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Tag: Ludovic

Two candidates for the presidency of the National Liberal Party

Romanian Liberals convened in
Bucharest on Sunday in a National Council with a view to electing their new
president during the Congress they are going to stage on September 25th.
Two candidates are vying for this position, the incumbent leader Ludovic Orban
and the country’s present Prime Minister Florin Citu. Whether Orban’s intention
to run for the PNL presidency had been known for quite some time, Citu made
public his intention during the aforementioned Council.

However, the two politicians’
intentions were predictable as they had increased their public appearance of
late. The incumbent president has paid a series of visits to the party branches
in an attempt to gather support and had some media appearances in the company
of several PNL mayors. In turn the Prime Minister has focused on the vaccine
rollout and his latest efforts have been largely covered by the media.

According to Prime Minister Citu, the
PNL, the main political group of the centre-to-right government in Bucharest
needs a fresh impetus. He has also mentioned his intention to keep the party in
power for at least 8 years. Romania is changing. Europe is changing. The world
is changing and there is a need for another kind of politicians, the Prime
Minister went on to say.

Ludovic Orban, who was Romania’s
Prime Minister last year, has hailed Citu’s decision to run for the party’s
presidency adding that this situation is not going to affect either the party’s
activity or its ruling abilities. He has given assurances that there is going
to be no rift between him and his opponent caused by intestine fights as they
have a series of common objectives such as the ruling programme, the anti-Covid
vaccine rollout and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.

‘Even if there is competition, which
is only natural because every four years we stage elections in our party, we
are making all decisions together and are all attending the party sessions’
says Ludovic Orban, who is currently the president of the Chamber of Deputies.

The Prime Minister has also mentioned
the team work and common goals, but newspapers in Bucharest have pointed out
the two leaders have not been seen together for quite some time now, not even
at the 146th anniversary of their political party.

The party is going to elect its local
leaders over 1st June and 15th July, while elections for county
leaders are due between 1st July and 10th August. After
these first rounds, the two presidential candidates must submit a motion to the
local branches, which must decide what candidate they are going to support.

However, if a local branch makes a
decision to support a certain candidate, it doesn’t mean that all its members must
endorse that candidate. And in order to win the election a candidate must be
supported by 10 county branches.

(bill)

31 May 2021
May 30, 2021 UPDATE

DAY
We need the competence of all Romanians to build a prosperous country so that
all those who emigrated may come back home with joy, the country’s president
Klaus Iohannis said on Sunday in a message conveyed on the occasion of the Day
of the Romanians from all over the World, the country celebrates on the last
Sunday of May. The head of the Romanian state thanked all the Romanians abroad for
the responsibility and solidarity they showed with those who stayed at home. He
recalled the difficult moments we had been through during the pandemic, which
proved tough for both the Romanians abroad and their relatives at home. According
to the president, since Romania benefits from European funds, which are to ease
massive investment in all areas, the country is going to enter an ample process
of development and reforms. The Day of the Romanians from All Over the World
represents a moment in which we are considering the importance of keeping
identity and national values every Romanian keeps in their heart, Foreign
Minister Bogdan Aurescu has underlined in his message. According to him,
strengthening the dialogue and the ties with members of the Romanian communities
is the Foreign Ministry’s key priority together with the promotion of the
historical and cultural heritage.

GYMNASTICS According to the Romanian Gymnastics
Federation, our athletes have walked away with gold from the group finals of
the 16th edition of the World Aerobic Gymnastics Championship held in Baku, Azerbaijan. The victor team
includes Gabriel Bocser, Teodora Cucu, Daniel Tavoc, David Gavrilovici and
Mihai Alin Popa. At the present edition of the aforementioned competition,
athletes from Romania have also reaped silver in the teams contest and bronze
in the trio event. The teams ranking is based on the best results won in trio,
mixed, aerobic dance and the men’s and women’s individual events.

TENNIS Romanian tennis player Ana
Bogdan on Sunday qualified for the second round of the tournament in Roland
Garros, the year’s second Grand Slam after a two-set win 6-1, 6-3 against
Italian Elisabetta Cocciaretto. In the competition’s second round Bogdan will
be up against Naomi Osaka of Japan who on Sunday eliminated Romanian Patricia
Tig, 6-4, 7-6. The other Romanians on the main draw in Paris are Sorana
Cirstea, Mihaela Buzarnescu, Irina Begu and Irina Bara. Injuries have prevented
Simona Halep, the world’s third tennis player and Roland Garros champion in
2018 from attending this year’s edition of the prestigious French competition.

PNL The national council of the
National Liberal Party (PNL), Romania’s main ruling political force on Sunday
decided to stage the party’s congress on 25th September and voted on
the committee to stage the event. The participants also established the election
procedures inside the party. Before the proceedings kick-off, the country’s
incumbent Prime Minister Florin Citu announced his intention to run for the
party’s presidency, underlying the party’s need for a new impetus. The party’s
vice-president, Florin Citu pledged that PNL would stay in power for at least 8
years and that together they would be changing Romania into a liberal country
where all citizens were going to live happily. According to the incumbent PNL
president Ludovic Orban, we are going to witness a beautiful presidential race,
proving to the Romanians the Liberals are actually relying on strong human
resources and are able to rule the country properly.

