Radio România Internațional

Tag: European Council

  • October 8, 2022

    October 8, 2022


    European Council. President Klaus Iohannis reiterated, on Friday, in Prague, Romanias stand regarding the independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and the continuation of Bucharests constant support, on multiple levels, including in preparation for winter, in the context of the new escalations caused by the Russian Federation. The head of state participated in the informal meeting of the European Council in the Czech capital, where he expressed Romanias openness to the reconstruction process. In another move, regarding the high level of energy prices, a constant concern for Romania, Klaus Iohannis recalled the need to adopt measures to ensure the decoupling of the price of electricity from the price of natural gas. The main topics on the agenda of the European Council meeting concerned the situation in Ukraine, developments in the field of energy, from the point of view of the impact of high prices and efforts for ensuring supply security, as well as the economic situation at the European level. As for Ukraine, European leaders strongly rejected and unequivocally condemned Russias illegal annexation of Ukraines Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions following fake referendums.



    Ukraine. The Ukrainian authorities have announced that two cemeteries were found in the city of Lyman (east), recently freed from the control of the Russian occupiers. Lyman, a town in the Donetsk region, was liberated from the control of the Russian forces a week ago. According to the BBC, the governor of the region, Pavlo Kirilenko, said that at one of the cemeteries there are about two hundred graves, where civilians are believed to be buried. The other is a mass grave, where both civilians and soldiers could be buried. Kirilenko stated that the authorities have started an investigation and soon the dead bodies will be exhumed. Ukraine has repeatedly accused Russia of committing war crimes against civilians in the occupied areas. In another development, several rocket attacks have been reported today on the city of Kharkiv. Also today, the bridge connecting the Crimean peninsula to mainland Russia was badly damaged after a truck was detonated alongside a train of fuel tank cars. The destruction of the bridge deals another serious blow to Russias war effort in Ukraine, disrupting a crucial supply route. Moscow illegally annexed Crimea in 2014, ahead of this years Russian invasion.



    Rating. Fitch Ratings Agency has confirmed Romanias sovereign rating at BBB minus with a negative outlook, this being the last note in the investment-grade category (recommended for investments). The rating is supported by the EU membership and the capital flows that support investment and macrostability, and the GDP per capita (GDP per capita value expressed in standard purchasing power parity), governance and human development indicators, which are above the values of other states benefiting from a BBB rating. However, these values are counterbalanced by a budget deficit and a current account deficit that are higher compared to the deficits of other countries, by low performances regarding budget consolidation and high budget rigidities, and a relatively high net external debt, Fitch says. The agency estimates a reduction of the fiscal deficit in 2022 to 6.4% of the GDP, following the solid performance on the revenue side. According to Fitch, the economy would register a 6.2% growth in 2022, one of the highest growth rates in the EU. This is driven by the build-up of stocks, but also by solid private consumption, despite the war in Ukraine.



    Nobel. Belarusian activist Ales Bialiatski, the Russian human rights organization Memorial and the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties are the laureates of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize for their defense of human rights and resistance against power abuses, the Nobel Committee announced on Friday from Norway. This award comes against the background of Ukraine fighting the Russian invasion, and there are many accusations that numerous war crimes have been committed. The Norwegian Nobel Committee explained, in its motivation, that the Peace Prize laureates have been promoting, for many years, the right to criticize power and protect the fundamental rights of citizens. “They have made an outstanding effort to document war crimes, human right abuses and the abuse of power. Together they demonstrate the significance of civil society for peace and democracy, the Committees announcement also reads.



    Festival. More than 340 short and feature films are presented, until October 16, in several locations in Bucharest, at the 17th International Animation Film Festival Animest. According to the organizers, this year the event includes lots of screenings and special events, parties and masterclasses supported by professionals specially invited to Bucharest. The list of films participating in the festival includes titles that have attracted the attention of the entire industry over the last year, standing out in the competitions of major international film events. For example, the production Flee, directed by the Danish Jonas Poher Rasmussen, which received three Oscar nominations and numerous awards and which tells the story of a mans escape from Afghanistan to Denmark. There are also Romanian films presented at the festival, such as The Island, the latest feature film by Anca Damian, a surrealist comedy based on a reinterpretation of the story of Robinson Crusoe. (MI)




  • October 7, 2022 UPDATE

    October 7, 2022 UPDATE

    Prague – President Klaus Iohannis reiterated, in Prague, Romanias position regarding the independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and the continuation of Bucharests constant support, on multiple levels, including in preparation for winter, in the context of the new escalations generated by the Russian Federation. Klaus Iohannis participated, on Friday, in the Czech capital, in the informal meeting of the European Council, in which context he expressed Romanias openness to the reconstruction process. On the other hand, in the context of maintaining the high level of energy prices, a constant concern for Romania, Klaus Iohannis recalled the need to adopt measures to ensure the decoupling of the price of electricity from the price of natural gas. The main topics on the agenda of the European Council meeting are related to the situation in Ukraine, on all of its dimensions, the developments in the field of energy, from the point of view of the impact of the high prices and the efforts for security of supply, as well as the economic situation at the European level. As for Ukraine, European leaders strongly rejected and unequivocally condemned Russias illegal annexation of Ukraines regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson following fake referendums.



    Anim’est – Over 340 short and feature films will be presented, between October 7 and 16, at the 17th edition of the Animest International Animation Film Festival. According to the organizers, screenings and special events, parties and masterclasses supported by industry professionals especially invited to Bucharest will not be missing from this year’s festival. The list of films within the festival also includes titles that have attracted the attention of the entire industry in the last year, standing out in the competitions of major international film events. Such an example is the production Flee, directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen (Denmark), which received numerous awards. The list also includes Romanian films. The film Insula — The Island, a surrealist comedy based on the interpretation of the story of Robinson Crusoe and the latest feature film by Anca Damian, will also be presented.



    Nobel — Belarusian activist Ales Bialiatsky, Russia’s human rights organization Memorial and the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties won the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to document human rights abuses, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced on Friday. This award comes as Ukraine battles the Russian invasion, which has drawn accusations that numerous war crimes have been committed. The Norwegian Nobel Committee explained, in its motivation, that the Peace Prize winners have been promoting, for many years, the right to criticize power and to protect the citizens’ fundamental rights. “They have made an outstanding effort to document war crimes, human rights abuses and the abuse of power.” The committee’s motivation also shows that, together, they demonstrate the importance of civil society for peace and democracy.



    Patients – Five Ukrainian patients will be taken over from Poland by a Spartan aircraft belonging to the Romanian Air Force and transported to Ireland for treatment. The transport is monitored by a medical team made up of specialists from the Bucharest Clinical Emergency Hospital and from the Air Transport Base 90. Ukraine sent the request for air transport through the platform that facilitates communication between the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and the national authorities. (LS)

  • European Council conclusions

    European Council conclusions

    The hijacking of a civilian plane by Belarus to arrest journalist Roman Protasevich, known as a critic of the Minsk dictatorial regime, was close to diverting the European Council from the initial agenda. The leaders of the 27 member states had gathered in the Belgian capital to mainly discuss the coordination of actions to combat the pandemic and the digital certificate. Belarus action, which many analysts have described as air piracy or state terrorism, was strongly condemned by the EU leaders.They announced that new sanctions would be prepared against Belarus, including economic ones, and decided to close the Unions airspace to planes from this former Soviet country. The leaders of the 27 also demanded the immediate release of journalist Roman Protasevich and his partner, Sofia Sapega, who has Russian citizenship, arrested on Sunday during the operation. The EU also called on the International Civil Aviation Organization to investigate this unprecedented and unacceptable incident.



