Radio România Internațional

Tag: negotiations

December 17, 2020 UPDATE

Covid-19 Ro — 5,697 new cases of SARS-CoV-2 contamination have been registered in Romania in the last 24 hours, after 28,099 tests have been made at national level – the Strategic Communication Group informed on Thursday afternoon. In the same period, 107 infected people died, taking the total death toll to 13,969. 11,860 COVID-19 patients are hospitalized in specialized health units, of whom 1,297 in intensive care. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, 577,446 cases of people infected with the new coronavirus have been confirmed in Romania, of whom over 477 thousand have recovered. The number of Romanians abroad confirmed with the new coronavirus increased to 7,034, three more than the latest figure reported, with the number of deaths remaining at 127. President Klaus Iohannis convened a new working meeting to manage the COVID-19 epidemic, to be attended by the interim Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă and the main officials in the health domain. The health minister Nelu Tataru announced that the executive approved on Thursday the norms regarding the authorization, organization and functioning of vaccination centers against COVID-19. The document creates the legal framework for the involvement of the Defense and Interior Ministries in this campaign. Funds were also approved that are necessary for the organization and functioning of vaccination centers as well as additional funds for the Health Ministry, meant for the purchase of new medicines stocks and anti-COVID-19 treatments.

Rules — The National Committee for Emergency Situations on Thursday established a series of health protection rules for the organization of official events, parliamentary sessions, meetings, preparatory working meetings, as well as ceremonies commemorating the events of December 1989. At official ceremonies taking place indoors the participants are obliged to wear face masks and to keep physical distance of at least one meter. Also the organizers of the events have to ensure areas of four square meters for each person and to ventilate the rooms for at least 10 minutes every 2 hours. The first 3 rules also apply to official events held in open spaces where a maximum of 100 participants are allowed. Also on Thursday, the National Committee for Emergency Situations updated the list of countries and territories considered to have a high epidemiological risk. The people coming to Romania from these countries must be quarantined for 14 days, a period that can be shortened after the 3rd day based on a negative COVID-19 test. The list of so-called yellow zones includes the Republic of Moldova, the Netherlands, Cyprus and Turkey, with Italy having been eliminated. All in all, 37 states and territories are on the updated list of the Romanian authorities.

Donation — Germany has donated to Romania medical equipment for the intensive care units where COVID-19 patients are being treated. The equipment consists of 40 pulmonary ventilation devices intended for the treatment of patients suffering from moderate and severe forms. The equipment was transported to Bucharest by a Romanian air force aircraft. The same aircraft brought home 4 Romanian soldiers who had been wounded in October in a mission in Afghanistan and who were treated at a medical center in Germany. According to the Romanian Defense Ministry, they will be hospitalized for evaluation by a medical commission. Depending on the outcome of clinical and paraclinical investigations, the military will benefit from specialized medical treatments, psychological assistance and counseling and postoperative neuromotor recovery programs that are adapted and individualized.

Negotiations — In Romania, the negotiations between PNL, USR-PLUS Alliance and UDMR for the formation of a center-right governing coalition will continue on Friday, the leaders of the three parties have announced. In a joint statement, they said that all solutions were on the table and that each party expressed flexibility. The negotiations resumed on Thursday, after the three parties had not managed to reach an agreement in the last two days. The Liberals have come up with two options for the prime minister post – the current finance minister, Florin Cîţu and the former PM, the Liberal president Ludovic Orban. According to the Liberals, this decision could make the negotiations more flexible, but the USR- PLUS Alliance has already rejected the idea of Ludovic Orban re-entering the race for the PM position. On the other hand, the Social Democrats propose Professor Alexandru Rafila for this position. President Klaus Iohannis urged the parties to reach a compromise and adding that he would nominate for the post of prime minister any person supported by a center-right coalition.

