Radio România Internațional

Tag: National Recovery and Resilience Plan

  • March 21, 2024 UPDATE

    March 21, 2024 UPDATE

    Forestry – The Romanian government approved the new Forestry Code on Thursday. As a result, clear cutting will be prohibited in almost half of the country’s forest area, as announced by the Minister of Environment, Water and Forests, Mircea Fechet. He added that the law allows the state to intervene and reforest the lands that have been deforested and abandoned by the owners. At the same time, the document gives private or state forest owners the right to alternative security solutions: specialized structures and security provided by own means, specifying that forest security is mandatory by law. Also, the right of access to the SUMAL 2 computer system is suspended whenever there are situations related to the theft of wood. The executive also approved a major investment in the infrastructure of the healthcare system: the construction of a new medical compound in which the Fundeni Clinical Institute from Bucharest should operate, in order to expand and improve the treatment conditions for patients. The building will have 21 modern operating rooms, intensive care units for multidisciplinary surgery and transplant surgery. Also on Thursday, the Romanian Government signed the contract regarding the construction of the Regional Emergency Hospital in Craiova (south). The medical unit will serve the entire Oltenia region and will be able to treat 800 people a day, as stated by Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu. Funds were also allocated for the refurbishment of the Berceni-Pipera highway, the busiest subway route in Bucharest.

     

    Recovery and Resilience – Romania has a little over two years left to achieve all the objectives assumed through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan – NRRP, the financial support package in the form of grants and loans, mainly intended to eliminate the problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The warning was launched in Bucharest by European Commission officials for the implementation of the NRRP. During the assessment conference of the state of implementation of the NRRP in Romania, the officials warned that failure to meet the milestones could put the country in a position to return the money received. The Romanian officials have given assurances that the Plan as a whole is in progress compared to last year.

     

    Summit – The heads of state and government from the European Union gathered in Brussels together with experts, for a summit aimed at giving a new impetus to the production of energy from nuclear sources. This field came back to the attention of Europe, with the war in Ukraine, and also due to the need to reduce the emissions of the classic industry. Nuclear energy is clean and not volatile, as is the case with wind or photovoltaic energy, where production depends on the weather, and Romania is one of the spearheads in terms of new technologies. The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis stated that Romania is determined to develop its nuclear energy program and is collaborating with the US to implement the small modular reactor technology. Iohannis emphasized that Bucharest wants to become a regional leader for nuclear operations, expertise, and also for the supply chain in the field. The trend of returning to energy from nuclear sources is not to the liking of environmental NGOs, which organized protests in Brussels, in parallel with the meeting of European leaders, and demand the concentration of investments strictly on renewable sources. In the capital of Belgium, the Romanian president also participates in the European Council meeting and the extended Euro Summit.

     

    Film – Films from the selections from Cannes, Berlin, Locarno, Venice, Toronto and Annecy can be found on the poster of the 28th edition of the French Film Festival in Romania, which takes place from March 21 to 31, in Bucharest and another 12 cities across the country. More than 100 film screenings will take place in cinemas and alternative cultural spaces, the organizers informed. They decided that the festival should be opened, in Bucharest, by the comedy ‘Une Annee Difficile’/’A difficult year’, made by Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano, the authors of the film ‘Intouchables’ – one of the biggest box office successes in France. (LS)

  • EC worries over Romania’s NRRP

    EC worries over Romania’s NRRP

    The European Commission is warning that 2024 is a crucial year for Romania, because the projects drawn up as part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan must be concretely implemented, otherwise the pre-financing must be returned. A new renegotiation of the Plan is no longer possible, experts from Brussels point out, so that, by August 2026, 400 milestones and targets must be reached, especially essential reforms in the tax field.

    Romania has achieved many important reforms under the NRRP umbrella, such as those on energy, justice, the fight against corruption and the pension system, but there are still other essential reforms that need to be implemented. Among them, the fiscal one and the one related to the efficiency of activity and corporate governance in state-owned enterprises, said Céline Gauer, the head of the Resilience and Recovery Task force, during the conference on assessing the status of the implementation of the NRRP in Romania. According to the EU official, the third payment request that Romania submitted is delayed, compared to the stage in which it should be. Mrs. Gauer also specified that many activities are delayed and that some investments have not even started in real terms and drew attention to the fact that there is no longer any possibility of amending the NRRP.

    Moreover, the European Commission is concerned about the fiscal situation in Romania and expects the budget deficit to approach 7% of the Gross Domestic Product, much more than the assumed target for this year. Another expert of the Commission, Declan Costello, has reminded the officials in Bucharest that the reform of the tax system is an objective assumed by Romania through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. He drew attention to the fact that there are still problems with revenue collection, and the salary reform in the public sector could come with additional costs.

    For their part, the representatives of the government in Bucharest claim that they have a permanent dialogue with the European Commission and that they expect the successful attraction of European money. Romania has made important progress in the implementation of the NRRP, but we must take into account the challenges that arose after the pandemic crisis, related to the increase in inflation, the effects of the war in Ukraine and the distortions in the supply chains, all of which generate a complicated situation on a European and global level, but also in Romania, said the Minister of Investments and European Projects, Adrian Câciu.