    After that, the summit focused on the pandemic. The Heads of State and Government of the Member States welcomed the agreement reached at Union level on the Covid digital certificate, which will facilitate the return to unrestricted movement. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the infrastructure for the digital certificate would be ready by June 1, and member states would be able to connect to the system in mid-month. Ursula von der Leyen stated that: “Now Member States have the key and the urgent task to make sure that their national health systems are fed with the information of citizens health status, so that the Certificate can be issued. That sounds like a lot of work and indeed, it is still a lot of work. But I am optimistic that we are getting there. I think the Certificate is a unique opportunity to showcase how the European Union contributes concretely to peoples daily lives. So we must all contribute to make it happen.”



    President Klaus Iohannis underlined Romanias support for the rapid and uniform implementation of the certificate at European level. In his view, its use must not affect the exercise of the fundamental right of citizens to free movement. At the same time, the Romanian head of state supported the continuation at an accelerated pace of the vaccination campaign, along with increasing efforts to produce and ensure sufficient reserves of vaccines. The President of Romania spoke in favor of rendering operational as soon as possible a European mechanism for donating anti-COVID vaccines, especially to partners in the Eastern Neighborhood and the Western Balkans and pleaded in favor of international solidarity. He recalled that Romania had donated over 300,000 doses to the Republic of Moldova and that it would also donate 100,000 doses of vaccine to Ukraine. (MI)

  • European Council conclusions

    European Council conclusions

    The hijacking of a civilian plane by Belarus to arrest journalist Roman Protasevich, known as a critic of the Minsk dictatorial regime, was close to diverting the European Council from the initial agenda. The leaders of the 27 member states had gathered in the Belgian capital to mainly discuss the coordination of actions to combat the pandemic and the digital certificate. Belarus action, which many analysts have described as air piracy or state terrorism, was strongly condemned by the EU leaders.They announced that new sanctions would be prepared against Belarus, including economic ones, and decided to close the Unions airspace to planes from this former Soviet country. The leaders of the 27 also demanded the immediate release of journalist Roman Protasevich and his partner, Sofia Sapega, who has Russian citizenship, arrested on Sunday during the operation. The EU also called on the International Civil Aviation Organization to investigate this unprecedented and unacceptable incident.



    After that, the summit focused on the pandemic. The Heads of State and Government of the Member States welcomed the agreement reached at Union level on the Covid digital certificate, which will facilitate the return to unrestricted movement. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the infrastructure for the digital certificate would be ready by June 1, and member states would be able to connect to the system in mid-month. Ursula von der Leyen stated that: “Now Member States have the key and the urgent task to make sure that their national health systems are fed with the information of citizens health status, so that the Certificate can be issued. That sounds like a lot of work and indeed, it is still a lot of work. But I am optimistic that we are getting there. I think the Certificate is a unique opportunity to showcase how the European Union contributes concretely to peoples daily lives. So we must all contribute to make it happen.”



    President Klaus Iohannis underlined Romanias support for the rapid and uniform implementation of the certificate at European level. In his view, its use must not affect the exercise of the fundamental right of citizens to free movement. At the same time, the Romanian head of state supported the continuation at an accelerated pace of the vaccination campaign, along with increasing efforts to produce and ensure sufficient reserves of vaccines. The President of Romania spoke in favor of rendering operational as soon as possible a European mechanism for donating anti-COVID vaccines, especially to partners in the Eastern Neighborhood and the Western Balkans and pleaded in favor of international solidarity. He recalled that Romania had donated over 300,000 doses to the Republic of Moldova and that it would also donate 100,000 doses of vaccine to Ukraine. (MI)

  • February 27, 2021 UPDATE

    February 27, 2021 UPDATE

    COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – The vaccination
    campaign continues in Romania, a total of 1.5 million doses of vaccines having
    been administered so far. Over 890 thousand people have received the vaccines
    developed by Pfizer / BioNTech, AstraZeneca and Moderna. Another 3.432 new
    COVID-19 infections were reported on Saturday by the Group for Strategic
    Communication, taking the total number of infections close to 800 thousand. 90%
    of people infected with COVID-19 have recovered, while some 20,300 people have
    died. 1,000 people are in intensive care.




    COVID-19 IN THE WORLD –Worldwide
    the number of cases of Sars-Cov -2 infection has exceeded 113 million, and that
    of deaths 2.5 million. According to worldometers.info, more than 89 million
    infected people have been cured. Meanwhile, European countries have opted for
    voluntary vaccination against Covid-19, although some of them, such as France,
    the United Kingdom or Hungary, are examining potential certificates or
    passports to prove it, international news agencies report. In
    Germany, coronavirus vaccination is voluntary and the government has stressed
    that there are no plans to make it mandatory. Vaccination is not mandatory in
    France either. However, the government has launched an online consultation to
    find out citizens’ views on the possibility of implementing a vaccination
    certificate and whether it should be mandatory or optional. In the United
    Kingdom, which was the first country in the world to launch a mass vaccination
    program against Covid-19, immunization is widely accepted by the population.
    The vaccination plan in Italy is also voluntary and started with the highest
    risk groups. For its part, the Austrian Government insists that vaccination is
    and will be voluntary and that it has not yet been decided, for example,
    whether it can be a condition for carrying out an activity. The World Health
    Organization insists that the cure for the pandemic is to speed up
    immunization, and the available vaccines promise an effectiveness of about 90%.
    In another development, the European Medicines Agency on Friday announced the
    antibody cocktail development by Regeneron can be used in treating COVID
    patients. The United States adopted the product last year for emergencies,
    President Donald Trump being one of the patients treated with Regeneron.




    COUNCIL – EU heads of state
    and government agreed to continue talks on the introduction of anti-COVID
    vaccine passports, allowing for free circulation across the community bloc,
    particularly during summer. At the European Council virtual summit, they pleaded
    for a common approach. Member States relying on tourism, such as Cyprus and
    Greece, have argued in favor of an accelerated adoption of vaccination
    passports to save the summer season. After the videoconference, the Portuguese
    Prime Minister expressed hope the European anti-COVID-19 vaccination
    certificated will be implemented by summer, while French President Emmanuel
    Macron said such a document cannot grant special rights to people who’ve taken
    the vaccine. Representing Romania was President Klaus Iohannis, who’s called
    for a coordinated EU-wide approach, saying the vaccination certificate should
    be used for medical purposes only. President Iohannis has supported the quick
    implementation of the European mechanism for donating vaccines to third countries.


    BUDGET – The
    Romanian Parliament’s committees on Saturday adopted the 2021 state and social
    security budget bills. The documents passed in the form presented by the
    Government, and none of the 3,000 amendments were adopted. The opposition says
    this is an austerity budget, providing for no increases in salaries, pensions
    and state allowances, while the power claims the allocations will help overcome
    the health and economic crisis caused by the pandemic. Labor Minister Raluca
    Turcan said the social-security budget is higher than that of the past two
    years, and child benefits will be increased in two stages. According to the
    calendar established by the joint Permanent Bureaus, the joint sitting of the
    Chamber of Deputies and the Senate on the state and social security budgets is
    scheduled for Monday. The bill will get the final vote on Tuesday. The budget
    is based on a deficit target of 7.16% of the GDP, and an economic growth rate
    of 4.31%.