Commemoration — Thursday was a day of mourning in Timişoara (western Romania), where, on December 17, 1989, the dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu ordered the use of lethal ammunition against people who challenged, in the street, the communist regime he was leading. The protests in Timisoara, where almost 100 people died and about 350 were injured, were the spark that led, a few days later, to the fall of the dictator, following the bloodiest Revolution in Southeast Europe. In memory of the heroes of Timisoara, religious services were scheduled for this years commemoration as well as wreath laying ceremonies, pilgrimages to the monuments erected in the city in the hottest places of the Revolution, an exhibition and a special meeting of the Local Council.

Research – The interim government in Bucharest, led by Defense Minister Nicolae Ciucă, approved, in Thursdays meeting, a draft decision on the reorganization of the National Institute for Research and Development in Informatics. Thus, the Institute will be able to open, develop and put into practice the latest technologies and discoveries in the field of informatics and cyber security. At the same time, two other projects related to the payment of contributions to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development have been approved. The executive also analyzed a memorandum on the negotiation of the financing contract between Romania and the European Investment Bank, worth 250 million Euros, to support the Iasi Regional Emergency Hospital (northeast). (tr. L. Simion)

17 December 2020
December 16, 2020

Negotiations — President Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday signed the decree summoning the new Parliament on Monday, December 21. According to the Constitution, the newly elected Parliament meets upon the President’s request 20 days at the most after the elections. The Chamber of Deputies and the Senate are considered legally set up after the validation of two thirds of the MP mandates and after the MPs being sworn in. In another development, the negotiations between the PNL, USR-PLUS, UDMR for the formation of a center-right government coalition were again suspended on Tuesday after a failed attempt to re-launch talks. The 3 parties continue to argue over the distribution of the positions of PM and speakers of the Senate and Chamber of Deputies. The Liberals support the former PM Ludovic Orban as Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies while the co-president of the USR-PLUS alliance Dan Barna proposed Catalin Drula for this position. Barna also suggested three positions of deputy prime minister for each party, suggestion that was criticized though by the PNL and UDMR. Against the backdrop of tensions, PSD threatens to boycott Monday’s meeting for the validation of the new Parliament, as they are discontented with the way in which the three aforementioned parties are trying to distribute the key positions in Parliament and the future government. The Social Democrats are convinced that the correct solution in the context of the pandemic would be a national union government which should include all political forces that entered Parliament. Professor Alexandru Rafila is the Social Democrats’ proposal for the position of PM while PNL support the current finance minister Florin Citu for that position. The representatives of AUR – the Alliance for Romanians Union say they will attend the meeting and that a possible boycott will be a gesture of political irresponsibility.

Consultations — The Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu is today having political consultations with his counterpart from Northern Macedonia, Bujar Osmani, who is paying an official visit to Bucharest. The talks focus on the stage of and the perspectives for consolidating bilateral cooperation in all domains of common interest including in the economic field. During the talks the two officials will also tackle Romania’s support for Northern Macedonia’s European agenda and for the EU’s enlargement policy, the security issue, the relations within NATO, cooperation at regional level as well as within international organizations. Minister Bogdan Aurescu will reiterate Romania’s availability to provide assistance to the Republic of Northern Macedonia in the context of preparations for opening accession negotiations with the EU, the Romanian Foreign Ministry shows.

Commemoration — The western Romanian city of Timisoara and the revolutionary associations there have today started manifestations to commemorate the 1989 anti-Communist revolution. Manifestations will take place until December 22 and will be restricted in the context of the current COVID-19 pandemic. The festive meeting of the Local Council, to which the US Ambassador Adrian Zuckerman has been invited an an honorary guest, opens the series of manifestations devoted to the revolution heroes from Timisoara. Thursday will be a day of mourning in Timisoara, which back in 1989 became the first city free of Communism in Romania, after 45 years of Communist dictatorship. On Tuesday, the Hungarian Parliament started its session by paying homage to the 1989 people’s uprising in Timisoara which led to the fall of the Ceausescu regime. János Latorcai, the vice-president of the Hungarian Parliament, recalled that hundreds of Hungarians and Romanians tried to prevent the evacuation of the reformed pastor László Tőkés, and when their attempt failed, the extended people’s protest turned into a mass demonstration that led to the fall of the Communist regime. The revolt against Ceausescu broke out in Timisoara on December 16, 1989 and extended as of December 21 to Bucharest and other cities of Romania. More than 1,000 people died and around 3,000 were injured in the fighting that took place at the time in Romania, the only country in the Eastern Bloc where the change of regime occurred violently and the dictators were killed.