    The fulfillment of certain milestones and targets in the NRRP is accelerated, for others there are still delays, but the Plan as a whole is moving forward, compared to last year, the minister believes. Adrian Câciu has given assurances that all reforms will be implemented:

    “We already have 9.4 billion euros in our accounts. This means that we have already received 33.1% of the funds allocated to Romania. Out of these funds allocated to Romania, 1.9 billion euros have been spent, almost 20% of the money received is also money absorbed”.

    We recall that Romania benefits from a total allocation of around 30 billion euros for the implementation of the NRRP, in the form of grants and loans that it should use until the end of 2026. (DB)

  • Net investments on the rise in Romania

    Net investments on the rise in Romania

    The net investments made in the Romanian economy increased significantly in the first nine months of last year, reaching 118 billion lei (the equivalent of about 23.6 billion euros). It’s 14% more compared to the period January-September 2022 – reveals the data provided, in the first days of this year, by the National Institute of Statistics. Most of the investments belong to the majority private sector, almost 98 billion lei.



    According to the NIS, the money invested in new construction works and the purchase of machinery, including means of transport, totalled over 74 billion lei, representing 62% of all investments in the national economy. In the first nine months of last year, the number of building permits decreased, however, by approximately 8,000, to 26,000, mostly issued for rural areas, and the number of completed household units decreased to approximately 50,000, which was 3,000 less compared to the period January-September 2022.



    Romania, a construction site, headlines, however, the economic press in Bucharest, which takes a look at the large energy infrastructure or transport works financed by the state, as well as those launched by county councils or local administrations. Regarding the road network, for example, this year, for the first time, there will be three motorways fully under construction, at the same time: Moldova motorway (east), with 13 lots, Bucharest Highway (in fact, a bypass of the Capital), with four lots, and the Bucharest-Nădlac Motorway (west), with three lots, Transport Ministry officials have announced. In addition, works will begin on Unirea Motorway (center) and the first express road built in Romania, Craiova-Pitesti (south), which totals 120 kilometers, will be rendered operational.



    The cited sources also state that, currently, execution contracts are concluded for 760 kilometers of high-speed roads, tenders are in progress for another 120 kilometers, and the launch of tenders for more than 750 more is planned. The year 2024 must continue in the same direction, says Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu. The Social Democratic head of the PSD-PNL Government promises that his executive team will continue to meet the milestones of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, which will allow Romania to achieve an economic growth of 3.4%, the second highest in the European Union.



    This year will be the year of investments, says the prime minister, recalling that a record amount of 120 billion lei was allocated to this sector in the state budget, i.e. more than 7 percent of the Gross Domestic Product. The parliamentary opposition, on the other hand, believes that the government is overly optimistic about the Treasury’s ability to collect money for the budget, which will inevitably affect the investment sector as well. (MI)

  • European Commission cautions Romania

    European Commission cautions Romania

    The European
    Commission has again referred to the economic situation in Romania, at present
    the only EU Member State targeted by the excessive deficit procedure (EDP)
    based on evolutions prior to the pandemic. The warning comes as the Commission
    has published a set of general fiscal, financial and economic recommendations
    for each Member State. Brussels does not want to take other similar actions in
    the upcoming period, Commission vice-president Valdis Dombrovskis says, arguing
    that a re-assessment of criteria to meet debt and deficit targets will be made
    this autumn and next year in spring. In particular, the Commission wants Member
    States to comply with recommendations in the European semester, vice-president
    Dombrovskis also pointed out, adding that investments should be doubled by a
    very firm control of current spending.

    As regards Romania, the European
    official said our country’s budget deficit for 2022 complies with the EU
    Council recommendations, which is why the EDP is kept in standby. But since
    there are substantially larger risks for the current year, more efforts are
    needed to attain the set targets, Valdis Dombrovskis went on to say. According
    to European officials, Romania is overspending at present, and needs to bring
    the budget deficit below 3% by 2024. The Commission’s recommendation is that
    the government should cut support measures in the energy sector, which are
    currently in place until the end of 2023, and use the resulting savings to
    curtail the deficit. Another recommendation is to ensure efficient governance
    and consolidate administrative capabilities so as to allow for a continuous,
    swift and constant implementation of the recovery and resilience plan. Romania
    was given six months to solve all the issues signaled by the Commission with
    respect to certain milestones or targets in the National Recovery and
    Resilience Plan, which it has not properly fulfilled. State Secretary with the
    Ministry of Investments and European Projects, Carmen Moraru explained that
    only the funds earmarked to these projects can be suspended, not the entire
    €2.8 bln representing the second installment disbursed to Romania. Referring to
    the current phase of its implementation, Carmen Moraru said the plan stipulates
    funding contracts worth €26 bln, addressing the ministries of development,
    transports, education and the environment, which launched major projects. (VP)



