagerung ihres Sitzes von London nach Bukarest, nach dem Brexit, überschreitet ihre Kompetenzen. Das erklärte Rumäniens Außenminister. Die Beurteilung der Europäischen Arzneimittel-Agentur hätte nur bestimmte Aspekte einschließen müssen und der EU-Kommission bei der Entscheidungsfindung helfen sollen. Die rumänische Regierung zeigte sich auch unzufrieden mit dem Inhalt der Bewertung der Agentur. Am 20. November soll bekanntgegeben werden, welche europäische Stadt nach dem Brexit die Europäische Arzneimittel-Agentur (EMA) aufnehmen wird. Bukarest hat sich zusammen mit weiteren 18 Städten beworben den Sitz der EMA aufzunehmen.



    Bei einem Selbstmordanschlag auf eine politische Veranstaltung von Oppositionellen in Afghanistan sind am Donnerstag mindestens neun Menschen getötet worden, so die AFP. Der Attentäter habe versucht, in das Gebäude in der afghanischen Hauptstadt einzudringen, sei aber bei einer Sicherheitskontrolle gestoppt worden, sagte ein Polizeisprecher der Nachrichtenagentur AFP. Er habe sich dann an dem Kontrollpunkt in die Luft gesprengt. Nach Angaben des Innenministeriums wurden sieben Polizisten und zwei Zivilisten getötet. Neun weitere Menschen wurden verletzt. In dem Gebäude, einem Hochzeitssaal, hatte eine Versammlung von Anhängern des mächtigen Gouverneurs der nordafghanischen Provinz Balch, Atta Mohammed Nur, stattgefunden. Nur war nach Angaben einer seiner Berater nicht unter den Versammlungsteilnehmern. Der Politiker ist ein hochrangiger Führer der tadschikisch dominierten Dschamiat-e-Islami-Partei und Kritiker des afghanischen Präsidenten Aschraf Ghani und seiner Regierung. Nur wird auch als Kandidat für die afghanischen Präsidentschaftswahlen 2019 gehandelt. Wie ein Augenzeuge berichtete, sprengte sich der Attentäter in die Luft, als die Teilnehmer den Saal nach dem Mittagessen verlassen hatten.

  • August 27, 2017 UPDATE

    August 27, 2017 UPDATE

    EMA – Romania stands a chance to host the European Medicines Agency, EMA, the Romanian minister delegate for European Affairs, Victor Negrescu said on Sunday. According to Negrescu, the relocation of the agency in Bucharest from London, after Brexit, would bring significant advantages to Romania. Minister Negrescu has also added it is important for all Romanian officials to support Romanias candidacy, also by pursuing an intense diplomatic campaign. Romanias capital city is competing with 18 cities, including Amsterdam, Bonn, Brussels, Dublin, Milan, Stockholm, Vienna, Warsaw, Sofia and Zagreb. With 900 employees, the European Medicines Agency is a decentralised body of the EU, responsible for the protection of public and animal health through the scientific evaluation and supervision of medicines.



    REP. OF MOLDOVA – The Republic of Moldova, a former Soviet country with a predominantly Romanian speaking population on Sunday celebrated 26 years since it proclaimed its independence. On August 27, 1991, after the failure of the Neo-Bolshevik coup in Moscow, Parliament, picketed by hundreds of thousands of protesters voted the declaration of independence from the Soviet Union of the republic set up on the Romanian territories annexed by Stalin in 1940. On the same day, Romania was the first country in the world to recognise the independence of its new neighbour. On Sunday, the Romanian Foreign Ministry reiterated Romanias wish to support the Republic of Moldova on its European path, as well as all its citizens. After the signing in 2014 of association and free trade agreements between Chishinau and Brussels, Moldovan citizens can travel freely to the EU, and firms can export and sell their products on the community market in advantageous conditions. At present, the coalition government led by PM Pavel Filip continues to be a promoter of Moldovas EU rapprochement, whereas the pro-Russian Socialist president, Igor Dodon, wants the republic to return onto Moscows orbit.