Covid-19 — More than 6,000 new COVID-19 cases and over 200 related deaths were reported on Tuesday in Romania, according to data provided by the Strategic Communication Group. There are more than 565 thousand cases of contamination and the death toll is nearing 13,700. 1,255 people are in ICUs. The National Defense Ministry will make available to the Public Health Directorates across Romania almost 600 military to support the general efforts to fight the Covid-19 pandemic in the coming period. They will work as call-center operators, PC operators to fill in data bases that are being made as part of the actions to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and also will undertake contact tracing activities. The authorities have recommended Romanians to limit their travels during the winter holidays in order to contain the spread of the virus. The first vaccines against COVID-19 will arrive in Romania most probably between Christmas and the New Year. (tr. L. Simion)

16 December 2020
Consultations for a new Government

The results of the December 6 general election make it difficult for a new government to be formed quickly. The only landslide win—over two-thirds of the eligible voters, a record for over 3 decades of post-communist democracy—was that of non-voters.

The share of each of the 5 parties that have made it into the new parliament requires complex negotiations if a functioning majority is to be created. After the first talks with political party leaders, president Klaus Iohannis admitted that such a majority has not been reached as yet:

Klaus Iohannis: “This first round of consultations occasioned a good exchange of views between the representatives of these parties and myself, but I can say that the conditions are not yet met for appointing a candidate in a position to form a new government.

The National Liberal Party, the USR PLUS Alliance and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians promise to carry on negotiations. The 3 have a combined 244 seats in Parliament, out of the total 465.

The Liberals (affiliated with the EPP) and USR PLUS (Renew Europe) have come up with separate proposals for a new PM: the incumbent finance minister Florin Câţu, and the former PM Dacian Cioloş, respectively. They also disagree over a new speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, a key element in the constitutional architecture in that it filters around 80% of Romanias proposed legislation.

Here is the Liberal leader, Ludovic Orban, who recently stepped down as PM:

Ludovic Orban: “We will carry on talks and will try to find what brings us together, what can be supported by all the political parties involved in this negotiation, and obviously what we believe is right for Romania.

And the co-president of the USR-PLUS Alliance, Dan Barna:

Dan Barna: “This is a real chance for Romania to have a stable and balanced centre-right majority, with the potential to govern Romania for 4 years and to achieve the reforms that are so important for the country.

A constant presence in Romanias coalition governments, be they right or left of centre, the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians, represented by their president Kelemen Hunor, says the only formula able to ensure stability is a coalition with the Liberals and USR PLUS.

For the time being, the relative winner of the vote, the Social Democratic Party, is isolated in the new parliament. Its leader Marcel Ciolacu pleads for a national unity government:

Marcel Ciolacu: “We insisted that Romania is going through a difficult period and we cannot afford a fragile parliamentary majority. A national unity government is the best solution at this time.

A new-comer to parliament, the nationalist AUR party, represented by co-president George Simion, says that all they seek in a broad coalition government would be the education ministry.

In an interview to Radio Romania, political scientist Andrei Ţăranu warns that negotiations must not take too long, because the country needs a government to manage the anti-COVID vaccination campaign and to draft the state budget for next year. (translated by: A.M. Popescu)

15 December 2020
Prospects for the Victoria Palace

Five parties have entered the new Parliament in Bucharest, following the legislative elections of December 6. According to the final results provided by the Central Electoral Bureau, the Social Democratic Party won the elections with around 29% of the votes both in the Senate and in the Chamber of Deputies. It is followed by the National Liberal Party, with about 25% of the votes and the Save Romania Union-PLUS Alliance – USR PLUS, with over 15%. 4th ranked is the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), recently set up and barely known, which managed, to the general surprise, to obtain about 9% of the votes. 5th ranked with almost 6% is the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania — UDMR.