  • The first tranche of money provided under the National Recovery and Resilie

    The first tranche of money provided under the National Recovery and Resilie

    Romania will benefit from a total funding of 29.2 billion Euros under the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism to finance the reforms and investments included in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. More exactly, it is a grant of 14.24 billion Euros and a funding of 14.942 billion Euros, provided on favorable terms – i.e. in the form of low-interest loans, guaranteed by the European Commission. On Thursday, Brussels transferred to Bucharest the first 1.8 billion Euros, i.e. a pre-financing of 13% of the amount allocated to Romania. The rest of the total pre-financing of almost 3.8 billion Euros is to be transferred by the end of the year. With the pre-financing payment, the investments and reforms set by Romania under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan must be started – a plan structured on 6 pillars and divided into 15 components, meant to cover Romanias needs and to simultaneously follow the European Commissions priorities. In the chapter “Transition to the green economy”, Romania has proposed investments of 3.9 billion Euros for the modernization of railways, including with electrified equipment or without carbon emissions. In addition, 2.7 billion Euros will be invested in the renovation of public buildings and blocks of flats, to both insulate them and to make them more resistant to earthquakes.



    The National Plan also provides for investments worth 1.5 billion Euros for the digitalization of the public administration, in such areas as justice, employment and social protection, the environment and the issuance of electronic identity cards for 8.5 million Romanians. In addition, 881 million Euros will go to the digitalization of education, for example, to improve the skills of teachers, the educational content and the digital equipment. There is also a chapter on strengthening economic and social resilience, which is meant to make Romania have a better decision-making process and better-supported taxation in the future. How can this be done? Through a consolidated budgetary framework, through reforms in the tax administration and the fiscal framework, through the reform of the pension system and through a better control of expenditures.



    The plan also includes measures to improve the business environment by strengthening the independence of the judiciary, its quality and efficiency, combating corruption and achieving a predictable decision-making system. As to the health system, the plan provides for investments of two billion Euros in hospital infrastructure, and also in improving the education system in the field. In terms of national risk resistance, the plan also provides for the reform of the minimum inclusion income, which should simplify and improve social support for the most vulnerable and should also stimulate employment and professional training. For all these, the money will come in installments, depending on the fulfillment of certain objectives, which must be achieved by August 31, 2026. (LS)

  • May 31, 2021 UPDATE

    May 31, 2021 UPDATE

    Measures. A new set of restrictions is lifted in Romania as of June 1st. Private parties with a limited number of attendants are allowed again, as well as sporting events, also in enclosed spaces. Clubs, nightclubs, as well as indoor playgrounds and pools will also reopen. The number of participants can exceed the maximum allowed if all participants are vaccinated. Outdoor cultural events are also permitted with a maximum of 1,000 participants, provided the incidence rate is below 3 per thousand inhabitants. Face masks can also be eliminated in workplaces with a maximum of 5 employees allowed in each office, if they have been vaccinated.



    Covid-19RO. The largest batch of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine – 1.1 million doses – arrived in Romania on Monday. The vaccine may now be administered to children aged 12-15, after the European Medicines Agency endorsed the vaccine as safe for this age bracket. Since the start of the vaccination campaign at the end of 2020, over 4.3 million people have been vaccinated in Romania against COVID-19, of whom more than three quarters with both doses. Last weekend saw new vaccination marathons across the country. Meanwhile, the number of COVID-19 infections has been dropping. All counties are reporting an incidence rate below 1 per one thousand inhabitants in the last 14 days. On Monday, the Group for Strategic Communication announced the lowest number of infections reported in the last 24 hours since the start of the pandemic: 153. Also, another 36 related fatalities were reported. 425 people are still in intensive care.



    E-ARC. The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, stated on Monday, in Bucharest, during the inauguration ceremony of the headquarters of the Euro-Atlantic Center for Resilience (E-ARC), that this is an absolutely necessary tool and expressed his conviction that it will bring added value in the current geo-political context. The centers activity will focus on specific areas, including the response to emerging and disruptive technologies, but also communications or transport, and Romania wants to involve not only the best specialists in the country, but also experts from EU and NATO member states, as well as from partner countries in the region. The inauguration ceremony was attended by the Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, the Deputy Secretary General of NATO, Mircea Geoana, and the Vice President of the European Commission for Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight, Maros Sefcovic.



    Visit. European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic stated on Monday that he was very impressed with Romanias activity in terms of resilience against vulnerabilities. In a speech at the 2021 Atlantic-Black Sea Security Forum, hosted by the Aspen Institute in Romania, Maros Sefcovic stressed that the European Union and NATO need to be better prepared, at a time in which we move away from multilateralism towards a multipolar world, in which great powers are in competition. Maros Sefcovic participated, together Mircea Geoana and Bogdan Aurescu, in the panel “Responding to Challenges – NATO and the EU in a Post-Pandemic World.”



    NATO. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has responded with the greatest ability to adapt, in the context in which it is currently facing the most challenging security environment in a generation. The statement was made on Monday by the Deputy Secretary General of NATO, the Romanian Mircea Geoana, whose agenda includes a visit to the command of the Multinational Division Southeast, which participates in the NATO exercise Steadfast Defender 21. Mircea Geoana stressed that this exercise “has been planned for a long time, it is not directed against anyone and it is strictly defensive”. Approximately 4,000 soldiers and over 600 vehicles and aircraft from 12 NATO states participate in Romania in Noble Jump 2021, the Rapid Reaction stage of the allied exercise Steadfast Defender 21, which is currently taking place in over 20 allied countries or NATO partners. This stage began on May 19, when, according to the scenario of the exercise, NATO alerted the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force to travel from Turkey to Romania, through Bulgaria.