    POSEIDON 21 -
    Some 700 soldiers, 13 military ships, 9 aircraft, a pyrotechnic intervention
    vehicle and a remote-controlled underwater robot will be deployed during the
    exercise ‘Poseidon 21’ organized by the Romanian Naval Forces between February
    26 and March 6. It is the first multinational exercise in the Black Sea this
    year, and involves the participation of forces and equipment from France,
    Greece, Romania, Spain, USA and Turkey. Bulgaria had to cancel its
    participation due to last-minute COVID infection cases reported among its
    sailing crews. The NATO maritime command has authorized the participation of
    NATO permanent anti-mine naval forces. The exercise will include training
    against underwater threats, involving hydrographic mapping operations to
    identify and neutralize mines and IEDs, combat sequences to suppress air
    strikes, as well as towing damaged ships, at-sea resupplying and rescue
    maneuvers.




    MOLDOVA – The first 21.600
    doses of anti-COVID-19 vaccine donated by Romania have reached neighboring
    Moldova. Moldova’s President, Maia Sandu, posted a message on her Facebook
    page, writing this is the first batch of the 200,000 doses of vaccine, part of
    a generous donation promised by Romania to the citizens of our country. Thank
    you, Romania, president Sandu writes. She added that Saturday’s batch of
    AstraZeneca vaccines will be used to immunize health and first line workers.






    PLAN – The US House of
    Representatives on Saturday passed, with a majority of votes, the 1.900
    billion-dollar American Rescue Plan proposed by Democrat President Joe Biden to
    help the American economy recover after the COVID crisis. The law was voted at
    the end of a long debate where Republicans denounced certain measures they
    consider to be too costly and badly designed. The text has been submitted to
    the Senate, where the Democrats have prepared a legislative move allowing
    them to adopt the plan without the support of the Republicans. Among other
    things, the plan provides for the purchase of vaccines and medical equipment
    and for the distribution of new financial assistance packages to American
    households, local businesses and administrations that have been affected by the
    pandemic. The assistance also includes a direct payment of $1.400 to natural
    persons, an unemployment allowance of $400 to be paid until August 29 and other
    relief measures for those who cannot pay rent until mid-March. (V.P.)





  • February 27, 2021

    February 27, 2021

    COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – The vaccination
    campaign continues in Romania, a total of 1.5 million doses of vaccine having
    been administered so far. Over 890 thousand people have received the vaccines
    developed by Pfizer / BioNTech, AstraZeneca and Moderna. Another 3.432 new COVID-19
    infections were reported on Saturday by the Group for Strategic Communication,
    taking the total number of infections close to 800 thousand. 90% of people
    infected with COVID-19 have recovered, while some 20,300 people have died. 1,000
    people are in intensive care.




    COVID-19 IN THE WORLD –Worldwide
    the number of cases of Sars-Cov -2 infection has exceeded 113 million, and that
    of deaths 2.5 million. According to worldometers.info, more than 89 million
    infected people have been cured. Meanwhile, European countries have opted for
    voluntary vaccination against Covid-19, although some of them, such as France,
    the United Kingdom or Hungary, are examining potential certificates or
    passports to prove it, international news agencies report. In
    Germany, coronavirus vaccination is voluntary and the government has stressed
    that there are no plans to make it mandatory. Vaccination is not mandatory in
    France either. However, the government has launched an online consultation to
    find out citizens’ views on the possibility of implementing a vaccination
    certificate and whether it should be mandatory or optional. In the United
    Kingdom, which was the first country in the world to launch a mass vaccination
    program against Covid-19, immunization is widely accepted by the population.
    The vaccination plan in Italy is also voluntary and started with the highest
    risk groups. For its part, the Austrian Government insists that vaccination is
    and will be voluntary and that it has not yet been decided, for example,
    whether it can be a condition for carrying out an activity. The World Health
    Organization insists that the cure for the pandemic is to speed up
    immunization, and the available vaccines promise an effectiveness of about 90%.
    In another development, the European Medicines Agency announced the
    antibody cocktail development by Regeneron can be used in treating COVID
    patients. The United States adopted the product last year for emergencies,
    President Donald Trump being one of the patients treated with Regeneron.




    COUNCIL – EU heads of state
    and government agreed to continue talks on the introduction of anti-COVID
    vaccine passports, allowing for free circulation across the community bloc,
    particularly during summer. At the European Council virtual summit, they pleaded
    for a common approach. Member States relying on tourism, such as Cyprus and
    Greece, have argued in favor of an accelerated adoption of vaccination
    passports to save the summer season. After the videoconference, the Portuguese
    Prime Minister expressed hope the European anti-COVID-19 vaccination
    certificate will be implemented by summer, while French President Emmanuel
    Macron said such a document cannot grant special rights to people who’ve taken
    the vaccine. Representing Romania was President Klaus Iohannis, who’s called
    for a coordinated EU-wide approach, saying the vaccination certificate should
    be used for medical purposes only. President Iohannis has supported the quick
    implementation of the European mechanism for donating vaccines to third
    countries.




    BUDGET – The
    Romanian Parliament’s budget-finance committees on Saturday continue
    debates on the 2021 budget bill. Labor Minister Raluca Turcan and Minister for
    Investments and European Projects, Cristian Ghinea, will appear before senators
    and deputies in the committees to discuss the budgets allotted to their
    ministries. On Friday, the budgets of agriculture, healthcare, education,
    economy and justice were approved, in addition to the budgets of public
    institutions such as the radio and TV public broadcasters and the national
    health insurance agency. Coalition leaders have agreed not to table any
    amendments, while the proposals proposed by the opposition have been rejected. According
    to the calendar established by the joint Permanent Bureaus, the joint sitting
    of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate on the state and social security
    budgets is scheduled for Monday. The bill will get the final vote on Tuesday.
    The budget is based on a deficit target of 7.16% of the GDP, and an economic
    growth rate of 4.31%.




    POSEIDON 21 -
    Some 700 soldiers, 13 military ships, 9 aircraft, a pyrotechnic intervention
    vehicle and a remote-controlled underwater robot will be deployed during the
    exercise ‘Poseidon 21’ organized by the Romanian Naval Forces between February
    26 and March 6. It is the first multinational exercise in the Black Sea this
    year, and involves the participation of forces and equipment from Bulgaria, France,
    Greece, Romania, Spain, USA and Turkey. The NATO maritime command has
    authorized the participation of NATO permanent anti-mine naval forces. The
    exercise will include training against underwater threats, involving
    hydrographic mapping operations to identify and neutralize mines and IEDs,
    combat sequences to suppress air strikes, as well as towing damaged ships,
    at-sea resupplying and rescue maneuvers.




    PLAN – The US House of
    Representatives on Saturday passed, with a majority of votes, the 1.900 billion-dollar
    American Rescue Plan proposed by Democrat President Joe Biden to help the
    American economy recover after the COVID crisis. The law was voted at the end
    of a long debate where Republicans denounced certain measures they consider to
    be too costly and badly designed. The text has been submitted to the Senate,
    where the Democrats have prepared a legislative move allowing them to adopt
    the plan without the support of the Republicans. Among other things, the plan
    provides for the purchase of vaccines and medical equipment and for the
    distribution of new financial assistance packages to American households, local
    businesses and administrations that have been affected by the pandemic. The
    assistance also includes a direct payment of $1.400 to natural persons, an
    unemployment allowance of $400 to be paid until August 29 and other relief
    measures for those who cannot pay rent until mid-March. (V.P.)