    THE ROMANIAN LANGUAGE DAY – Preparations for the Romanian Language Day, celebrated on August 31, started in the communities of Romanians living outside the borders of the country. The main organiser of the event is the Eudoxiu Hurmuzachi Institute for the Romanians Around the World, subordinated to the line ministry. The series of events continues until September 6. They are aimed at promoting Romanian language and identity in the historical Romanian communities in neighbouring Serbia, Bulgaria and Ukraine. Initiated in 2013 by the Romanian Parliament, the Romanian Language Day overlaps the national holiday of the Republic of Moldova, and is an homage to the national awakening movement in the neighbouring state with a predominantly Romanian speaking population. On August 31, 1989, during the Soviet regime, the Moldovan Parliament, picketed by some 750 thousand people, accounting for one sixth of the republics population, decided to declare Romanian the state language, also adopting Latin script instead of the Cyrillic one, imposed by the occupiers after the armed annexation of 1940.



    MIGRANTS – The Romanian border police have stopped six Iraqi citizens while trying to illegally cross Romanias border with Hungary. They were asylum seekers in Romania and declared their intention to reach a country in Western Europe. According to the Border Police Territorial Inspectorate, a surge in the illegal migration attempts has recently been registered along Romanias western border. This week, border police officers found over 100 migrants, of which 42 children, in a guest house in Timisoara. Most of them came from Serbia and tried to cross the border into Hungary and then to continue their way to Western Europe.



    PARIS –France and Germany are expected to propose a new tax on Internet Giants in September. The announcement was made on Sunday by the French finance minister, Bruno Le Maire, who claims these companies, mostly American should pay a fair contribution to the public finances in the countries where they earn money. The French official said that at the future Council of the EU finance ministers a new proposal will be made to tax “GAFA, the acronym for Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon. According to FP, thanks to their profile and field of activity, the Internet giants are champions of fiscal optimisation through financial arrangements which reduce the taxes they pay in Europe.

  • August 1, 2017 UPDATE

    August 1, 2017 UPDATE

    ARMY SPENDING -
    The Higher Defence Council of Romania convened on Tuesday to plan defence
    spending in 2017-2026. The previous spending plan, submitted on 4th
    of July, was withdrawn because it did not take into account the 2% of the GDP
    commitment for defence made in 2015 by all political parties. Last week, the
    Defence Minister Adrian Tutuianu had submitted to president Klaus Iohannis a
    revised version of the plan, including that particular commitment and eight
    specific investment programs worth over 100 million Euros each. Among them is
    the purchase of Patriot missiles and 36 F-16 fighter jets.












    COOPERATION – Romania’s Prime Minister Mihai Tudose has discussed with the
    Ambassador of China to Bucharest Xu Feihong several projects in railway and
    road infrastructure. One of these is a bridge over the Danube, at Braila, which
    is included in the National Transportation Masterplan and for which the call
    for tender has already been launched. Other projects include the building of a
    motorway connecting Bucharest to the Bulgarian capital city Sofia and the
    development of a high-speed rail network in a partnership with Bulgaria,
    Serbia, and possibly Greece. All these projects may receive EU funding and may
    be developed in a public-private partnership, in which Romania could benefit
    from the know-how of major Chinese construction companies.










    EMA – Romania’s
    capital Bucharest is one of the 19 cities competing to become host of the
    European Medicines Agency, after Brexit. The European Commission started
    assessing the candidates on August 1st, and the result will be made
    public on September 30th. Among competitors there are Amsterdam,
    Bonn, Brussels, Dublin, Milan, Stockholm, Vienna, Warsaw, Sofia and Zagreb.
    With 900 employees, the Agency, currently based in London, is a decentralized
    body of the EU, responsible for the scientific evaluation, supervision and
    safety monitoring of medicines in the EU. The criteria used to assess the
    applications include the possibility to start operating immediately,
    accessibility, schools for employees’ children, access to the labour market and
    medical care for their families.