The legislative elections of December 6 in Romania saw the lowest turnout in the last three decades, about 32%. On Sunday evening, when the polls closed, the Social Democrat leader Marcel Ciolacu and the liberal leader Ludovic Orban were both aware that their parties would not be able to govern alone. That is why PNL subsequently announced that it was starting negotiations for the formation of a parliamentary majority, and also of the future Government, proposing the current Finance Minister, Florin Cîţu, for the post of Prime Minister.

Ludovic Orban: “A difficult period will follow when we need people that have a good knowledge of the administration, of the public finances situation. We need a prime minister who has credibility in front of the business environment, in front of the international financial institutions. I think the finance minister is a very good proposal. I hope that, through negotiations, we will be able to form a parliamentary majority.”

PNL wants a majority in Parliament together with the USR-PLUS Alliance, UDMR and the representatives of the national minorities group, other than the Hungarian one. Negotiations are not going to be easy, though, given that the Liberals do not want to give up the Finance, Justice or Transport Ministries, which USR-PLUS would also like. On the other hand, the Social Democrats claim the position of prime minister, and want to designate medical professor Alexandru Rafila to the post, insisting that the countrys president Klaus Iohannis must appoint the prime minister proposed by PSD, 1st ranked in the December 6 elections.

Alfred Simonis: “We are imperatively asking the president to give up backstage plotting and respect the will of the voters, to be aware that he is the head of a state in a deep crisis, that the election campaign is over, and we also remind him that he represents Romania not the National Liberal Party.”

The Social Democrats say they will not vote in Parliament on any proposal for a Liberal prime minister and consider rejecting participation in the consultations with the head of state, if PSD is not the first party invited for consultations. (tr. L. Simion)

10 December 2020
December 9, 2020

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – On Wednesday another 7,365 new COVID-19 infections and 161 related
deaths were announced. 1,271 people are in intensive care. Most new cases were
reported in the capital-city Bucharest, where the infection rate has reached
6.5 per thousand inhabitants. The total number of infections has exceeded 532
thousand. Nearly 80% of people infected have recovered. The national death toll
has reached 12,821. Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis said the first batch of
the 3 million COVID-19 ordered tests will be arriving within the week. Days
from now the authorities are also expecting the delivery of the 300 ventilators
for intensive care units.

COVID-19 IN THE WORLD – The global number of infections has exceeded 68.5
million while over 1.5 million people have died to the virus since the start of
the outbreak, the latest worldometers.info update reveals. Over 47 million
people around the world have recovered. The United States is the most affected
country, with over 15.5 million infections and at least 293 thousand people dead.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump signed an executive decree, ensuring that
American citizens will be the first to be administered anti-COVID-19 vaccines
developed by American pharmaceutical companies. American health experts have
accused the President’s unethical decision, according to which the rest of the
world will have to mainly rely on European-based drug manufacturers. Meanwhile,
the anti-COVID-19 vaccination campaign started in Great Britain, which is the
first country in the world to approve the vaccine developed by Pfizer. People
over 80 years old and health workers will be the first to receive the vaccine,
which experts say has a 95% efficiency. Over 62 thousand people have died in
Great Britain to the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

NEGOTIATION
– As the vote count for Sunday’s parliamentary election is drawing to a close,
negotiations are starting over the structure of the new Government. The
center-right political parties are trying to reach consensus over forming a
majority in Parliament, ahead of consultations with President Klaus Iohannis.
The Liberal Party, currently in power, the party that grabbed the second
highest number of votes on December 6, claims they can make up a Parliament
majority with the Save Romania Union – PLUS Alliance and the Democratic Union
of Ethnic Hungarians. Party officials estimate they can rely on a comfortable
majority of 244 MPs, adding to which will be representatives of national
minorities. The three center-right parties must now agree on a governing
program and distribute the 16 Ministries among themselves. On the other hand,
the Social-Democratic Party has also expressed its willingness to govern,
considering it grabbed the highest number of votes in the election. The
Social-Democrats said they are entitled to nominate the Prime Minister, based
on the result in the election, and thus will not be voting for a Liberal
Cabinet. The Social-Democrats will be proposing Dr. Alexandru Rafila, a WHO
expert, for the position of Prime Minister. The Social-Democratic Party is
willing to accept two options: either a minority Government led by the
Social-Democratic Party, or a technocratic Government led by a Social-Democrat
Prime Minister. For the first time in the history of Romania, Parliament will
also include the Alliance for the Union of Romanians, a recently founded
far-right party, which grabbed the fourth-highest number of votes in the
parliamentary election.