  • February 25, 2021

    February 25, 2021


    Covid-19
    RO.     The Covid-19 vaccination campaign continues in Romania. 1.5 million doses
    have been used so far to vaccinate some 850 thousand people, mostly with Pfizer/BioNTech.
    The Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines have also been administered across the
    country. The vaccination of education employees, through school inspectorates,
    began on Wednesday in Bucharest and most counties. The whole procedure will
    take until March 10 for the first dose of vaccine, and authorities estimate
    that 60,000 people will be immunized during this period. So far, more than
    42,000 teachers have already been vaccinated. On the other hand, almost 4,000
    new cases of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 have been reported today,
    following about 37,000 tests run nationwide. In total, since the beginning of
    the pandemic in Romania, over 790,000 cases have been registered, and about 90%
    of the patients have been cured. The total number of deaths has exceeded 20
    thousand.




    Pandemic. EU leaders
    are to decide today on the issuance of vaccination certificates for EU
    citizens, following the insistent request of southern European countries, which
    depend heavily on tourism and are desperately trying to save the summer season
    of 2021. Restrictions imposed to stop the spread of coronavirus infection have
    caused deep recessions in 2020 in the European Union, hitting in particular the
    south of the continent. As vaccination campaigns step up, some governments,
    such as those of Greece and Spain, are pushing for the adoption of vaccination
    certificates at EU level so that EU citizens can travel again. However,
    countries such as France and Germany are much more reluctant, saying that such
    a decision would create a de facto obligation to vaccinate and would be
    discriminatory against those who cannot or do not want to be vaccinated. In the
    world, according to worldometers, at least 113 million people have been
    infected with the new coronavirus so far. 2.5 million people have died and more
    than 88 million have been declared cured since the beginning of the pandemic a
    year ago.




    European Council. Today and tomorrow,
    Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis is attending an extraordinary meeting of
    the European Council. The members have
    gathered via video conference to discuss the current situation of the Covid-19
    pandemic, preparedness for health threats, security and defense, and relations
    with the Southern Neighborhood. According to a draft conclusion document
    obtained by Radio Romania, non-essential travel within the EU and from outside
    must still be restricted, but in a proportionate and non-discriminatory manner,
    taking into account the specificities of each community inside or outside the
    EU. Also, the movement of goods and
    services in the single market should not be affected, the Council members
    belive. On Tuesday, Klaus Iohannis had a video conference with the President of
    the European Council Charles Michel and other European leaders, in preparation
    for the summit.








    Budgets. The
    state and social security draft budgets have reached Romania’s Parliament. They
    will be analyzed and endorsed by the joint specialize committees and follow the
    entire formal cycle so as to have the bills ready by Monday, March 1st.
    The governing coalition has decided that the MPs representing the three parties
    will not file amendments and will endorse the bills as they were submitted by
    the Executive. From the opposition, the Social Democratic Party criticizes this
    year’s austerity budget and has prepared lots of amendments. However, there is
    little chance for amendments to be accepted that will substantially change the
    two bills, because Parliament has already voted on the Law regarding the ceilings
    that set the financial constrains for the two budgets. This year, the deficit
    cannot exceed 7.16% of the GDP, and personnel costs will have to stay below
    9.8%. The plenary vote on the two draft budgets is scheduled for next Tuesday.






    HoReCa. The principle of
    ‘first come, first served’ has been removed from the Government Emergency
    Ordinance on support measures for HoReCa companies, the Minister of Economy,
    Entrepreneurship and Tourism, Claudiu Năsui, has said today. He has stressed that, following the removal
    of this principle, all eligible applicants, regardless of when they applied,
    will receive funding. The Minister of Economy has also stated that this aid
    scheme is based on a budget of one billion lei (approx. 200 million euros) and
    benefits the HoReCa sector in the form of grants in the amount of 20% of the
    calculation base, without exceeding 800,000 euro per enterprise. HoReCa
    entrepreneurs have repeatedly called for the situation of restaurants to stop being
    decided depending on the COVID incidence rate. They recalled that the industry
    is on the verge of bankruptcy. (M.I.)

  • February 24, 2021 UPDATE

    February 24, 2021 UPDATE

    COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – The vaccination of education
    employees, through school inspectorates, stared on Wednesday in Bucharest and
    most counties in Romania. The whole procedure will take until March 10 for the
    first dose of vaccine, and authorities estimate that 60,000 people will be
    immunized during this period. So far, more than 42,000 teachers have already
    been vaccinated through the specially created national online platform.
    Meanwhile, about 80,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine have arrived in the
    country on Wednesday, which will be stored to ensure boosters for those already
    vaccinated with the first dose. Since the start of the vaccination campaign in
    Romania on December 27, a total of almost 2 million doses of vaccine have been
    received, most of them from Pfizer. The serum from AstraZeneca has also been
    administered in Romania for about ten days now. 3,300 new cases of coronavirus
    infection were reported on Wednesday, following some 34,000 tests run at
    national level. Another 73 related deaths have also been reported, and 1000
    people are in intensive care.




    COVID-19
    IN THE WORLD     – Worldwide,
    more than 112 million people have been infected with the new coronavirus since
    the beginning of the pandemic, more than a year ago. About 88 million have been
    cured, and nearly 2.5 million have died. The World Health Organization has
    announced that the death toll has fallen for three consecutive weeks, and the
    number of confirmed cases of coronavirus has also continued to decline.
    Meanwhile, European countries are making plans to ease restrictions and resume activities,
    but are acting cautiously against the more contagious strains of the new
    coronavirus. The European Commission has called on Belgium, Denmark, Finland,
    Germany, Hungary and Sweden to drop restrictive measures imposed unilaterally
    at the borders. The six states have ten days to justify the restrictions. In
    order to curb the spread of the new variants, Italy is isolating more and more
    localities. For its part, France has for the first time taken the measure of
    territorial isolation of the population.




    EUROPEAN
    COUNCIL     – Romania’s
    President, Klaus Iohannis, on Thursday and Friday is attending the
    extraordinary meeting of the European Council, held in videoconference format,
    the presidency reports. The agenda for talks includes elements pertaining to
    the coordination of the European Union in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic
    and actions in the healthcare sector. Moreover, EU leaders will tackle topics
    in the field of security and defense, especially EU-wide cooperation and
    EU-NATO complementarity and aspects related to the Southern Vicinity of the
    European Union.




    BUDGET –The specialized committees of
    Romania’s parliament will start debates on the state and social security
    budgets for 2021 on Thursday afternoon, during which the parliamentary groups
    can submit amendments to the draft drawn up by the Government. The discussions
    in the committees are expected to be completed by Saturday, and the vote in
    plenary on the two documents to take place next Tuesday. The draft law for
    approving the ceilings, which must be adopted before the state budget, will
    also be debated and voted according to a tight calendar. The document was
    endorsed by the Senate and on Wednesday was voted by the Chamber of Deputies,
    the decision-making body on this matter. The ceilings bill sets the caps on
    deficits and staff expenditure. The document stipulates that the ceiling of the
    budget deficit will be 7.16% of the GDP this year, and personnel spending will
    stand at 9.8%.