    HEALTH -
    On Tuesday, the new European program to encourage healthier eating in schools
    was launched, for which Romania will get 17 million Euros. EU authorities want
    to introduce the program in the whole of the EU starting this school year,
    allocating a total of 250 million Euro to promote healthy eating for children.
    Half of the amount goes towards fruits and vegetables, and the rest to milk, on
    condition no additional salt, sugar and fat be on the list of ingredients.
    Although participation is optional, all member states have already announced
    their intention to be part of it. Around 30 million European children benefited
    from similar programs last year.






    BUSINESS -
    Limited liability companies, authorized natural persons and other types of
    companies may apply for grants worth 2.5 million Euro for producing ice cream,
    bread products, dairy products and craft beer, through the Rural Development
    Program. Applications can be submitted on-line, between August 1 and October 31.
    By mid August, the Ministry of the Business Environment will have introduced
    two new programs for the business environment, one for commerce and another one
    for small industries.




    SWINE FEVER – Romania
    has confirmed the first outbreak of African swine fever in the county of Satu
    Mare, in the north. According to the Sanitary – Veterinary Directorate of Satu
    Mare, circulation restrictions have imposed and inspectors are on high alert.
    Seven animals have been sacrificed and proper disinfection was carried out. The
    European Commission has been informed by the situation, and a decision will be
    made for the area under restriction.

  • July 31, 2017 UPDATE

    July 31, 2017 UPDATE

    DRILL The Romanian navy announced on Monday that troops from its Marine Corps infantry battalion 307 are taking part in the multinational exercise Platinum Lion 17.2, underway in Novo Selo, Bulgaria between July 31st and August 10th. The Romanian soldiers will be carrying out various shooting and patrol missions in the operation range together with troops from Bulgaria, Montenegro, the Republic of Moldova, Serbia, Slovenia, the USA and Ukraine. According to a Navy communiqué the presence of the Romanian troops in the exercise contributes to strengthening bilateral cooperation with the USA as well as other NATO or non-NATO partners in the region. Also the professionalism the Romanian soldiers have shown in various multinational activities is strengthening Romania’s profile as a state promoting stability in the Black Sea region, the communiqué also says.



    EMA The Romanian government has submitted to the European Commission its candidacy for the relocation to Bucharest of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) following Britain’s leaving the union. Romania proposed a location in northern Bucharest where the agency’s new premises will be stretching over 27 thousand square meters and will include a conference hall able to accommodate 720 participants. After assessing all the projects submitted, the European Commission is expected to make a decision during the General Affairs Council in November 2017.



    PENSIONS Romanian Minister for Labor, Olguta Vasilescu, has said the government will this week issue an emergency order regarding special pensions. Right now, special pensions adjust in line with standing salaries, while the order changes the rules for pensions to adjust to inflation. She said the order is expected to come into effect by mid-September, with the new regulations applying only past that date. Minister Vasilescu also said that child rearing benefits would be set a ceiling of 1,800 Euro, the maximum practiced in Europe at present. PSD and ALDE leaders Liviu Dragnea and Calin Popescu Tariceanu respectively have announced following the coalition’s talks on Monday, that the special pensions law will be amended but there will be no pension-cuts. The two officials have explained the corrections are needed, because special pensions higher than the salaries will have a huge budget impact.



    DEFENCE Romania’s Higher Defence Council (CSAT) will convene in Bucharest on Tuesday. High on the agenda of its proceedings headed by the country’s president Klaus Iohannis is the plan for equipping the Romanian armed forces in the period 2017-2026. The plan was withdrawn at the previous CSAT session on July 4th as it failed to include the commitment all the political parties assumed in 2015 namely that 2% of the country’s GDP be earmarked to defence beginning this year. Defence Minister Adrian Tutuianu last week briefed the president on a revised plan, which also includes the eight major programmes aimed at providing the armed forces with the necessary equipment.



