Radio România Internațional

Tag: extension

  • Energy price caps, extended

    Energy price caps, extended

    In Romania, the energy price cap will further apply after April 1.

     

     

    The government in Bucharest has announced the extension of the electricity and natural gas price cap. This will apply after the end of next month, when the current price compensation mechanism was due to expire. For electricity, the cap will be extended for three months, until the end of June, and for natural gas, the extension will be for one year, until March 31, 2026. This extension will respect the scheme that is currently in force and aims to protect citizens’ incomes, said Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja. According to him, the ministry opted to extend the energy price capping period because, as calculations show, had it been liberalized now, it would have prompted increases in bills ranging from 60% to 100% for 95% of the consumption points. He specified that the one-year extension of the natural gas cap is aimed at restoring deposits for next winter, which would be done at low prices.

     

    Burduja also explained that, in making the decision to extend the cap, it was considered the fact that, in recent months, for reasons unrelated to Romania, prices on international markets have increased significantly, after the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine was halted. The price of gas has increased by up to 65% on the European market and the price of electricity by around 25%. Sebastian Burduja also said that the compensation-cap scheme ensured, according to Eurostat data, the fifth lowest price for electricity and the fourth lowest price for gas in the entire European Union. For natural gas, the maximum price will remain the same for another year, until March 31, 2026, because, the Energy Minister specified, at the end of the current cold season, deposits will reach a very low level, and their refill will mean an increased demand for gas, which will implicitly lead to price increases and much higher bills next winter for the population.

     

    In the meantime, the Ministry of Labor will develop a support mechanism, energy cards or vouchers that will later be granted to vulnerable people as support to cover costs. The Government’s decision to extend the electricity and natural gas price cap  was taken on the same day that Hidroelectrica, a state-owned company and the main producer and supplier of electricity in Romania, announced an increase in electricity prices by approximately 60% starting April 1. Minister Burduja recommends  Romanians to constantly check the website of the National Energy Regulatory Authority and opt for the best offer. (EE)

  • State of alert extended

    State of alert extended

    Romania will remain in a state of alert during the holidays period in the context of the new coronavirus pandemic. The decision by which the government extended the state of alert by another 30 days came into force on Monday. The state of alert that has been previously extended several times, was first instated in mid May after Romania had been in a state of emergency for 2 months, as of March 16.



    Under the new government decision, restrictions previously proposed by the Committee for Emergency Situations have been maintained, including the ban on people’s movement after 11 p.m. without a solid reason. A new decision has been added to the previous ones, which refers to the organization and unfolding of activities of cable operators on ski slopes. Although ski slopes remain open, the authorities intend to avoid overcrowding. Also, the restaurants and hotels near ski pistes will operate under the already established conditions.



    In another development, the number of new cases of COVID-19 continues to grow in Romania and new records of COVD-19 related deaths have been reported of late. Also the number of patients in ICUs has grown. The capital Bucharest reports the highest contamination rate and the authorities have warned that pressure is going to increase on the healthcare system in Bucharest and that they might need to continue transferring patients outside Bucharest, to cities where the pressure on the healthcare system is not that high.



    To this end, the head of the Department for Emergency Situations, Secretary of State Raed Arafat, has announced that 500 individual oxygen generators will be distributed to medical units, which will thus be able to treat more COVID-19 patients with oxygen. Although the number of new coronavirus cases is growing in Bucharest by the day, the authorities are not considering quarantining the city, as they argue that the measures in force at the moment are enough.



    There are several localities around Bucharest that have been quarantined though, as they have reported a contamination rate between 7% and 9 % per one thousand inhabitants. The restrictive measures have been extended in other localities across Romania, but in the Sibiu county (center), the authorities decided to lift the quarantine measures, as of Monday, in the city of Sibiu and another 7 surrounding localities, after the rate of infection at county level has dropped from more than 9% to 3.65% per one thousand inhabitants. Hospitals are no longer overcrowded, only half of their capacity for COVID-19 patients being used. Still, intensive care beds are all occupied by patients brought from other counties. (tr. L. Simion)

  • The state of emergency to be extended

    The state of emergency to be extended

    The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has announced that the state of emergency declared on March 16 to fight the spread of the new coronavirus will be extended by another month. As compared to other countries, the number of people infected with the new virus in Romania has not been very high so far, said President Iohannis who, nevertheless, warned the population not to relax yet and urged them to continue observing the social distancing measures imposed by the authorities, given that the peak of the pandemic has not been reached yet.



    Klaus Iohannis: “Following a thorough analysis, we have concluded that we need to extend the state of emergency. Therefore, I have called on the Government to come up with proposals that should be included in the next decree. This week we will draft the text and early next week I will issue a new decree that extends the state of emergency by one month. This extension is absolutely necessary to control the evolution of the pandemic.



    In relation to protective equipment, the president has announced that a new transport of face masks and hazmat suits for the medical staff will arrive in Romania this week.



    Klaus Iohannis: “Everyone knows that it has been a little complicated to purchase protective equipment: masks, hazmat suits, and ventilators. The measures taken by the government have now produced the first significant results. This week well receive 2.5 million face masks for the medical staff, almost 5 million masks for the gendarmes and police and as many as 8 million masks for the population. Also, in the coming days we are waiting for almost 500 thousand hazmat suits for physicians and other medical staff.



    Furthermore, the Romanian government has approved bonuses for the entire medical staff that gets in contact with patients infected with Covid-19. 75 thousand physicians, auxiliary staff, ambulance workers and paramedics that treat such patients will receive 2,500 lei, that is a little more than 500 Euros per month. Only the income tax of 10% will be levied on the sum, the other contributions not being deducted.



    At the same time, one thousand social and community workers will receive 2 thousand lei (around 400 Euros) per month to take care of people isolated in their homes, lonely people or old people over 65. The money, a total of 810 million Euros, comes from European funds, which will be used to also cover entirely for all the purchases of medical equipment.



    In another development, on Monday, the Romanian government discussed the first budget adjustment for 2020. The finance minister Florin Citu has announced that most of the money will be channeled to the health and labor ministries. (translation by L. Simion)