    PROTESTS – Trade union protests continue
    in Romania. On Wednesday, protests organized by the PUBLISIND Federation,
    affiliated to the National Trade Union Bloc, were staged in Bucharest and in
    the country’s prefectures against the freezing of salaries and bonuses, the
    non-indexation of pensions against inflation, and the lack of a minimum wage
    increase correlated with rising prices. PUBLISIND has members from the police,
    border and penitentiary police, central and local public administration, social
    assistance, court registry, sports and youth, finance and financial or environmental
    control. Also on Wednesday, the Meridian National Trade Union Confederation and
    the Federation of Railway Transport Trade Unions in Romania protested in front
    of the transport ministry headquarters. Meanwhile, the miners who blocked
    themselves in the underground of the Lupeni coal mine, in the Jiu Valley
    (center-west), ended the protest that had started six days earlier, after they
    were informed about the provisions of the agreement, concluded by their leaders
    and the Ministry of Labour, under which they will receive all outstanding
    salaries and other benefits they are entitled to. Prime Minister Florin Cîţu
    said the Government has adopted a decision whereby all the payments stipulated in
    the collective employment agreement, tantamount to some €2.25 million, will be
    paid.




    SPECIAL PENSIONS – President Klaus Iohannis has
    promulgated the law eliminating the special pensions for senators and deputies.
    The law was endorsed by Parliament last week. All parties, except the
    Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians, which abstained, voted in favour of the
    bill initiated by the Social Democratic Party to eliminate special pensions.
    The President of the Chamber of Deputies, Ludovic Orban, has stated that this
    is just the first step. We will have to fearlessly attack all the
    legislation in the field, in order to eventually make sure that all pensions in
    Romania are established based on the principle of contribution, Ludovic
    Orban said. 800 former MPs benefit from these special pensions, amounting to
    some €10 million a year, paid from the state budget.




    POSEIDON 21 – Over 700 soldiers, 13 military
    ships, 9 aircraft, a pyrotechnic intervention truck and a remote-controlled
    underwater robot will be deployed during the ‘Poseidon 21’ exercise organized
    by the Romanian Naval Forces between February 26 and March 6. It is the first
    multinational exercise in 2021 in the Black Sea. Forces and means from
    Bulgaria, France, Greece, Romania, Spain, USA and Turkey will participate. With
    a high degree of complexity, ‘Poseidon 21’ is included in the NATO Training
    Program proposed by Romania at the NATO Summit in Warsaw, in 2016, to strengthen
    security measures on the European south-eastern flank, as well as to ensure a
    continuous presence in the Black Sea region. (M.I. & V.P.)

  • Waiting for the anti-COVID vaccine

    Waiting for the anti-COVID vaccine

    Strengthening
    cooperation among Member States is key amidst growing numbers of COVID
    infection at EU level, Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis said on the sidelines
    of the European Council virtual meeting. The Romanian official addressed the
    need to ensure an efficient EU-wide communication campaign regarding COVID
    vaccination, so as to highlight its benefits. Romania’s vaccination strategy is
    almost complete, the President said, warning however that carrying out such a
    large-scale campaign over a short period of time will involve a large amount of
    medical consumables. Additional measures are therefore needed to avoid any
    shortages that might surface in the distribution chain. On the other hand,
    President Iohannis spoke of the importance of ensuring a constant exchange of
    information and best practices regarding testing strategies and procedures,
    underlining the fact that EU-wide test recognition would considerably improve
    free movement.

    Romania will receive the anti-COVID vaccine the same time all
    other EU members will, in a number of stages. The vaccine will be free and no
    one will be forced to take the shot, Valeriu
    Gheorghiţă, the head of the vaccination campaign for Romania, has told Radio
    Romania. The Romanian doctor said an awareness campaign would first be carried
    out, to present to the population the benefits of the new vaccine, with the aim
    of convincing as many people as possible to take the shot.


    At this stage we are talking about a vaccine
    that is being offered free of charge only to those who want to be immunized.
    But the decision to take the vaccine or not should be made only after receiving
    correct information from official and reliable sources.


    The first to receive the vaccine will be
    healthcare workers, then workers in critical state infrastructure positions.
    Depending on vaccine supplies, next on the list are vulnerable categories,
    namely people who can develop severe forms of COVID-19. Only 30% of Romanians
    would take the vaccine if this was an option, a recent survey conducted by the
    Avangarde Group of Social and Behavioral Studies reveals. Another 36% would
    take the vaccine only after waiting to see if people who take the first round
    of vaccines are developing any health problems, while a quarter of respondents
    say they wouldn’t take the vaccine either way. Of these, 36% are graduates of
    primary education, 40% have graduated high school and the rest are graduates of
    higher education units schooling units. As regards the existence of the virus,
    some 76% of respondents believe it is real, while 12% deny its existence.


    (Translated by V. Palcu)



  • October 15, 2020 UPDATE

    October 15, 2020 UPDATE

    COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – The
    Government has extended by another 30 days the state of alert in Romania.
    Another 4,013 new infections and 73 fatalities have been reported in the last
    24 hours, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 168,490 and the
    national death toll to 5,674. Also there are currently 721 people in intensive
    care. The authorities have also launched the first test allowing for the
    simultaneous detection of COVID-19 and seasonal flu. Health Minister Nelu
    Tătaru announced that based on an emergency decree that is currently being
    drafted, minor and medium cases of SARS-CoV-2 as well as asymptomatic patients
    will be treated at home and the patients will remain under the surveillance of
    family physicians. Serious cases will be hospitalized.




    EUROPEAN COUNCIL – EU leaders
    attending the European Council meeting in Brussels concluded their first round
    of talks regarding upcoming relations with the UK. Attending the meeting,
    President Klaus Iohannis said progress has been insufficient in this respect,
    although negotiators have been encouraged to continue their efforts. The
    President said Romania is in favor of an agreement, which is the best possible
    way to guarantee a partnership between the EU and the UK. President Iohannis
    also pointed out an agreement would also favor the Romanian citizens living in
    Great Britain, but also Romanian businesses in this country. High on the agenda
    of the meeting is also the COVID-19 pandemic and combating climate change.




    TALKS – The Government
    will support the European Commission in its efforts to pass the 2021-2027
    multiannual financial framework and all details related to the Economic
    Recovery program, adopted by the European Council, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban
    has said. The Romanian official on Thursday had talks with EU Commissioner for
    Budget and Administration, Johannes Hahn, on a visit to Bucharest. The agenda
    for talks also includes the upcoming EU budget, the Recovery and Resilience
    Facility and the rule of law.




    MEETING – Romania’s Foreign
    Minister Bogdan Aurescu on Thursday had a conversation over the telephone with
    his Japanese counterpart, Toshimitsu Motegi, about boosting bilateral
    relations, the strategic partnership and cooperation between the two countries
    in the context of the COVID-19 health crisis. According to a Foreign Ministry
    press release, both parties also expressed a willingness to celebrate the
    centennial of bilateral relations in 2021, as well as to sign over the course
    of next year a document in order to establish the Strategic Partnership between
    the two states. Foreign Minister Motegi took the opportunity to underscore the
    fact that Romania is an important partner for Japan. On the other hand,
    Minister Bogdan Aurescu reiterated Romania’s gratitude to Japan for the
    latter’s decision to donate 12,200 tablets of Avigan (Favipiravir), an
    experimental drug used to treat coronavirus-related conditions.