    MEASURES Romanian Prime Minister Mihai Tudose has established jointly with representatives of Spain’s embassy in Bucharest a series of measures on boosting bilateral cooperation with a view to preventing and fighting the exploitation of the Romanians working in Spain. Also attending the meeting the Romanian Minister for the Romanians all over the World Andrea Pastarnac has underlined the need for a pro-active approach to these issues and for making the Romanians associations in Spain join the efforts of the Romanian and Spanish authorities. At the Ministry level there will be a special direction specialized in providing information and prevention hints to the organisations in the Diaspora. The representatives of the Spanish embassy in Bucharest have voiced their regret for the situations in which the Romanian workers were exploited adding those were only isolated cases. They have also referred to how well the other Romanians in the country have integrated. The meeting in Bucharest takes place after the authorities in Spain and Italy have found dozens of Romanians exploited by their employers in these countries.


  • July 5, 2017 UPDATE

    July 5, 2017 UPDATE

    SUMMIT – On Thursday, Romanias president Klaus Iohannis is attending a summit of the Three Seas Initiative, namely the Baltic Sea, the Adriatic Sea and the Black Sea, hosted by Warsaw. The heads of state and representatives from 11 other Central and Eastern European countries, namely Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Hungary, are taking part. The US president Donald Trump will also attend the summit as a special guest. The purpose of the Initiative is to provide political support for the cooperation and interconnection between the economies of the countries in the geographical area bordered by the three seas in fields such as energy, transport, telecommunications and environmental protection.



    EMA – Relocating to Bucharest the European Medicines Agency, EMA, continues to be a major objective of the Bucharest government, says PM Mihai Tudose, in a press release issued by the cabinet on Wednesday. According to the aforementioned source, the prime minister called on the Health Ministry and the National Medicines Agency, in their capacity as institutions with responsibilities in preparing Romanias candidacy file for relocating the EMA to Bucharest, to finalise this file, so as to observe the deadline set at European level, namely July 31. Last month, after the summer European Council in Brussels, President Klaus Iohannis said, in his turn, that the new cabinet should secure an agreement on relocating the EMA, after Brexit, from Great Britain to Romania. Other countries willing to host EMA include France, Sweden, Denmark, Hungary and Bulgaria, which have already forwarded their offers.



    BACCALAUREATE – 71.4 % of the Romanian high-school graduates passed this years first session of the baccalaureate exam, the education minister Liviu Pop announced on Wednesday. He recalled that last year only 66.7% of the high-school students passed the exam. Pop also said less than 10 high schools in Romania reported that no candidate passed the exam. The counties with the highest performance rates are Sibiu (in the centre), Bacau, Iasi (both in the north-east) and Cluj in the west, with over 80%, whereas the lowest rates were registered in Ilfov – 42% and Giurgiu – 50% (both in the south). Raluca Turcan, first vice-president of the National Liberal Party, in opposition, has noted that this year 70,000 high-school pupils add to other 800,000 high school pupils who do not hold a diploma either because they failed to pass the baccalaureate exam or they dropped out high-school. Turcan says the results of the baccalaureate exam show the authorities must take urgent measures to support the education system.



    PUBLIC MEDIA SERVICES – The Constitutional Court of Romania says it will discuss, on the 12th of July, a complaint by the main opposition party, the National Liberal Party, in respect of an amendment to the law regulating the activity of the public radio and television services. The National Liberal Party says the law irremediably compromises the statutes, organization and activity of these two autonomous public services of national interest. The Liberals also say the law does not clarify the legal status of the two services given the change in the way they are funded following the elimination of a number of duties at the beginning of the year. They moreover argue that the new law eliminates the states constitutional obligation to consolidate ties with the Romanians living abroad from an identity, ethnic, cultural, linguistic and religious point of view following the repeal of an article providing funding for the production and broadcast of programmes for the Diaspora. This, in the Liberals opinion, will lead to a blocking of the activity of Radio Romania International and TVR International. The law in question was adopted on the 20th of June by the Senate, the decision-making body in this case.