    NRRP. Romanias National Recovery and Resilience Plan was officially submitted to the European Commission on Monday, as announced by Cristian Ghinea, the Minister of Investments and European Projects. 30 separate documents for each of the Plans sections were uploaded to the Commissions digital platform. After the Commission rejected the first draft submitted by the Romanian Government, the revised Plan will be made public on June 2, Romania being one the few countries at EU level to do this, Minister Ghinea explained. Liberal Prime Minister Florin Cîţu has stated that the document has already been presented in Parliaments specialized committees, and experts from the Social-Democratic Party in opposition saw the final draft. The Social-Democratic leader Marcel Ciolacu has voiced disappointment that the plan hasnt been discussed in detail and claimed the reforms and funds allotted to SMEs are unknown. Romania will receive nearly 30 million Euro under its National Recovery and Resilience Plan.



    EPPO. The European Public Prosecutors Office (EPPO), the EUs new anti-fraud prosecution body, starts its activity on June 1, under the leadership of former head of the Romanian Anticorruption Directorate (DNA), Laura Codruţa Kövesi. According to estimates, corruption, embezzlement and fraud are causing losses of some €500 million every year to the EU budget. Starting June 1, European prosecutors will take action against criminal activities of this kind and will make sure no funds are wasted due to corruption and fraud, European Commissioner for Values and Transparency, Věra Jourová, has said. Responsible for identifying and investigating corruption cases, EPPO will have an annual budget of €45 million. (MI)

  • May 10-14

    May 10-14

    Relaxation measures come into force on May 15th, thanks to a downward infection trend in Romania

    The COVID-19 pandemic maintains its downward trend in Romania, the infection rate falling, this week, below the threshold of 1.5 cases per thousand inhabitants accumulated in 14 days. Further urging people to get vaccinated, in order to meet the targets set to ensure herd immunity, the authorities decided that measures can be relaxed as of 15 May. A step-by-step relaxation, according to the head of state Klaus Iohannis, who announced on Thursday a timetable that includes steps until September 1. A reassessment will take place at the end of summer to establish the measures to be put in place in autumn.

    Klaus Iohannis: As of May 15th, wearing a mask outdoors is no longer mandatory, with a few exceptions, such as in markets, fairs or public transport stops. The second measure to come into force immediately is the elimination of circulation restrictions at night. Also, shops will resume their normal opening hours. Also as of this weekend, open-air sports events are allowed at 25% seating capacity.

    Other measures will be taken on June 1st, starting with an increase in the allowed accommodation capacity, number of people in restaurants and participants in weddings or other festive events. As regards schools, most pupils are likely to go back to school physically in the following weeks, the president said. -Jingle –

    PM Florin Citu explained in Brussels Romania’s priorities, as established under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan

    This week, Romania’s PM Florin Citu has met in Brussels with several members of the EC to explain Romania’s priorities, as established in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The Government keeps its commitment to ensuring a sustainable post-pandemic growth, with focus on reform and investment, Florin Citu said:

    The NRRP has two components. One focuses on reforms, which the Government committed to under its governing program, the fiscal-budgetary strategy and the convergency program. The other one is the investment component. The resources that Romania will get will go to the economic sectors that are most productive. Florin Citu

    We had 3 major goals for this visit, to clarify and agree on major reforms with the European Commission, to establish that Romania will ask for all 29 billion, including loans – at this time only Romania and Italy will access the entire amount – and establish the most advanced investment components and what is left to work on the others. We have reached all 3 goals, said Cristian Ghinea, Minister of European Investments and Projects, who accompanied the Prime Minister to Brussels.

    Spring economic forecasts on Romania

    The Romanian economy registered a less severe fall last year than expected, and the return to the pre-crisis economic activity level is likely to take place before the end of this year, according to the European Commission’s spring forecast. Noting that there is still a degree of uncertainty due to the unpredictable evolution of the pandemic and due to potential problems in the supply of vaccines, the European executive estimates that Romania’s Gross Domestic Product will increase by 5.1% this year and by 4.9% in 2022.

    These positive signals are extraordinarily gratifying, but I reiterate the call for caution – we must maintain the record pace of public investment, while controlling budget expenditures for Romania to record sustainable economic growth, Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare said. According to the Commission, Romania’s budget deficit will decrease to 8% of the GDP this year and 7.1% of the GDP next year, from a level of 9.2% last year. Inflation is expected to rise slightly to 2.9% this year, followed by a decline to 2.7% next year.