    SANCTIONS – The European Union
    on Thursday adopted new sanctions against Russian officials close to President
    Vladimir Putin, deemed responsible for the poisoning of Russian opposition
    figure Alexei Navalny. Sanctions were also taken against a state-run research
    facility in Russia. We recall Alexei Navalny passed out during a domestic
    flight in Siberia on August 20. Two days later he was transported to Germany in
    a coma. Army lab results confirmed
    Navalny had been poisoned with a Novichok military-grade nerve agent. Russia
    denied any involvement in the matter. On Wednesday, Russia’s Foreign Minister
    Sergey Lavrov warned Russia will respond with sanctions of its own.




    ACADEMY AWARDS – Alexander Nanau’s
    documentary colectiv will be nominated by the National Cinema Center for the
    2021 Academy Awards in the Best international feature section. This is the
    first time Romania will nominate a documentary film for the Oscar Awards. American
    film distributors announced they would enroll colectiv also in the Best
    documentary section, which will increase its chances of being selected.
    colectiv has also been shortlisted at the European Film Academy Awards and
    can be voted in the European documentary section. The film tells the story of
    the Colectiv nightclub fire of October 30, 2015, which killed 64 people.




    (Translated by V.
    Palcu)

  • October 15, 2020

    October 15, 2020

    Covid-19 Romania — The Romanian government has decided to extend the state of alert by another 30 days, a measure enforced as of today. Another 4,013 new cases of contamination have been reported in the past 24 hours in Romania, the total number thus reaching 168,490, show data published by the Strategic Communication Group. This is the 2nd consecutive day when Romania reports more than 4 thousand cases per day. Also 73 new deaths have been announced, which takes the total death toll to 5,674. 721 patients are currently in ICUs. In another development, Romania has launched the first test allowing for the simultaneous detection of viruses that cause Covid-19 and seasonal flu. The test helps physicians to rapidly establish a correct diagnosis when the symptoms of the two diseases do not provide enough information about the virus type.



    Covid-19 world — The number of new coronavirus cases around the world exceeded 38.7 million. 1.1 million people have died from Covid-19 and around 29 million have recovered. In the context of the second wave of the pandemic, more and more European states resume quarantine measures. France decided to reinstate the state of emergency in the coming weeks in the Paris region and in other 8 big cities and the surroundings. President Emmanuel Macron announced new restrictive measures and insisted on the need to improve the testing system. Italy reported Wednesday more than 7,300 cases of contamination, the highest level since March, while Germany reported over 6,600 new cases in 24 hours, a record for this country since the onset of the pandemic.



    Brussels — The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis is participating on Thursday and Friday in the European Council meeting in Brussels. High on the agenda of talks are issues related to the Covid-19 pandemic, the future relations between the EU and the UK as well as the fight against climate change. President Iohannis will plead for increased coordination among the EU states in the context of a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases. As regards the EU-UK relations, the Romanian President will underline that the full implementation of the Brexit agreement by the UK authorities is a fundamental premise for building a future relation with the EU. In terms of climate change, Klaus Iohannis will highlight the importance of maintaining a flexible framework that should allow EU member states to identify the most adequate solutions for ensuring the green transition.



    Renault – The French group Renault, that in 1999 took over the biggest Romanian car manufacturer, Dacia, presents in Paris today the Dacia Spring electric car model to be produced serially. The launch is part of the event devoted to electric mobility ‘Renault eWays’ which takes places 7 months after the presentation of the first car concept images. Dacia Spring is going to be the cheapest 100% electric car on the European car market, with a difference of 3 up to 4 thousand Euros from the competitors’ price. The starting price for Dacia Spring is 14- 16 thousand Euros, likely to drop under 10 thousand Euros after applying subsidies.



    Romanian Post — The Romania Post Office announced the introduction of direct transport lines to Paris, operated by their own cars. The new route was inaugurated on October 13, when the first transport was made to Paris. The postal delivery vehicle, carrying more than one tonne of postal parcels, reached its destination on October 14 and started the return trip on the same day. There will be two postal transports per month between Bucharest and Paris. Thus, Paris is added to the list of destinations which the Romanian Post Office reaches by road. Other countries on the list are Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, the Republic of Moldova, Germany and Italy.



    Economy — The Romanian government will support the EC in its effort to adopt as soon as possible the regulations related to the 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework and the details regarding the economic recovery program adopted by the European Council, said Thursday the Romanian PM Ludovic Orban. The PM met Thursday with Johannes Hahn, the European Commissioner for Budget and Administration who is paying a visit to Bucharest. The European Commissioner will also meet with the deputy prime minister Raluca Turcan, the finance minister Florin Citu and the minister for European funds Ioan Marcel Bolos. (tr. L. Simion)

  • October 2, 2020

    October 2, 2020

    MEETING – On the second day of the European Council meeting held in
    Brussels, President Klaus Iohannis will be pleading for a robust and
    consolidated single market, capable of supporting the development of Member
    States. Klaus Iohannis believes developing the transport, energy and environment
    infrastructure, as well as digital infrastructure, is key in countries such as
    Romania, situated at the geographical periphery of the Union. According to the
    President, the single market comes with undeniable opportunities, but also
    challenges at the level of society. President Iohannis will therefore underline
    the need to protect vulnerable groups, including seasonal workers, whose situation
    needs to be improved via the concerted action of European institutions and
    member states. On the other hand, the Romanian president will hail the
    importance of the digital transformation of Europe, referring to significant
    funds that will be allotted to the development of advanced digital
    technologies. EU heads of state and government are today in Brussels,
    discussing possibilities of tapping the full potential of the single market,
    creating a promising industrial policy and capitalizing on the opportunities
    arisen from the latest digital breakthroughs.




    COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – 2,343 new cases of COVID-19 and 53 deaths have
    been reported in the last 24 hours in Romania. 571 patients are currently in
    intensive care. So far, 4,915 people have died to the virus, while the total
    number of confirmed infections exceeds 132,000. The high number of infections
    has determined Prime Minister Ludovic Orban to call on the relevant authorities
    to ensure the daily observance of health safety measures. The Prime Minister
    warned that wherever the infection rate has exceeded 1.5 cases per 1 thousand
    inhabitants in the last 14 days, bars, restaurants and other enclosed areas
    will be shut down pending an improvement in the epidemiological context. On the
    other hand, 344 schools across the country have switched to online teaching
    exclusively. Over 770 children have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in the last
    week, Health Minister Nelu Tătaru has announced.




    COVID-19 IN THE WORLD – The global number of infections has reached 34.5
    million cases, while some 1.02 million people have died. Over 25.6 million
    people have recovered, the worldometers.info website reads. In Brazil there are
    nearly 145,000 deaths and over 4.8 million confirmed infections, making it the
    second-most affected country in the world after the United States. The US
    President Donald Trump announced on Twitter that both himself and his wife, the
    First Lady, Melania Trump, have tested positive for COVID-19. In Israel, the
    infection rate stands at 13% of the total number of people tested. Prime
    Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the current mobility restrictions introduced
    at national level aren’t paying out, so the authorities are planning on
    introducing new measures to prevent the disease from spreading. In Europe major
    cities in Spain but also the capital city of France will further tighten health
    safety measures as of Monday. Even a viable vaccine against the coronavirus won’t
    be able to get life back to its normal track next spring, British scientists
    have warned. Over 200 vaccines against COVID-19 are being developed by
    scientists around the world at unprecedented speed, the BBC reports.