BREXIT -
Over 670 thousand Romanians have filed for residence rights in the United
Kingdom, considering immigration rules will change for European citizens
arriving in this country starting January 2021. According to data provided by
an association defending the interests of European citizens in the UK, citizens
from Poland, Italy, Portugal, Spain and France also filed a large number of
such applications. Over 3.9 million applications were filed until September,
59% of applicants having received the status of permanent resident. This status
is granted to people who can provide proof of 5 years’ continuous residence on
British territory, allowing them to continue to work and receive social welfare
after Brexit.

FOOTBALL -
The Romanian Football Federation has taken note of the incident reported in the
Champions League match pitting PSG of France against Istanbul Basaksehir. The
match was suspended after Romanian Sebastian Colţescu, the fourth official
delegated for that match, used a racist term to describe the assistant manager
of the Turkish club, Cameroonian Pierre Achille Webo, whom the central referee,
Romanian Ovidiu Haţegan, showed a red booking. Right after the incident the
technical staff of the Turkish club and all its players walked off the pitch on
minute 16. The Union of European Football Association announced it will launch
a comprehensive investigation, while the match, counting towards Champions
League Group H, will be resumed tonight with new referees. In a post on its
website, the Romanian Football Federation firmly distanced itself from any
racist or xenophobic action or statement. (V. Palcu)

9 December 2020
November 20, 2020 UPDATE

COVID-19 Romania saw 9,272 new coronavirus cases on Friday, with the total number now passing 400,000. 160 new deaths were also reported, the death toll now standing at 9,765. Around 70% of the COVID-19 patients in Romania have so far recovered. Bucharest has run out of intensive care beds and a number of patients were taken to hospitals in other cities. The capacity of ICUs is set to increase in the forthcoming period, health minister Nelu Tătaru said. Local lockdowns were imposed in places with a spike in cases. President Klaus Iohannis announced that on Monday he would have talks with the health, defence and interior ministers, to clarify all the aspects related to the anti-COVID-19 vaccination campaign, which he sees as a matter of national security. He added that the latest data allows for “moderated optimism, and called for strict observance of the measures introduced by the authorities.

PANDEMIC Global coronavirus cases passed 57.5 million and fatalities 1.3 million, with over 39 million patients recovered so far, according to Worldometers.info. US president elect Joe Biden said he would not order a national lockdown to fight the pandemic, despite cases soaring in the US over the last few weeks. The country has so far reported over 12 million cases and at least 258,000 deaths. The president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said the Union could approve two Covid vaccines by the end of the year, made by Pfizer and BioNTech and Moderna. South Tyrol, an autonomous province in northern Italy, Friday started a massive screening campaign, with 70% of the population to be tested. In turn, Austria announced mass testing in December and January, to prevent new lockdown periods. The Regional Director for Europe at the World Health Organisation, Hans Kluge, said one person dies every 17 seconds from Covid-19 in Europe, where the general mortality rate rose by almost one-fifth in the last two weeks.

FACE MASKS Romania has so far issued four safety notifications for non-conforming face masks made in China, the National Consumer Protection Authority said Friday. The products in question are not certified as protective equipment by a relevant body, so it is possible they do not meet the health and safety requirements in place. The notifications were received by the EU rapid alert system for non-food products, also known as RAPEX. The authorities have recommended that such products be withdrawn from the market and have warned sellers to consult the consumer protection and RAPEX websites before marketing them to make sure they are not banned. Recently, the National Consumer Protection Authority withdrew over 31 million protective face masks after checks conducted across the country.