COVID-19 The number of Covid-19 infections continues
to go down in Romania. The entire Romanian territory including capital city
Bucharest are in the so-called green zone with an infection rate below 1 per
thousand. 158 new infections were reported on Sunday as well as 29 fatalities.
443 people are in intensive care. Vaccine rollout has been stepped up in
Romania with more than 76 thousand vaccinations in the past 24 hours. Marathon
vaccination campaigns and drive-through centers were staged across Romania
during the weekend, while mobile units went to crowded places in an attempt to
make the vaccine available to as many people as possible. Since the vaccine
rollout kicked off in December last year, more than 3 million people have been
fully vaccinated in Romania. According to the authorities, over one million
Pfizer doses are to arrive in Romania, this being the biggest quantity of
vaccine Romania has received so far. This type of vaccine can be administered
to children with ages between 12 and 15, after the European Medicines Agency
has recommended it for this age bracket.

VISIT The EU
Vice-president for Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight Maros Sefcovic
will be paying a visit to Romania on Monday, the European Commission
Representation in Bucharest has announced. The EU high official is going to have
talks with Romania’s Prime Minister Florin Citu, with Leonard Orban, the
presidential adviser for European Affairs as well as with the presidents of the
two Parliament Chambers, Anca Dragu and Ludovic Orban respectively. Sefcovic is
expected to deliver a speech at the Atlantic-Black Sea Security Forum 2021
hosted by the Aspen Romania Institute and will be attending the inauguration
ceremony of the Euro-Atlantic Center for Resilience.

(bill)

30 May 2021
04.11.2020

Coronavirus – En Roumanie, le nombre de cas d’infection par le nouveau coronavirus a augmenté, mercredi, de 8.651, ce qui représente un nouveau record négatif. Plus de 267.000 cas d’infection ont été confirmés jusquici. 146 décès ont également été rapportés mercredi et le bilan des décès des suites de la Covid-19 est monté à 7.419. Par ailleurs, 1.001 patients sont admis en soins intensifs, soit le nombre le plus élevé jamais enregistré jusquà présent. Les autorités évaluent en permanence les mesures de gestion de l’épidémie de coronavirus et les adaptent aux évolutions. Le président Klaus Iohannis a annoncé que la première tranche du vaccin anti – Covid-19 pourrait arriver en Roumanie au premier trimestre de l’année prochaine. Le chef de l’Etat a précisé que la priorité serait donnée à limmunisation des soignants et des personnes des groupes à risque. D’autre part, Klaus Iohannis a déclaré que, pour le moment, il n’y avait aucune raison d’imposer un état d’urgence, mais que certaines restrictions étaient nécessaires pour ralentir la propagation de lépidémie.

Visite – Le premier ministre roumain, Ludovic, Orban, se trouve aujourd’hui à Ramallah, en Cisjordanie, où il discutera avec son homologue palestinien, Mohammad Shtayyeh, du renforcement de la collaboration bilatérale. Le chef du cabinet de Bucarest sest entretenu, mardi, à Jérusalem, avec les plus hauts responsables israéliens. Ludovic Orban et son homologue israélien, Benjamin Netanyhu, ont reconfirmé les relations privilégiées entre les deux pays et se sont félicités du récent lancement du Groupe de travail Roumanie-Israël dans le domaine économique.

Nomination – A Bucarest, la Cour constitutionnelle examine les saisines formulées par le PNL (au pouvoir) et par l’Union Sauvez la Roumanie concernant la nomination du député social-démocrate (d’opposition), Florin Iordache au poste de président du Conseil législatif. Les signataires du document affirment que le nombre de voix requis pour que Florin Iordache soit nommé président n’a pas été atteint. Ils soutiennent également que Florin Iordache ne remplit pas la condition de bonne réputation professionnelle et morale prévue par la loi. Cest lui qui avait promu, en tant que ministre de la Justice, le décret d’urgence n°13 et le projet d’amnistie et de grâce. A l’hiver 2017, le décret en question avait suscité de nombreuses protestations à Bucarest, dans d’autres villes à travers le pays et au sein de la diaspora. Le gouvernement de l’époque, formé du Parti social-démocrate et de lAlliance des démocrates et des libéraux, était accusé d’avoir adopté un décret modifiant les codes pénaux en faveur des hommes politiques ayant des démêlés avec la justice. Sous la pression de la rue, l’Exécutif avait fait savoir alors qu’il renonçait à la modification du Code pénal et du Code de procédure pénale.