    LEGISLATIVE ELECTION – Bucharest is today playing host to a press
    conference devoted to the organization of the legislative election abroad, held
    by Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu and other officials representing the
    Permanent Electoral Authority. So far, Malta and Nigeria are the only countries
    that cannot set up polls on their territory, Minister Aurescu announced on
    Thursday. Bogdan Aurescu said there are states that traditionally host the
    election only within the confines of Romania’s diplomatic missions, such as
    Canada. On the other hand, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban said the Government
    will be running an awareness-raising campaign addressing Romanian in the
    Diaspora, to inform them as to their possibility to vote by post in the
    legislative election due in December, in those countries where voting polls
    will not be set up due to health safety restrictions.




    FOTOBALL – Romanian champions CFR Cluj have qualified for the second
    year in a row to the Europa League playoffs after defeating on Thursday evening
    KuPS Kuopio of Finland 3-1 at home. The draw for the Europa League group phase is
    today being held in Nyon, Switzerland.




    TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, world no. 2 and seeded
    first at Roland Garros, is today playing Amanda Anisimova of the United States
    (29 WTA) in the third round at the Paris Open. Halep last year lost to
    Anisimova in the quarterfinals at Roland Garros, 6-2, 6-4. Also today, in the
    women’s doubles, Monica Niculescu of Romania and Misaki Doi of Japan are
    playing Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, while the
    Romanian pair Andreea Mitu – Patricia Tig are playing Varvara Gracheva of
    Russia and Jasmine Paolini of Italy. In the men’s doubles, Horia Tecău and Jean-Julien Rojer of
    the Netherlands are today playing Marcelo Arevalo of El Salvador and Jonny
    O’Mara of Great Britain.




    (Translated by V. Palcu)

  • July 18, 2020

    July 18, 2020

    Covid-19. In Romania, the number of infections with the new coronavirus has exceeded 36,600, according to the latest data announced by the Strategic Communication Group. 889 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours. Also, 21 more people died, the total number of deaths in the context of the coronavirus epidemic thus reaching 2009. Out of those who tested positive, more than 22,400 have been declared cured and discharged. Abroad, 5,212 Romanians were confirmed to be infected with the new coronavirus, and 122 died. Doctors say that one of the causes of the explosion in the number of cases is the discharge of positive patients on demand. Prime Minister Ludovic Orban has stated today that he does not wish to impose measures that would impact the economy in a negative way, but that depends on how the rules are observed.



    Pandemic. More than 14,200,000 people have been infected with the new coronavirus in the world since the beginning of the pandemic and almost 600,000 have died. According to worldometers.info, more than 8.4 million people have healed so far. The United States recorded, for the third day in a row, a record number of new cases of COVID-19 in 24 hours, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The more than 77,600 new contaminations reviewed in one day bring the number of cases of infection in the country, since the beginning of the pandemic, to about 3.64 million. For several weeks now, the United States has been facing an explosion in the number of infections in the south and west of the country, by far the most affected in the world. In the face of rising contamination and the threat of a second wave, several European countries continue to tighten sanitation and quarantine conditions. In France, where several outbreaks have reappeared in recent days, wearing a mask will become mandatory next week in all enclosed spaces reserved for the public. In Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison postponed the opening of parliament by a few weeks, given that the new coronavirus continues to spread in the most densely populated cities in the country.



    Quarantine law. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has today promulgated the Law on the establishment of measures in the field of public health in situations of epidemiological and biological risk. On Thursday, the Bucharest Senate, the decision-making body on this matter, adopted the law on quarantine and isolation. In six days of debates, numerous changes were made to the bill initiated by the Government. Earlier, in the Chamber of Deputies, the document, harshly criticized by specialists, opposition and NGOs, had been changed. In the form in which it was definitively voted, the law stipulates, among other things, that the quarantine measure is established on the basis of official scientific statements and case definition, at the persons home, at a location declared by them or in a space designated by the authorities.



    European Council. European leaders continue talks in Brussels today on the future multiannual budget and the controversial financial economic recovery package after the pandemic. This is the first time in five months that the heads of state and government of the Union have met face to face. Fridays talks were described as constructive, but the Netherlands, Austria, Denmark and Sweden have reservations about the non-reimbursable amounts that would be received by the worst-affected countries, without being asked for a program of reforms through the relaunch fund proposed by France and Germany. Present at the summit, the head of the Romanian state, Klaus Iohannis, believes that Bucharest can receive a substantial amount, but admits that opinions are divided and negotiations are complicated. He supports Romanias major objective in terms of the future budget of the union, namely to obtain the most important allocations for the common agricultural policy and for the cohesion one. Regarding the economic recovery plan, Klaus Iohannis advocates the option of a higher share of grants compared to loans in the total amounts allocated and as a long a period as possible for the implementation of the new recovery tool, so that the amounts can be fully and effectively absorbed.



    Laser. Professor Gerard Mourou, the winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2018 and the initiator of the ELI (Extreme Light Infrastructure) project, came to Romania, where he visited, the ELI Center in Măgurele (near Bucharest). Professor Mourou particularly appreciated the remarkable progress in the implementation of the project, emphasizing the uniqueness, technological and scientific advancement of the infrastructure made at the international research platform in the field of lasers. He discussed with researchers there the launch of “experiments related to the use of high-power laser systems in the development of new nuclear technologies for energy production with minimal environmental pollution.” We recall that, in March 2019, the laser in Magurele registered a first in world research: it reached 10 PW, the power for which it was built, being the most powerful laser in the world. (M. Ignatescu)


  • July 17, 2020

    July 17, 2020

    Covid-19 Romania. In Romania, the number of infections with the new coronavirus has exceeded 35,800, according to data announced on Friday by the Strategic Communication Group. Since the previous report, 799 new cases have been registered, which is an absolute record since the start of the pandemic. Of the people confirmed positive, more than 22,300 have been declared cured and discharged. Another 17 people infected with COVID-19 lost their lives, the death toll reaching 1988. Abroad, 5202 Romanians were confirmed infected with the new coronavirus, and 122 died due to COVID-19. On Wednesday, the Bucharest government extended the state of alert by 30 days, due to the increase in the number of cases of infection with the new coronavirus.



    Quarantine law. On Thursday, the Romanian Senate adopted, as a decision-making body, the law on quarantine and isolation. In six days of debates, the bill initiated by the Government went through numerous changes. Earlier, in the Chamber of Deputies, the document, harshly criticized by specialists, the opposition and NGOs, had been seriously amended. In the form in which it was definitively voted, the law stipulates, among other things, that the quarantine measure is established on the basis of official scientific statements and case definition, at the persons home, at a location declared by them or in a space designated by the authorities.



    European Council. An extraordinary European Council meeting takes place in Brussels today and tomorrow. The meeting is dedicated to negotiating the multiannual budget of the European Union for the next seven years and the European Economic Recovery Plan. Present at the meeting, the Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis, will reaffirm the major objective of Bucharest in terms of the future budget of the union, namely to obtain the most important allocations for the common agricultural policy and for the cohesion one. The head of state will advocate for appropriate allocations for the less developed regions of the Union, as well as for increased flexibility in the absorption of amounts. Regarding the economic recovery plan, Klaus Iohannis will support the option of a higher share of grants compared to loans in the total amounts allocated and will support the idea of a long period for the implementation of the new recovery instrument, so that the amounts can be fully and efficiently absorbed.



    Economy. The Romanian Government has approved a set of bills aimed at restarting economic activities. It is about providing funding for digitization and staff training, which can benefit large companies as well as SMEs. At the same time, the Executive adopted a project granting 200 million euros for the establishment of enterprises in rural areas and an emergency ordinance that supports the leasing of equipment and machinery by SMEs. Another normative act adopted allocates 150 million euros to support new business ideas that are proposed by students, and the elderly with low pensions will receive electronic vouchers for a hot meal.