    The 5th anniversary of the missile defense system in Deveselu

    In Bucharest, the celebration of 5 years since the missile-defense system in Deveselu (southern Romania) became operational was marked by an event organized by the Senate’s Defense Committee. The Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, recalled that the Deveselu facility represents a Romanian-American contribution to collective defense within NATO. At the same time, it represents an extremely important dimension in the security and military cooperation between Romania and the United State, within the Strategic Partnership for the 21st Century concluded by the two states, the minister added. Bogdan Aurescu also referred to the B9 Summit hosted on Monday in Bucharest by President Klaus Iohannis, a summit also attended via videoconference by the US President Joe Biden. The event in Bucharest also marked the 10th anniversary of the signing of the Agreement between Romania and the USA on the location of the ballistic missile defense system.

    The Romanian Foreign Ministry monitors the situation in Israel and the Palestinian territories

    The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has strongly condemned the rocket fire launched from the Gaza Strip, targeting civilian areas in Israel, and deeply regrets the loss of life in recent days. The head of diplomacy in Bucharest, Bogdan Aurescu, set up a working group, which met urgently to permanently monitor and assess the situation in Israel and the Palestinian territories, as well as to identify the main directions of action to support Romanians in the area affected by conflict. The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has raised the alert level for the area affected by the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian territories and recommends avoiding travel to the region. (MI)

  • Adjustments made to PNRR

    Adjustments made to PNRR

    The
    National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) has been adjusted as per the
    recommendations of the European Commission regarding major reforms and
    investment projects which Bucharest authorities want to implement over the coming
    period. Prime Minister Florin Cîţu has called on his Cabinet to finalize all
    proposals for this document ahead of talks due to take place next week with Commission
    representatives. Florin Cîţu said the Plan has been adjusted to reflect the
    Commission’s recommendations, from 42 billion Euro to 29 billion Euro, after
    cutting back on investments in a number of fields. The Prime Minister said PNRR
    will absorb all the funds allotted to Romania.


    It’s
    time we accelerated things a bit. We have a few details to work out. I’m sure
    PNRR will represent Romania’s development interests in the coming period and,
    of course, we will be implementing them. There are a lot of things to discuss,
    but I am sure PNRR will be good for us, and we will be attracting all the funds
    earmarked for Romania.


    The
    adjustment of the plan involved modifications to allocations to the project Educated
    Romania. Education will therefore receive 3.7 billion Euro, way above the EU
    average, Minister for Investments and European Projects, Cristian Ghinea, has
    explained.


    As
    per the European Parliament’s recommendation, I’ve said from the very beginning
    that education is a priority. PNRR originally allotted 4 billion Euro to
    education, which now has been cut back to 3.7 billion. Right now, 12% of the
    Plan’s funds go to education, which is way above the EU average and the
    recommendation of the European Parliament.


    PNRR
    could help adjust the public budget deficit to around 3% of the GDP in 2024, by
    supporting the domestic market, a convergence report published by the National
    Bank of Romania reads. According to the report, PNRR and the Multiannual
    Financial Framework are extremely important for Romania, helping correct the
    budget deficit, reduce the impact of the recession and, by means of structural reforms
    and quality public investments, influence the evolution of the GDP on the
    medium-term, the report reads. In Tuesday’s session, the Government in
    Bucharest adopted the National Convergence Plan, providing for reforms of the
    pension and salary systems, state-owned companies and the public administration.
    (V.P.)

  • April 28, 2021

    April 28, 2021


    Covid-19RO. Over 2,200 new cases of COVID-19 infection
    were reported in Romania on Wednesday. The number of hospitalized patients is around
    10,000. Of these, more than 1,300 are in intensive care. The total toll, since
    the beginning of the pandemic in February last year, has exceeded 1,050,000 cases
    of infection and 27,800 deaths. The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, has once
    again called on the population to get vaccinated, stating that this is the only
    way to end the pandemic. In the coming days, new vaccination centers will be
    opened in Romania. On Thursday, the first drive-through center will be opened
    in Bucharest, where people will be able to get the jab without prior
    appointment. Moreover, between May 7-9, a marathon of anti-Covid vaccination
    will be organized in the Capital. Currently, about a thousand vaccination
    centers are active, with a capacity of over 120,000 immunized people / day. So
    far, about 3.1 million Romanians have been vaccinated.




    Holiday. Before the May 1st mini-holiday, which this
    year coincides with the Orthodox Easter holiday, Prime Minister Florin Cîţu
    calls on the population to keep observing anti-coronavirus sanitary rules, even
    if Romania is now on a descending slope of the third wave of the pandemic. He has
    urged the prefects and the police to take all measures to ensure compliance
    with the health rules in place. In the Romanian resorts on the Black Sea, over
    30 thousand tourists are expected during the mini-holiday of May 1 and Easter.
    About 100 hotels will be opened, many of them already occupied at 70% capacity,
    the maximum allowed by the authorities. Tourists are not allowed to party on
    the beach, and wearing a mask is mandatory.