Justice – Cristian Rizea, ancien député social-démocrate de Roumanie, qui avait fui en République de Moldova après avoir été condamné, a été interpellé à Chisinau. Les autorités moldaves ont entamé une procédure d’extradition, conformément aux accords bilatéraux. Depuis mars 2019, Rizea faisait lobjet dun mandat de recherche international. Il doit purger en Roumanie sa peine de 4 ans et 8 mois de prison ferme, pour trafic d’influence et blanchiment d’argent, sentence définitive prononcée par la Haute Cour de Cassation et de Jutice. Mardi, le président sortant de la République de Moldova, le socialiste Igor Dodon, a annoncé qu’il retirait à l’ancien député roumain la citoyenneté obtenue frauduleusement il y a deux ans.

Vienne- Le gouvernement autrichien a institué trois jours de deuil national pour les victimes de l’attaque terroriste perpétrée lundi à Vienne, qui a fait quatre morts et 22 blessés. Les autorités poursuivent l’enquête après que l’assaillant autrichien d’origine nord-macédonienne a été abattu par la police. 14 arrestations ont été effectuées après la perquisition de 18 maisons. Le chancelier Sebastian Kurz a transmis à la population un message d’unité, promettant que l’Autriche défendrait sa démocratie, ses droits fondamentaux et son style de vie libéral .

Football – Le club champion de Roumanie de football, CFR Cluj (nord-ouest), affrontera jeudi soir, en déplacement, l’équipe italienne AS Rome, pour son troisième match dans le groupe A de la Ligue Europa. Le CFR est leader du groupe, après avoir remporté, 2-0, en déplacement, le match contre les Bulgares de TSKA Sofia et fait match nul, à domicile, 1 partout, avec Young Boys Berne de Suisse. Eliminée des préliminaires de la Ligue des champions et arrivée en Ligue Europa, l’équipe de Cluj est la dernière représentante de la Roumanie à l’édition de cette année des coupes européennes de football.

Handball – L’équipe masculine de Roumanie de handball disputera jeudi son premier match, en déplacement, contre la Suède, dans le groupe 8 des préliminaires du Championnat d’Europe 2022, accueilli par la Hongrie et la Slovaquie. Dimanche est prévue la rencontre à domicile avec les sportifs monténégrins. L’équipe masculine de Roumanie, quadruple championne du monde des années ‘60 -‘70, ne s’est plus qualifiée depuis 1996 pour un tournoi final continental. Par ailleurs, les handballeuses roumaines sont qualifiées pour l’Euro 2020, qui se disputera le mois prochain, dans le groupe dont font partie aussi la Norvège, l’Allemagne et la Pologne.

Météo – Le ciel est plutôt couvert et des pluies faibles sont signalés localement dans le sud-ouest du pays. Sur le reste du pays, le ciel est variable. Les températures maximales de la journée seront comprises entre 11° et 18°. 13° à midi dans la capitale, Bucarest.

4 November 2020
October 3, 2020

SUMMIT Prevention measures and the making of a vaccine against the novel
coronavirus were the main issues of the European Council proceedings, which
ended in Brussels on Friday. The head of the European Commission, Ursula von
der Leyen announced that the Union was holding talks with several companies for
the purchase of a potential COVID-19 vaccine. She said the situation is
worrying and that the European states and institutions can overcome this
situation only if they cooperate. Attending the summit, the Romanian president,
Klaus Iohannis, appreciated the EU’s diplomatic efforts for defusing the
situation in the Eastern Mediterranean and reiterated Romania’s solidarity with
Greece and Cyprus, whose sovereignty must be respected. The head of the
Romanian state highlighted the need for a balanced and constructive approach of
the EU-Turkey relations.

PANDEMIC 34.5 million people have been confirmed infected with the novel
coronavirus the world over with a death toll standing at over one million, data
released by the US-based Johns Hopkins University shows. US president Donald
Trump has been admitted to a military hospital after having been infected with
the novel coronavirus, but he has given assurances that he is feeling all right.
The pandemic has a fast advancement in India, which has reported 100 thousand
new cases daily and a total number of infections of 6.4 million people. 100
thousand Indians have so far been killed by the virus. The highest mortality
rate has been reported in Mexico though, where 753 thousand people have been
reported infected and the death toll is around 78 thousand. In Europe, where
several countries are currently facing a second wave of the pandemic,
authorities are increasing the number of restrictions to contain the spreading.
This is the case of Spain, whose capital, Madrid and another eight cities in
the region are in quarantine for another two weeks. New infections have been
reported in Ukraine, Hungary, Russia and Northern Macedonia.

COVID-19 2,064 new COVID-19
infections and 32 deaths have been reported in the past 24 hours in Romania.
583 people are in intensive care units. The death toll since the beginning of the
pandemic stands at 4,947 and a total number of over 134.000 cases has been
confirmed. The high number of infections has prompted the country’s
Prime Minister Ludovic Orban to request daily checking on the observance of
protection measures. Orban says that where the rate of infection exceeds 1.5
cases per thousand, any activity in restaurants, bars and other indoor
facilities will cease. In another development over 338 education units in
Romania are offering online courses as over 770 students have been confirmed
positive for the novel coronavirus in the past week, according to data released
by the country’s Health Minister Nelu Tataru. He made an appeal for complying
with the hygiene rules to limit the spreading of the virus particularly in schools.
According to Tataru, Romania does not need to impose the state of emergency.