    WTO – Romania will continue to promote the multilateral trading system, the elimination of barriers hampering free trade and the elimination of discriminatory treatment in international commerce, Romanian foreign minister Teodor Melescanu said in Bucharest on Wednesday, in a meeting with the Director General of the World Trade Organisation, Ricardo Azevedo. Melescanu assured the WTO official of Romanias support during his term in office as Director General of the organization. In turn, Azevedo hailed the evolution of the Romanian economy and encouraged the promotion of investment, particularly in education and infrastructure, as well as fiscal stability, which can be instrumental in making the Romanian market attractive for investors, and in reducing regional gaps. Set up in 1995 and having Romania among its founding members, WTO is an international institution which establishes international trading regulations.



    VISIT – The Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Liviu Dragnea, will pay a visit to Israel next week, at the invitation of the Speaker of the Knesset, Yuli-Yoel Edelstein. According to a memorandum endorsed by the Standing Bureau of the Chamber of Deputies on Wednesday, Dragnea will travel to Israel over July 11-13, and the delegation accompanying him will be made up of five other deputies and a senator. According to a communiqué issued by the Chamber of Deputies, the visit brings into the spotlight the common wish to develop bilateral relations between the two countries and to boost dialogue at parliamentary level.



    G20 – The G20 summit taking place on Friday and Saturday in Hamburg may turn out to be one of the most conflicting since the creation of this forum, with bilateral tensions being fed by the international developments and essential disagreements with the US president Donald Trump, the France Presse news agency notes. According to the agency, the talks between Trump and the Chinese president Xi Jinping are set to be difficult following the launch of North Koreas first intercontinental missile on Tuesday, seen as a provocation to America on its national day. China, which is North Koreas main ally, said earlier that its relationship with the US had been affected by “some negative factors, after a US war ship sailed close to an island claimed by China. Hamburg will also host the first meeting between Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, with the latter expected to propose the normalisation of relations between the two countries, relationships that have been strongly affected by the crisis in Ukraine, the war in Syria and accusations of Russias interference in the American elections. The France Presse also notes that the relations between Germany and Turkey have continued to deteriorate after a failed coup against president Recep Tayyip Erdogan in July last year. Turkey became even more vexed with Germany when the latter rejected a request from Ankara that Erdogan be allowed to address members of the ethnic Turkish community living in Germany on the sidelines of the G20 summit.

  • March 22, 2017 UPDATE

    March 22, 2017 UPDATE

    ATTACKS At least four people died and some 20, including two Romanian citizens, were wounded in London on Wednesday, in two attacks committed by the same perpetrator. In the first one, a car mounted the pavement and ploughed into pedestrians crossing the busy Westminster Bridge beside Londons Big Ben. The French Foreign Ministry has announced that three French students were among the wounded ones. After this first attack, the driver of the car rushed at the gates in front of the Houses of Parliament and stabbed a policeman. Prime Minister Theresa May, who was in the Parliament building during the incident, called for an emergency Cabinet session. Authorities say the attack is being treated as a ‘terrorist incident’. Also on Wednesday, Belgium marked one year since the attacks on the Brussels metro and airport, which killed 32 people and wounded another 320. Four Romanian citizens were among the wounded. The attacks in Brussels, claimed by the Islamic State, were committed by members of the same French-Belgian cell that perpetrated the attacks of November 2015 in Paris, killing 130 people.



    EMA After Brexit, Romania would like to host the headquarters of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), currently based in London, the Romanian Government announced on Wednesday. The Romanian European Affairs Minister Ana Birchall has stated that the Executive has already passed a memorandum on the matter. She has recalled that Romania does not host any European agency, although its been ten years since the country joined the EU. EMA has some 900 employees and its chief role is to act as the regulatory agency deciding if medical products are safe for the European market. Reuters reports that Denmark, Sweden, Spain, France, Ireland and Poland would like to host the agency too. Besides benefiting from new jobs, acting as host of EMA is likely to have a huge knock-on effect for any countrys medical and pharmaceutical industry.



    FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE SERVICE Romanias President Klaus Iohannis announced on Wednesday that he would hold consultations with the parliamentary majority formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania on the appointment of the new director of the Foreign Intelligence Service. The head of state appreciated the activity of the interim director Silviu Predoiu, but said the institution needed a civilian chief. Also on Wednesday, Parliament acknowledged the resignation of Mihai Razvan Ungureanu as head of the service and declared the office vacant. Mihai Razvan Ungureanu, a former Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Romania, resigned in September last year.



    EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT Pardon is not a miracle-solution for Romanias overcrowded penitentiaries, although the country runs the risk of getting a sentence from the European Court of Human Rights, the Romanian Justice Minister Tudorel Toader has said in a debate on democracy and justice in Romania, organized by the European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs. Toader has also said he called on the Romanian Parliament to postpone the pardon bill, for the Government to be able to take additional measures. Romanian MEPs and civil society representatives also spoke before the aforementioned committee. In Brussels, Minister Toader also met with Vera Jourova, the European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality. The agenda of talks included the next European Commission report on the progress made by Romania under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism.



    BUDGET The Romanian Senate and Chamber of Deputies decided on Wednesday to sent back to the special committees the report on the parliamentary investigation into the conditions in which the August and November 2016 budgets were adjusted. Many MPs say that the report was not drawn up properly and is incomplete. The document shows that, in 2016, budget revenues were 5% below the forecast, which did not justify the positive adjustments made last year. The investigation into this matter was requested by the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, the Social Democrat Liviu Dragnea. Invested in January 2017, the current government made up of members of the Social Democratic Party and of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania has denounced the budget adjustments made in 2016, which allegedly caused a budget deficit of some 2 billion Euros this year. The right-wing opposition, however, believes that the Government is only trying distract attention from its own lack of accomplishments and failure to keep electoral promises.



    STRIKE Part of the employees of Romanias railway company CFR Infrastructure went on an unannounced strike on Wednesday, causing delays on some routes and halting scores of trains. According to trade union leaders, the collective employment agreement has expired and, although the companys board proposed a 22.5% rise in the overall salary fund, the move isnt legally grounded, as the budget hasnt been approved. CFR employees are also unhappy with the improper conditions they work in, as well as the shortage of equipment and fuel. Trade union leaders discussed these matters on Wednesday with representatives of the Romanian Transport Ministry.



    BUSINESS A study by Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC), published on Wednesday, reads that big international corporations will keep on moving their production capacities from Asia to Romania this year too. According to PwC, the local market will maintain its upward trend in 2017, as sectors such as the medical and pharmaceutical one, as well as the consumption goods and services sector have grown stronger. Although last year the overall value of mergers and acquisitions was 17% higher than in 2015, exceeding 3.6 billion Euros, the business environment still needs to be further encouraged, the study made by PwC also shows. In another move, the Romanian Trade Registry announced on Wednesday that, in the first two months of the year, Romanians set up some 17,000 new companies, which is 11% less than in the same period last year.



    JOINT GOVERNMENT SESSION The governments of Romania and of the neighboring Republic of Moldova, the ex-Soviet country with a predominantly Romanian-speaking population, will be holding another joint session in Piatra Neamt north-eastern Romania, on Thursday. The two delegations headed by Prime Ministers Sorin Grindeanu and Pavel Filip respectively will discuss ways of developing bilateral ties, joint projects and new cooperation opportunities. Investment opportunities in the Republic of Moldova will also be tackled, as well as cooperation in the fields of IT, finance, justice and home affairs. “The relation between the two countries is a special one. There are common expectations and shared interests. Well continue to support the European progress of the Republic of Moldova”, Romanias Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu has said on behalf of the Romanian government. The talks with Grindeanus pro-Western counterpart come after last week Moldovas president, the Pro-Russian socialist Igor Dodon, reiterated in Moscow his intention to consider denouncing the countrys association and free-trade agreements with the EU and deepening the relations with the Eurasian Economic Union as well as the federalization of the Republic of Moldova as a peace solution for the pro-Russia breakaway region of Transdniester.