    Pandemic. Italy, which is home to the largest
    community of Romanians in the Diaspora, has started a gradual relaxation of restrictions,
    with 50% presence in schools, high schools and colleges, and with terraces,
    cinemas, theaters and museums allowed to open. As of May 15th, citizens
    will have access to swimming pools, from June to gyms, and from July to
    congresses and trade fairs. The Netherlands too is today taking a big step
    towards returning to normal, after four months of strict lockdown, with
    restrictions set to be lifted in several districts in the country. Citizens
    will be able to move during the night, shops and restaurant terraces will be
    reopened only under certain conditions, and the Dutch will be able to receive
    at most two visitors at home, compared to one so far. In Portugal, the state of
    emergency declared in November to curb the spread of Covid-19 will end on
    Friday. Around the world, according to worldometers, since the beginning of the
    pandemic, more than a year ago, some 149 million people have been infected with
    the new coronavirus. 3.1 million have died and more than 127 million have been
    declared cured.


    Government. Two projects for
    the repair and modernization of the Romanian railways are on the agenda of the
    executive in Bucharest, today. Also, a loan is to be approved that will help reform the
    health-care system. An emergency ordinance to protect Romanian workers abroad
    and to combat more effectively illegal employment is another topic on the
    Government’s agenda. This normative act also aims to prevent and reduce the
    possible effects caused by the existence of situations of force majeure or
    health crisis.






    Visit. The Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs,
    Bogdan Aurescu, is paying a working visit today to the Hungarian city of Gyula,
    where an important Romanian community lives. According to the MFA, Minister
    Aurescu has a meeting with representatives of the Romanian minority in Hungary,
    for discussions related to the protection and promotion of their ethnic,
    linguistic, cultural and religious identity rights. Bogdan Aurescu will also
    hold consultations with his counterpart Péter Szijjártó and important documents
    will be signed for the development of bilateral relations. The two officials will
    discuss, among other things, rendering the Romanian-Hungarian Chamber of
    Commerce in Budapest operational and the establishment of two new border
    crossing points. The meeting between Bogdan Aurescu and Péter Szijjártó takes
    place against the background of the completion of some important joint projects
    already agreed on the occasion of the visit to Bucharest, in February, of the
    Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs.








    Recovery Plan. France submits its economic recovery plan
    after the pandemic in Brussels today – a decisive step in order to receive 40
    billion euros in European aid. The European Commission has two months to
    evaluate member countries’ plans, and the first money could be accessed this
    summer, after approval by the Council and the European Parliament and national
    parliaments. In order to be validated by the European Commission, as in the
    case of other member countries, the National Recovery and Resilience Plan must
    meet several conditions, namely, to include commitments for long-term reforms, earmark
    37% of the funds for ecological transition, and 20% for digitization. Romania
    will submit its NRRP on May 31. In recent days, there has been an internal
    political dispute, the opposition Social Democratic Party claiming that the
    European Executive has rejected Romania’s draft plan. According to the Liberal
    Prime Minister, Florin Cîţu, at this moment, the plan is being negotiated, and
    the final form has not been established yet.










    Post-Brexit. The European Parliament is expected to
    ratify the post-Brexit trade agreement between the EU and the UK, after MEPs
    debated and voted it on Tuesday. They explained that the document, although not
    perfect, is the best option to mitigate, if not all, at least the worst effects
    of the British withdrawal from the Union and to ensure the integrity of the
    single market. The document sets out preferential regimes, inter alia, for
    trade in goods and services, digital trade, intellectual property, public
    procurement, aviation and road transport, energy and fishing. (MI)



  • April 26, 2021

    April 26, 2021


    Vaccination. Romania
    receives, today, the largest batch of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, more than 725
    thousand doses, the National Committee for the Coordination of Vaccination
    Activities has announced. Also today, about 41 thousand doses of AstraZeneca
    vaccines are expected to arrive. Since the beginning of the vaccination
    campaign, on December 27, 2020, almost 5 million doses of vaccine have been
    administered to more than 3 million people. Of these, about 1.8 million
    received both doses. On the other hand, Bucharest still has 3.68 cases of
    SARS-CoV-2 infection per thousand inhabitants. The counties of Ilfov (southeast)
    and Cluj (northwest) have reported similar rates. The Strategic Communication
    Group announced just over 1,500 new cases of infection in 24 hours. 1,358
    people are hospitalized in Intensive Care and 127 people have died from Covid-19
    in the same period.




    Pandemic. Nearly 148
    million people have been infected with the new coronavirus in the world since
    the beginning of the pandemic – according to worldometers.info. More than 125
    million people have recovered and 3.1 million have died from the infection.
    More and more European countries are easing restrictions as vaccination
    programs begin to show results. In Italy, 14 regions have today entered the yellow
    scenario, which allows the reopening of restaurants, theaters and cinemas. Only
    Sardinia remains in the red zone, with the most severe anti-COVID restrictions
    still in place. In Belgium, beauty shops and stores are allowed to open. In
    France, schools will be reopened as of next week. In Berlin, a so-called
    vaccination summit is scheduled between the state leadership and the federal
    government, to discuss the suspension or partial lifting of restrictions. Greece
    is today lifting quarantine restrictions for tourists coming from several
    countries as Greek authorities prepare for the official opening of the summer
    seasons on May 15.