TENNIS Two tennis players from Romania are today vying for a place in the round
of 16 of the Roland Garros tennis tournament. One of them is Irina Bara who is
taking on Sofia Kenin of the US. Kenin is a champion in the Australian Open and
has eliminated another Romanian in the previous round, WTA’s 93rd Ana Bogdan.
Romania’s second representative, Patricia Tig will be up against Fiona Ferro of
France. The odds-on favourite Simona Halep, also from Romania, secured a clear
win against US challenger Amanda Anisimova and will be up against Iga Swiatek
of Poland in the competition’s next round.

(bill)

3 October 2020
September 14,2020 UPDATE

ALERT The government in Bucharest has for the fourth time extended the
state of alert against the background of the COVID-19 pandemic, upon a proposal
by the National Committee for Emergency Situations. The Romanian government has
also been considering fresh measures to safely hold the local election on
September 27th. Prime Minister Ludovic Orban has said that he has
been considering the use of larger rooms and outdoor spaces allowing people to
keep a physical distance. Voters will have to wear facemasks and demonstrations
of up to 100 people are allowed with the observance of the rules also valid in
case of election meetings. The first state of alert was instated on May 15th
after Romania had been on the state of emergency for two months. The total
number of infections with the novel coronavirus, almost seven months since the
first case was reported in Romania has exceeded 104 thousand and the death toll
stands at 4185.

TENNIS Romanian tennis player Patricia Tig reaped her first WTA title in
Istanbul on Sunday after a 2-6, 6-1, 7-6 win against Eugenie Bouchard of
Canada. This has been the third WTA finals for Tig after those in Baku (2015)
and Bucharest (2019). Her prize closet also includes a WTA 125 K title, which
she won in Karlsruhe. In Italy, another Romanian, Irina Begu, has qualified for
the main draw after a 6-1, 6-1 win against Ana Lena Friedsam of Germany in the
qualifiers. The Romanian will be taking on Elisabetta Cocciaretto of Italy who
benefitted from a wild card. Top-seed Romanian challenger Simona Halep will be
playing in the competition’s second round against Italian Jasmine Paolini.

SCHOOLS An atypical school year began in
Romania on Monday with special coronavirus protection measures in place.
Education is a vital prerequisite for a civilised society, and children are
returning to schools with one more lesson to learn-how to take care of one’s
health and of the health of others, said PM Ludovic Orban in a message on this
occasion. He warned that the danger posed by the disease is not over and that
the new school year is a challenge for children, their families, teachers and
authorities.

DIPLOMACY The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan
Aurescu had telephone talks with his Israeli counterpart, Gabi Ashkenazi,
following the political consultations held during his visit to Israel this
month. According to the Foreign Ministry, the 2 officials reviewed the
preparations for a new joint government meeting due next year. They also looked
at the arrangements for the set up of a new expert group preparing the meeting,
which will focus on mutually relevant topics like agriculture, water
management, IT, cyber security and AI. The talk also occasioned an exchange of
opinions on the Middle East peace process. Romania supports the resolution of
this problem based on international law and on the 2-state solution, Israel and
Palestine, living next to each other in peace and prosperity, the Romanian
foreign minister said. On September 2-3, minister Aurescu discussed with
high-level political officials both in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and in Ramallah.

PANDEMIC Many countries are reintroducing
lockdowns in the context of a so-called second wave of the COVID 19 pandemic.
The World Health Organisation Sunday reported nearly 308,000 new infections for
the last 24 hours, a new global record, Reuters reports. The most significant
increases were in India, the USA and Brazil. The total number of cases
worldwide is nearing 29.2 million, and the number of COVID-related deaths is
928,000. Israel reintroduced a 3-week lockdown in a move to contain the new
wave. Strict restrictions regarding groups larger than 6 people have come into
force in the UK today. And also as of Monday, face masks, already compulsory in
supermarkets and public transportation, must be worn in all public buildings
and shops in Austria.

(tr bill)

14 September 2020
September 13, 2020

COVID-19 The government in Bucharest is expected to endorse on Monday a
decision on extending the state of alert on Romania’s territory against the
background of the latest developments in the pandemic. Romania presently
registers a daily number of infections of 13 hundred and the total number of
infections since the beginning of the pandemic has exceeded 102 thousand with a
death toll of 41 hundred. 126 Romanians have been killed by the virus abroad.
The number of infections worldwide has almost reached 29 million and 924
thousand people have died, data released by the Johns Hopkins University has
revealed. The US is the most affected country with more than 6.6 million cases
and over 198 thousand fatalities. India has registered more than 4.7 million
cases and 78 thousand dead. Brazil comes next with 4.3 million infections and
more than 131 thousand deaths. The situation is worrying in many European countries,
France has exceeded 10 thousand infections a day while in Spain, the first week
of school has ended with thousands of infections, which led to the isolation of
several classes. France and Spain were together with Italy and the UK the most
affected countries in the first months of the pandemic.