    Pandemic. Nearly 14 million people have been infected with the new coronavirus in the world since the beginning of the pandemic and more than 592,000 have died. According to worldometers.info, almost 8.3 million people have been cured so far. In the last 24 hours, the USA and Brazil have reported new records of detected cases, reaching, in total, almost 3.7 million cases and over 2 million respectively. On the other hand, Israel imposes restrictions on weekends as of Friday due to the large number of new cases detected daily. Among other things, restaurants and gyms, shops, shopping malls, barbershops, libraries, museums will be closed. In the face of rising contamination and the threat of a second wave, several European countries continue to tighten sanitation and quarantine conditions. Germany, one of the relatively least affected countries, has authorized strengthened local quarantine measures, with “bans on exit” from limited geographical areas in the event of peak contamination. In France, where several outbreaks of contamination have reappeared in recent days, wearing a mask will become mandatory next week in all enclosed spaces reserved for the public. Sweden, which has attracted worldwide attention with its less stringent coronavirus strategy, is now facing a record number of new cases of Covid-19 in the European Union, but authorities say the epidemic is slowing down.



    Corruption. In Romania, the former prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate, Mircea Negulescu, was placed under judicial control for 60 days. The same measure was taken in the case of the policeman Mihai Iordache, detained, together with the former magistrate, by prosecutors with the department in charge of investigating crimes in the judiciary. The sentence is not final and can be challenged. The two are accused of inventing evidence in two cases. Among them, the “Tony Blair” case, in which the former Social Democrat prime minister Victor Ponta, currently the leader of the Pro Romania party, was accused of arranging the visit of the former head of the British government in Romania to gain image capital in the 2012 election campaign. Negulescu is accused, among other things, of abuse of office, unjust repression and false declarations.



    Cyber-crime. The United Kingdom, the United States and Canada have claimed that hackers in Russia have cyber-attacked several organizations that trying to find a vaccine against coronavirus infection. “During 2020, the APT29 hacker group has launched attacks on organizations involved in the development of the COVID-19 vaccine in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. Most likely, its purpose was stealing information and intellectual property related to the development and testing of coronavirus vaccines “- reads a joint statement of the three states. Russia has denied the allegations, terming them as ungrounded. (M.Ignatescu)


  • June 30, 2020 UPDATE

    June 30, 2020 UPDATE

    Covid-19 RO. The latest data published by the Strategic Communication Group show some 27,000 cases of Covid-19 in Romania. So far, most infections have been reported in the county of Suceava, in the north-east, and in the capital Bucharest. Of the people confirmed positive, more than 20,000 have recovered and have been discharged from hospital. So far, 1,651 people have died of Covid-19 in Romania. Outside Romanias borders, 4,795 Romanians have tested positive, and 115 have died. Prime Minister Ludovic Orban said on Tuesday that, because of the latest developments with regard to the new cases of infection, a decision would be made to postpone other relaxation measures, and stated he would support the proposal formulated by the National Committee for Emergency Situations in this respect.



    Pandemic. The World Health Organization warns that the Covid-19 pandemic is far from over and has urged people to mobilize without waiting for a vaccine. With more than half a million deaths and 10.4 million cases worldwide, the virus continues to wreak havoc in 30 of the 50 US states, seems to have reappeared in China, the country where the pandemic started, and remains present in Europe, with isolated outbreaks, which are however cause of concern. Brazil has exceeded the threshold of 1.3 million infections and 58,000 deaths. However, the worst situation remains in the US, where 2.7 million cases of infection have been reported and 128,000 people have died of Covid-19. In Europe, the most affected countries remain the UK, Italy, France and Spain. The British Government has established the first quarantine area in the English city of Leicester, after an increase in the number of cases of coronavirus infection there. On Tuesday, the Council of the EU adopted a recommendation on the gradual lifting of restrictions on non-essential travel from third countries, drawing up a list of 14 states from which travel to the EU is allowed as of July 1st. The countries are: Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay. The list will be reviewed and, if necessary, updated every 15 days. In addition, China will be included in that list of Beijing applies a reciprocity regime for travelers from the European Union.



    Economy. A comprehensive economic recovery plan will be announced in Romania on Wednesday. The Liberal PM Ludovic Orban has promised that all the laws ensuring the plans implementation will be passed in a months time. He has given assurances that, despite speculations, the National Liberal Party will not give up the 16% flat tax, given that it is a Liberal measure that has had good effects on the economy. In turn, the finance minister Florin Citu has explained that the plan will be based on investments and that record allocations will be made in this field. As of the next budget adjustment, funds will be increased by several billions of Euros, he said.. According to the finance minister, if the project is successful, the 4th quarter of the year is going to be much better. Even the tax collection for June is going to be higher than in 2019, the minister also said.



    Parliament. The Romanian Parliament approved, on Tuesday, the National Defense Strategy of Romania for 2020-2024, a document submitted by president Klaus Iohannis. The strategy is based on several major elements, namely the EU and NATO membership, as well as the Strategic Partnership with the US. The threats mentioned in the document are the economic crisis triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic, the strengthening of the military potential in the vicinity of Romania, the volatility of the regional security situation, hostile stands in the public space, cyber attacks, distortions in energy markets, interference and hostile takeovers, Agerpres reports. The parliament in Bucharest ends its ordinary session on Tuesday, but as of Wednesday it will convene in a two-week extraordinary session.



    Consultation. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis had a bilateral video-conference consultation with European Council President Charles Michel on Tuesday in preparation for a European Council meeting in Brussels on July 17 and 18. The discussion focused on the future multiannual budget of the Union for the period 2021-2027 and the Economic Recovery Plan proposed by the European Commission. Regarding the budget, Iohannis stressed that Romanias major goal is to obtain the highest possible allocations for cohesion and agriculture policies. With regard to cohesion policy, he called for greater flexibility in absorbing the amounts allocated and supported increasing transfers between different funds to adapt available funding to specific development needs. The Romanian president also stood for a 30-year repayment period for the funds allocated for economic recovery.



    Survey. Most Romanian managers are anticipating a drop in their business turnover this year and a recovery of losses by mid 2021, shows a survey conducted among the managers of more than 500 companies operating in Romania. The most optimistic are the managers from the agricultural field while the most pessimistic are those in services, a sector that was hit hard by the crisis. Half of the Romanian managers interviewed say that overcoming the crisis is possible through a pro-active attitude, through increased investments and increased productivity, while one third of them say they would cut down on costs first. Another conclusion of the survey is that we are not facing a financial crisis yet. 44% of the managers interviewed say that, in their companies, the working capital has improved.



    Gopo Awards. Corneliu Porumboius film La Gomera was the big winner at the Gopo Awards Gala, which awarded the best Romanians films made in 2019. The film got 9 awards, including the one for best film, best director and best screenplay. La Gomera tells the story of Cristi, a corrupt Romanian policeman, involved in a business with the mafia worth 30 million Euros, who reaches the island of La Gomera in Spain to learn El Silbo, a whistled language used by the locals. This language will help him free Zsolt, a trafficker arrested in Bucharest and the only one who knows where the money was hidden. The 14th edition of the gala, organized by the Association for the Promotion of Romanian Film, together with the Urban Film and Culture Association, is the first outdoor event in the history of the Gopo Awards Gala. (M.Ignatescu)