    Recovery Plan. President Klaus
    Iohannis has a working meeting today in Bucharest on the National Recovery and
    Resilience Plan (PNRR) with Prime Minister Florin Cîţu, Chamber of Deputies
    President Ludovic Orban, Deputy Prime Ministers Dan Barna and Kelemen Hunor and
    the Minister of Investments and European Projects, Cristian Ghinea, the
    Presidential Administration has announced. Last week, the head of state
    announced that he had convened this meeting with government officials working on
    the Plan. The government is due to make some changes to the plan, before
    officially presenting it to the European Commission, after the EU executive
    said that the amounts provided for infrastructure were too high and that it
    would not agree with the financing of irrigation systems. The head of state
    believes that the document can be improved and accepted by the European
    Commission. The document should be submitted to the EC by the end of April, for Romania to
    benefit from over 30 billion Euros for development. President Iohannis has specified
    that the deadline set for the completion of the plan is indicative, not final. According
    to the opposition Social Democratic Party, the rejection of the document is a
    failure of the current government. The party’s president, Marcel Ciolacu,
    insists that the National Recovery and Resilience Plan be debated transparently
    in Parliament.


    Diplomacy. The Romanian
    authorities have decided to declare the deputy military attaché of the Russian
    Embassy in Bucharest, Alexey Grishaev, persona non grata on Romanian territory.
    According to a communiqué of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the
    decision was taken considering that his activities and actions contravene
    the provisions of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations .
    Also according to the Romanian MFA, these elements were communicated to the
    Russian side, when the Ambassador of the Russian Federation in Bucharest Valery
    Kuzmin was summoned at the ministry’s headquarters, at the request of the Romanian
    Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu.




    Moldova. The statement
    approved on Friday in the Chisinau Parliament, according to which the
    Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova allegedly ‘usurps’ power in the
    state, shows contempt for the Court’s independence, said Romanian Foreign
    Minister Bogdan Aurescu. He criticized the attempt of the pro-Russian majority
    in the Parliament to change the composition of the Constitutional Court, an
    approach which, he said, shows the importance that must continue to be given to
    the rule of law in the Republic of Moldova. The action of the Socialists and their
    allies from the Shor party comes after the reformist president of the republic,
    Maia Sandu, announced that she would soon sign the decree to dissolve the parliament,
    following the Court’s opinion and would announce the date of the early
    parliamentary elections. EU officials and the US ambassador to Chisinau
    described Friday’s vote as a violation of the separation of powers in the
    state.




    Car scrapping. The Rabla Clasic and Rabla Plus car scrapping programs, for the renewal of the Romanian
    car fleet, can be accessed starting today. Rabla Clasic has a budget of 440
    million lei (about 88 million euros), higher than last year, which will allow
    the purchase of over 55,000 new, less polluting vehicles. At the same time, the
    Rabla Plus program, intended for the purchase of electric cars, benefits from a
    budget of 400 million lei (approximately 80 million euros), through which
    premiums of 10,000 euros will be granted for ‘full electric’ and about 4,500
    euro for plug-in hybrid cars, but not more than half the value of the new
    vehicle. Based on the budget allocated this year, Rabla Plus will facilitate
    the purchase of up to 6,600 electric cars and approximately 5,000 plug-in
    hybrid cars.




    Oscars.
    ‘Nomadland’ was the big winner of the 93rd Academy Awards, winning the
    ‘Best Picture’, ‘Best Director’ (Chloe Zhao) and ‘Best Best Supporting Actress’
    (Frances McDormand) awards. The event, held on Sunday night in Los Angeles,
    hosted numerous firsts, as well as the return to the physical format of the glamorous
    ceremonies in Hollywood after a long break caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Reuters
    reports. The list of big winners was completed by the legendary Anthony
    Hopkins, who at the age of 83 won the second Oscar of his career for the lead
    role in The Father. The award for Best Documentary was
    won by the feature film My Octopus Teacher and the Oscar for Best
    Foreign Language Film went to the Danish film Another Round. The film
    directed by Alexandru Nanau, Collective, did not win any awards but it is the
    first Romanian production to have been nominated in two categories of the
    prestigious competition: best documentary and best foreign
    film.






    Tennis. Romanian tennis
    player Sorana Cirstea (No. 67 in the world) won the WTA tournament in Istanbul,
    with 235,238 dollars in prize money. She defeated the Belgian Elise Mertens
    6-2, 7-6 in Sunday’s final. In addition to the two titles won in Tashkent
    (2008) and Istanbul (2021), Sorana Cirstea also played in three singles finals,
    in Budapest (2007), Toronto (2013) and Tashkent (2019). Last year, the title in
    Istanbul was won by another Romanian, Patricia Ţig. (MI)



  • March 19, 2021

    March 19, 2021

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




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




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




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




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




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

  • March 17, 2021 UPDATE

    March 17, 2021 UPDATE


    COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – The Covid-19 vaccination campaign continues
    in Romania. Since its start on December 27, more than 1.5 million people have
    been vaccinated, mostly with Pfizer-BioNTech, but also with Moderna and
    AstraZeneca. Romania has decided to continue the vaccination with AstraZeneca
    shots, based on scientific data and the recommendations of the European
    Medicines Agency, the coordinator of the immunization campaign, Valeriu
    Gheorghita, has stated. He’s said the decision was not easy to make, given that
    so many European countries have decided to temporarily halt the use of the
    vaccine as a precautionary measure, following reports of blood clotting in
    people who got the jab. The third stage of vaccination, for the general
    population, started on Monday. For the time being, people are vaccinated in the
    localities where the incidence of cases is higher than 4.5 per one thousand
    inhabitants. The rest of the population can register for the waiting lists on
    the electronic platform. More than 6.200 new cases of infection were reported
    in Romania in the last 24 hours, as well as 89 Covid-19 related deaths. 1,266
    people are currently in intensive care.