SCHOOL A new school year is due to begin in Romania on Monday under conditions
adjusted to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Courses will be taking
place according to the latest epidemiological developments. Most of the
country’s schools, over 12 thousand, have been considered to be in the green
zone where students are allowed to go to courses. Rotating schedules are in
place at the nearly 5 thousand schools currently in the yellow zone, while
online courses have been made available for students at those nearly 240 in the
red zone. According to Prime Minister Ludovic Orban, local authorities and
schools have at their disposal 175 million Euros to buy tablets for online
courses. According to the Romanian official, money has been earmarked for
buying masks and disinfectants in schools. Furthermore, Orban has given
assurances the authorities are ready to intervene in any situation, which might
appear in an epidemiological context after the beginning of the school year.

MESSAGE Romania’s
president Klaus Iohannis has conveyed a message on the Firefighters Day
celebrated on September 13th in Romania, saying that in these days, when the
world is facing the Covid pandemic, firefighters have again shown
professionalism and courage, determination and sacrifice in order to contribute
together with other state institutions to the citizens’ safety and health. The
president has mentioned the responsible way in which firefighters have continued
to do their jobs and fight calamities and natural disasters, being an essential
support institution, a guarantor of normality, the right to life, private
property and health inside communities.

TENNIS Romanian
tennis player Patricia Tig has qualified for the finals of the WTA tournament
in Istanbul after a 6-3, 6-3 win against Tereza Martincova of the Czech
Republic. The Romanian player is due to take on Eugenie Bouchard of Canada in
the finals. Bouchard comes after a 6-3, 6-2 win against Paula Badosa Gibert of
Spain in the semis. This would be Tig’s third WTA finals after the ones in Baku
in 2015 and Bucharest in 2019. Her prize closet includes a WTA 125K title in
Karlsruhe last year.

(translated by bill)

13 September 2020
August 21, 2020 UPDATE

VOTE The Social Democrats (PSD), the party with the largest
number of seats in the Romanian Parliament didn’t set a timetable, as was expected
on Friday, for the voting session over a censure motion the PSD tabled against
the Liberal cabinet led by Ludovic Orban. According to the PSD spokesman Lucian
Romascanu, talks are being held with all the Parliament groups and a date for
voting the document is to be set most likely on Tuesday. The PSD official said
a decision in this respect would be made next week by the new Executive
Committee endorsed during the PSD congress on Saturday. ‘We’d like the voting
to start as soon as possible Romascanu went on to say. The motion was read
before the Legislature on Thursday and it blames the executive for the way it
handled the medical crisis caused by the novel coronavirus. In another
development, the National Liberal Party PNL on Friday notified the
Constitutional Court over an alleged legal conflict of a constitutional nature
between the government and Parliament, as the PSD tabled their motion during
the summer recess.

FUNDING In a first for Romania, the
European Commission has approved the total EU funding of investments in the
country’s transport infrastructure and not only 85% as before. According to the
Transport Ministry in Bucharest, the move, which is temporary, was justified by
the impact the Covid-19 pandemic had over the state budget. The most important
investments with European funds to benefit from this temporary exemption are
two motorway sections and a railway. In another development, the European
Commission has approved a five billion euro loan for supporting the business
environment and jobs in Romania. The announcement has been made by the
country’s Prime Minister Ludovic Orban who’s said the money is used to fund
active measures such as flexible timetables, technical unemployment and cover other
expenses aimed at supporting the employees and companies. Orban said the loan
must be reimbursed in 15 years and has a very advantageous interest.

MOSCOW A medically equipped plane landed in
the Siberian city of Omsk to take the leading opposition figure Alexei Navalny,
who supporters believe was poisoned, to a hospital in Berlin. According to the
Russian doctors, Navalny is too ill to be moved to Germany for treatment. A
prominent critic of president Putin, Navalny has consistently exposed official
corruption in Russia and has served many prison terms. According to his
spokeswoman, Navalny faced another poisoning attempt while in police custody
last year. Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitri Peskov says that if the poisoning is
confirmed the authorities are to start an investigation.

TENNIS A pair made up of the Romanian Horia
Tecau and the Dutch Jean-Julien Rojer are playing against the French pair
Jeremy Chardy/Fabrice Martin in the first round of the ATP Masters 1000 doubles
tournament in Cincinnati which offers total prizes worth more than 4.2 million
dollars. The tournament is hosted this year by Flushing Meadows Corona-Park in
New York. Tecau and Rojer last year lost in the first round of the Cincinnati tournament
to the pair Feliciano Lopez (Spain)/Andy Murray (Great Britain). The Romanian -
Dutch pair won a final in Cincinnati in 2016 when they defeated the pair Ivan
Dodig (Croatia)/Marcelo Melo (Brazil) 7-6 (5), 6-7 (5), 10-6. Tecau got a title
in Cincinnati in 2012 alongside the Swedish player Robert Lindstedt.

(translated by bill)

21 August 2020
August 8, 2020

COVID-19 Authorities in Bucharest have announced 1,350 new Covid infections, bringing
the total number of cases to over 60 thousand since the beginning of the
pandemic five months ago. 43 fatalities have also been announced adding to a
death toll of 2,659. 448 patients have been reported to be in intensive care
units. The most affected regions in Romania are the capital Bucharest and the
counties of Prahova, Arges and Dambovita all in the country’s south. A state
secretary, who is also an army physician, has been appointed in charge of the
Public Health Direction in Bucharest (DSP) in an attempt to deal with the
shortcomings of this institution. DSP has attracted a lot of heat lately for
failed or even non-existent epidemiological investigations. In another move the
Ombudsman has challenged at the Constitutional Court several provisions of the
newly-passed law on quarantine and isolation. The compulsory hospitalization of
those infected and the provisions regulating the deployment of the medical
personnel have been challenged. The Ombudsman believes that mandatory
hospitalization is tantamount to an abuse and this measure should be imposed
only after all the other less severe measures have failed. According to the
Ombudsman, under the current provisions, the deployment of personnel looks more
like mandatory deployment and is unconstitutional. Prime Minister Ludovic Orban
has criticized the Ombudsman’s latest moves saying it is challenging
fundamental laws.

MAE According
to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, authorities in Germany have revised the
conditions required for entering this country after 7 Romanian counties, Arges,
Bihor, Buzau, Neamt, Ialomita, Mehedinti and Timis have been included on a list
of risky regions. So all people coming from these regions, irrespective of
their citizenship, must produce a negative Covid test carried out 48 hours
before their arrival or take a free test 72 hours since their arrival on German
soil. Those who refuse to comply can be denied entry or can be imposed self-isolation.
If the test is carried out while on German soil, self-isolation is imposed
until the result of the test is known.

TOURISM Almost 150 thousand tourists are expected to arrive in the seaside
resorts on the Romanian Black Sea coast this weekend, which are running to full
capacity thanks to the hot weather. Tourists are requested to pay attention to
several aspects such as the extreme hot weather, the rough sea or the issues
caused by the novel coronavirus. As the seaside resorts are the most crowded
tourist areas in Romania, tourists are facing an increased risk of infection. Teams
made up of police troops, gendarmes, firefighters as well as representatives of
the public healthcare institutions and consumers’ protection have been deployed
to assess the observance of safety regulations. 150 fines totaling 11 thousand Euros
have been applied in the past 24 hours.

ASSISTANCE Romania has joined the international assistance efforts to Lebanon in
the wake of the devastating explosion at an ammonium nitrate storehouse on
Tuesday. Approximately 8 tons of medical equipment and medicine are today being
transported to Lebanon by two planes belonging to the Romanian Air Force. The
government in Bucharest, civil society and representatives of the Lebanese diaspora
have responded to the assistance appeal received from the Lebanese government. Two
experts with the Romanian General Emergency Inspectorate are accompanying the
transport. The explosion has killed at least 150 people while 5,000 others have
been wounded. Hundreds of Beirut residents have been made temporarily homeless
while the collective loss might reach billions of dollars.

(translated by bill)

8 August 2020
July 13, 2020

BILL A bill
regulating the quarantine and self-isolation in situations of epidemiological
risk is now being debated upon by the decision-making Senate in Bucharest. The
aforementioned bill has been endorsed by the government after the
Constitutional Court in Bucharest ruled that self-isolation, quarantine and
hospitalisation could not be imposed under a ministerial decision but under a
law clearly regulating the issue. On Thursday night the Chamber of Deputies
endorsed the document, which contained a lot of amendments than the Executive’s
version. However, debates upon the aforementioned law in the legal committee were
stopped in their tracks a couple of days ago by a request from the Senate’s
interim president, Social-Democrat Robert Cazanciuc, who called for a viewpoint
from the Liberal government and the Ministry of Justice concerning the
mandatory hospitalisation of the infected persons and the physicians’
deployment. The country’s Prime Minister Ludovic Orban has described the
document as indispensable adding that postponing the Senate debates on the
aforementioned bill is tantamount to a dramatic increase in the number of
infections. According to Orban, the government’s objective is no further
restrictions, but he has also cautioned against the worrying number of
infections. On Sunday night scores of people protested in front of the
government’s building in Bucharest against the bill on quarantine and
self-isolation.

COVID – 19 Authorities in Romania have reported another 413 new Covid infections
bringing the total number close to 33, 000 since the beginning of the
pandemic. 21,692 out of
those who confirmed positive have been cured and left hospitals. 235 patients are in intensive care units while the death
toll stands at 1,901. The number of Romanians abroad confirmed infected
stands at 5,105,and the number of fatalities at 122.