    COVID-19 IN THE WORLD – Several Eastern European countries are
    faced with the third wave of the pandemic, which puts pressure on health
    systems again. Hungary has a new hospitalization record for COVID-19 related
    cases. This country with less than 10 million inhabitants currently has over
    9,800 hospitalized people, of whom about 1,000 in intensive care. Bulgaria is
    the fourth country in the EU with the highest number of deaths reported in the
    last 14 days, after Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary. The situation is
    much worse in the Czech Republic, which is the country with the highest number
    of cases of infection in the EU, ie 15.7 per one thousand inhabitants in the
    last two weeks. On the other hand, on Tuesday, the European Medicines Agency
    announced that it remained firmly convinced that the benefits of the
    anti-COVID-19 vaccine produced by Astra Zeneca outweighed the risks. Several
    countries have suspended the use of Astra Zeneca after signaling possible side
    effects. Worldwide, according to worldometers, more than 121 million people
    have been infected with the new coronavirus. At least 2.6 million people have
    died and nearly 97 million have been declared cured since the beginning of the
    pandemic a year ago.




    PLAN – Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday attended a
    working meeting on the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). Attended
    by the leaders of the ruling coalition, the meeting agreed on the plan, which
    represents a chance for Romania’s development and carrying out reforms that have
    been put off for so many years, the president said. The €30 billion provided in
    the plan will give Romanian economy and society increased resilience in the
    case of upcoming crises. Previously, the Minister of European Investments and
    Projects, Cristian Ghinea, said that one of the important components of the
    plan is fighting poverty. Cristian Ghinea has also mentioned a program for
    reducing school dropout, which targets 1,600 schools and a bridge scholarship
    program for high school students, especially those from rural areas. He also
    spoke about investments to increase Romanians’ access to the health system,
    including the construction of new hospitals and the modernization of existing
    ones.




    GOVERNMENT – The Romanian Government on Wednesday debated the draft
    law banning cumulated pension-salary incomes, put up for public debate by the
    Ministry of Labor. According to the labour ministry, pensioners in the public
    system will be able to choose to continue working until the age of 70, during
    which time the payment of the pension will be suspended. Labor Minister Raluca
    Turcan said some 35,000 pensioners who are currently also receiving state-paid
    salaries must choose between one of the two within 30 days of the law taking
    effect. Exempted from this law will be people with certain categories of
    income, such as hourly pay or copyrights. Under the draft law, members of the
    Romanian Academy, Member of Parliament or workers in the local administration
    will also be exempted from this law.




    SEA SHIELD 21 – Over 2,400 military from eight countries, 18
    battleships and 10 aircraft are taking part over March 19-29 in Sea Shield
    21, the largest multinational NATO exercise hosted by the Romanian Naval
    Forces in 2021 in the Black Sea area. According to the Romanian Ministry of
    Defense, navy forces from Bulgaria, Greece, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania,
    Spain, the United States and Turkey are taking part in drills overseen by Fleet
    Command. The purpose of Sea Shield 21 is to verify and consolidate the level of
    interoperability and cooperation between the Romanian Naval Forces and the
    other branches of the Romanian Army, various structures within the Interior
    Ministry and allied naval forces. The exercises will cover every stage of a
    standard NATO maritime response to a geopolitical crisis in the region and is
    aimed at proving the Romanian Army’s constant commitment to strengthening
    NATO’s maritime posture against a volatile security context. After the illegal
    annexation of Crimea in 2014 by the Russian Federation, the Romanian Naval
    Forces recommended the introduction of this tactical exercise on NATO’s agenda
    of collective defense training, in order to develop the interoperability of all
    its combat forces (maritime, underwater, land and air). The first edition of
    Sea Shield was held in 2015. Over the following years its agenda was adapted to
    provide a swift and effective response to a whole array of threats to maritime
    security and stability in the region.




    BUDGETS – Parliament’s budget and finance committees on Wednesday
    issued a negative opinion for the activity reports of the public TV and radio
    broadcasters in 2018 and 2019. Ruling coalition MPs voted for a negative
    opinion, while Social-Democrats and AUR MPs in opposition voted against. After
    getting the committee’s opinion, the reports will be submitted to Parliament’s
    culture committee, which must draft a report of its own, which in turn will be
    submitted for debate and vote in Parliament’s plenary sitting. Should
    Parliament reject the two institutions’ activity reports, their management will
    be sacked. (M.I. & V.P.)