FENCING The International Fencing Federation has designated Romanian Ana
Maria Popescu winner of the Women’s Epee Cup this year as many competitions
could not be staged because of the Covid pandemic. The Romanian has been
followed by Brazilian Nathalie Moellhausen and Sun Yiwen of China. Ana Maria
has won the competition three times in the seasons of 2007-2008, 2008-2009 and
2012-2013.

TALKS Brussels is today seeing the seventh round of talks for a
post-Brexit trade agreement. Chief negotiators David Frost of Britain and
Michel Barnier of the EU have agreed to step up negotiations but have also agreed
that the two sides are facing major issues such as competition. According to
Radio Romania correspondent in London, the EU negotiator has said that his team
will be carrying on talks with their British counterparts with patience,
respect and determination but has cautioned against the inevitable changes in
the relations between the two sides as of January 1st.

RESTRICTIONS Authorities in Lithuania have banned the Romanians’
access to this country due to the raising number of Covid-19 infections
reported in Romania. Authorities in Vilnius are assessing the decision on a
weekly basis though. Lithuania isn’t the only European country imposing
restrictions to Romanian citizens. Greece is also asking tourists to produce a
negative Covid test taken in the past 72 hours at the border whereas Austria requires
Covid tests not older than 4 days. Other European countries like Finland, Malta,
Slovakia, Estonia, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Hungary have resorted
to other measures such as quarantine or self-isolation. Romanians have so far been
imposed travel restrictions in 20 European countries

(translated by bill)

13 July 2020
The latest epidemiological developments cast a question mark over the next relaxation measures

The
Technical-Scientific Group consulted by the government in Bucharest has
proposed the postponement of the fourth stage of relaxation measures, which was
supposed to be implemented as of July 1st.

The
proposal came against the background of an alarming rise in the Covid
infections in the past days as many Romanians fail to observe the prevention
rules. The number of daily infections continue to be higher than the number of patients
cured, which means that hospitals in Romania are overcrowded.

The number
of patients needing intensive care is also on the rise and so is the death
toll. In an interview to a TV channel, Romania’s Health Minister Nelu Tataru
has referred to an unfavourable evolution in the past two weeks and for this
reason the introduction of the new relaxation measures has been postponed at
least at the level of the Technical-Scientific Group.

Nelu Tătaru: We
have seen an increase in the number of infections in the past two weeks. In
these two weeks we have seen a higher number of patients needing intensive care
and also an increase in the number of deaths. So the Technical Group experts
have recommended that the new relaxation measures planned for July 1st
be postponed. We are presently handling an increased number of infections and
at the level of this group it has been decided to postpone this fourth
relaxation stage. We are monitoring the situation daily, every week and every
other week and if it improves we will start considering another series of
relaxation measures. And in case of an intense community contagion, we are
considering imposing restrictions in certain locations to isolate outbreaks and
impose quarantine measures.

A
final decision on the issue is expected from the Executive in Bucharest on
Wednesday. The government is also expected to convene on Wednesday for a new
plan of measures against the spreading of the Covid pandemic. Prime Minister
Ludovic Orban, who said the latest developments impose caution, has summoned
the ministers and other high officials from the Interior, Health Ministers as
well as from the police and other state institutions with control attributions.

In
another development, the National Committee for Emergency Situations has
already decided that event organisers who do not comply with prevention regulations
have their license suspended. In their turn epidemiologists have pointed out that
unless prevention measures are observed the number of cases can continue to
rise. Romania has so far confirmed over 26,500 Covid infections. Suceava in
north-eastern Romania ranks first in terms of the number of cases followed by
Bucharest and Brasov, in the center of the country. Roughly 19 thousand people
have been declared cured and allowed to leave hospitals whereas over 16 hundred
people have died.

30 June 2020
Assistance for the Romanian companies

The government in Bucharest has
endorsed a law guaranteeing loans for the big companies after the IMM
Invest model. The country’s Prime Minister Ludovic Orban on
Wednesday said that this assistance scheme would become operational
after getting the green light from the European Commission, most
likely in two weeks’ time. The Prime Minister has recalled the
principles of this programme.

Ludovic Orban:
This
is a scheme through which we guarantee credits up to 90% subsidizing
interests up to 50%. The initial ceiling of this state assistance
programme is of 1.6 billion euros, which of course we are ready to
increase in case there are more applications.

We are waiting for the European
Commission’s approval because any assistance scheme needs their
approval. We have discussed the issue in principle and we are
optimistic about the results. The scheme is going to become fully
operational shortly after we get the approval we need.

Last week, Finance Minister Florin
Citu announced the ceiling of this assistance programme, which can
benefit the big companies with over 250 employees, including their
branches or partners, could be raised up to 5.8 billion euros.

According to
Florin Cîțu, this programme together with the one destined for
small and medium-sized businesses allow all the Romanian companies to
get access to such financing credits.

As for the IMM
Invest programme, which is addressing companies with over 4.1 million
euros in turnover, the government announced that this programme was
streamlined and declared ready to supplement the allotted budget so
that the number of the enterprises attracting these funds may triple
in a couple of weeks.

The Finance Minister has added the
programme can offer assistance to 40 thousand companies at the most
and if need be the Executive can earmark more money at the next
budget adjustment.

On Wednesday, the country’s
president Klaus Iohannis promulgated a law on approving an emergency
ordinance over the programme of assisting the small and medium-sized
enterprises, which this year provides for a total ceiling of 6.2
billion euros in state guarantees, which can benefit the companies
interested in getting these loans.

(translated
by bill)

11 June 2020
New Talks on Romania’s intention to join the Schengen Area

Romania’s Prime Minister, Ludovic
Orban, has underlined in Munich the legitimacy of Romania’s aspirations to join
the Schengen Area as the country has long met all the technical accession
criteria. The Romanian official attended the security conference in Munich
where he underlined the fact that ‘remaking the full functionality of the
Schengen Area is essential for ensuring the EU’s interior security.

Pleading for a Europe open to
enlargement, the Romanian official went on to say that the EU must defend its
external borders, but not maintain interior borders. In an interview with Radio
Romania, Prime Ministers Orban has voiced conviction that the attitude of the
member countries, which are opposing Romania’s access to Europe’s border-free
area, will change.

Ludovic Orban: I have
presented strong arguments in favour of accepting Romania’s presence in the
Schengen Area. We have met all the conditions to join this area and I am
convinced the attitude of some countries will change.

The Prime Minister, who voiced
opposition to the idea that Romania is not ready to join the border-free
Schengen Area due to corruption, has argued that Bucharest has proposed the
closing down of the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism on Justice by
curbing corruption and increasing the independence of its judiciary. According
to the Romanian official, if the European funds are conditioned by the
situation of the rule of law, legislation must have clear stipulations for all
the member states in order to avoid unjust sanctions.

Ludovic Orban: Being a domain, which can be subjected to
various subjective interpretations, regulations must be very clear, very
precise, with a specific list of infringements on the second article of the
Union Treaty and which are the sanctions to be imposed. And in this way any
subjective interpretation will be avoided.

Prime Minister Orban has also
referred to Romania’s accession to the euro area.

Ludovic Orban: There are
five mandatory conditions that must be met. And the objective of the government
I lead is to meet these conditions and become part of the euro area. The
country’s EU integration will be completed after its accession to the euro
area.

Although accession to euro zone has
been on the agenda of the governments in Bucharest for quite some time now, its
deadline has been constantly pushed farther into the future since the country’s
EU entry in 2007. If the first deadline to join the area Romania set was 2012,
it seems that Bucharest will now have to wait until 2024 or 2026 to join the
euro-countries club.

(translated by bill)

17 February 2020
Orban Cabinet out: what comes next?

Criticised by his political opponents for trying to change the election laws without proper parliamentary debate just months ahead of the local elections, the Liberal PM Ludovic Orban Wednesday failed the test of a no-confidence motion tabled against his team. The 4th government since the 2016 parliamentary election and the first Liberal government in the same period only lasted for 3 months in power.

The Social Democrats, now in opposition following a no-confidence motion passed in October, joined forces with Pro Romania, the party headed by the former prime minister Victor Ponta, and, also backed by the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, came up with more than enough votes to bring the Orban Government down.

The stakes are high: the voting system for the forthcoming local election. The current format, with only one round of voting, favours the big parties, including the Social Democrats. And although its approval rates are declining, the Social Democratic Party continues to have the largest number of seats in Parliament and the largest number of mayors in the country. So the change in the voting system pushed forth by the Liberal Party would first and foremost affect the Social Democrats.

In turn, the National Liberal Party, whose number of supporters has almost doubled since 2016 to around 47% according to opinion polls, also has a substantial number of mayors, but says a 2-round election system would ensure more legitimacy to local officials.

The fall of the Orban Cabinet also paves the way to early elections, a scenario that both the Liberal Party and president Klaus Iohannis favour at present. According to president Iohannis, turning to voters is, at present, the most reasonable solution for the country. But the procedure for holding early elections is rather complicated, according to the Constitution. For the president to be able to dismantle Parliament, 2 prime minister nominations must be rejected within the coming 60 days.

This outcome is desirable for both the Liberals and the Social Democrats, for different reasons, says political analyst Cristian Pirvulescu. As he put it, “the Social Democratic Party found itself in a position to choose the lesser evil, between the 2-round voting in local elections and early parliamentary elections.

Another political analyst, Radu Magdin, agrees that the current result is good for the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians as well. “The Liberals target a 35% score in the parliamentary election, which is quite likely in the current circumstances, whereas the Social Democrats and the Ethnic Hungarian party focus on keeping the single-round voting for mayors. “Beyond going through the motions of political competition, Radu Magdin also says, this result also indicates heavy backstage negotiations. And the only party that stands to lose, according to opinion polls, is the 3rd placed actor, the USR-PLUS alliance.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

6 February 2020