EU BUDGET EU leaders meeting in video conference format on Thursday night failed to reach a breakthrough in talks on the bloc’s future multiannual budget, following opposition from Hungary, Poland and Slovenia, who don’t agree with the idea of linking funding to the rule of law. The EU leaders also discussed the management of the coronavirus pandemic with a focus on the mutual recognition of the results of Covid tests, the progress made in developing a vaccine and a joint approach to lifting restrictions. Romania was represented by president Klaus Iohannis, who, prior to the meting, had a telephone conversation with German chancellor Angela Merkel. Iohannis said Romania constantly supported the need to finalise the talks on the EU multiannual budget and the economic recovery plan as soon as possible. He also emphasised that the mutual recognition of Covid tests facilitates free movement within the EU and called for an efficient communication campaign with respect to vaccination against the novel coronavirus.

COOPERATION The EU is looking forward to working with the US president-elect, Joe Biden, on issues like the coronavirus pandemic and climate change, the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen told a press conference on Friday. She also voiced hopes that the G20 summit due this weekend will be “a new beginning for multilateralism. And while the United States has resisted engaging on this topic so far. I’m very hopeful now with the new president elect that this will change, the EU official also said, although the summit will be attended by the outgoing president Donald Trump. Ursula von der Leyen said she would call on the Unions G20 partners to step up economic efforts to provide access to COVID-19 vaccine and treatment for poorer countries as well. The goal is to purchase 2 billion vaccine doses for countries with below-average revenues, the EU executive said.

HANDBALL The Romanian women’s handball side CSM Bucharest on Thursday night lost to the Russian side Rostov on Don in a Champions League Group A match. CSM were initially due to play at the weekend against SC BBM Bietigheim from Germany, but the match was postponed after the German side was quarantined. This was the CSM’s final match in 2020, finishing the year second in their group behind Rostov. In Group B, CSM Râmnicu Vâlcea have lost all of their matches so far and will not be playing another match this year. The competition breaks up after this weekend for the European Championships held in Denmark and will be resumed in January. (translated by: A.M. Popescu)

20 November 2020
July 20, 2020

SUMMIT The EU leaders convened in Brussels to carry on negotiations on a post-crisis economic recovery plan, in one of the largest EU summits in 2 decades. According to European sources, a new plan will be presented to the 27 delegations, proposing 390-billion euro subsidies. This is a substantial decrease from the 500 billion euro stipulated in the original plan of the European Commission and rejected by the Netherlands, Austria, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. The initial plan was worth a total 750 billion euro, with 250 billion euro in loans and 500 billion in subsidies. Attending the summit, the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis said intensive talks are held within the European Council with respect to the conditions for granting the amounts, with some Member States pleading for more relaxed conditions and others for strict control by the Council or the Commission. He also added that many states agreed to make the allotment of funds conditional on compliance with the rule of law. Klaus Iohannis said that the rule of law is not a problem in Romania and he is not against such conditions.

AIR FORCES Ceremonies have been held today, in a low-key form in keeping with the coronavirus containment measures, to celebrate the Day of the Romanian Aviation and Air Forces. PM Ludovic Orban attended an event in Bucharest, where he thanked all professionals in the field for their work, courage and professionalism. 15 military aircraft flew over the Air Heroes Monument in Bucharest, where a religious service was also held.

COVID-19 Romania reports a total of over 38,100 COVID-19 cases, with 681 new infections confirmed in the last 24 hours, the Strategic Communication Group announced today. The total number of deaths caused by SARS CoV-2 has reached 2,038. Nearly 22,700 patients have recovered, accounting for 60% of the total number. Abroad, 5,215 Romanian nationals have tested positive for the virus, with the death toll standing at 122. The health minister Nelu Tătaru said he was concerned with peoples disregard for health protection measures at the seaside and in the mountain resorts where many Romanians are on holiday. He does not rule out reducing the working hours of outdoor restaurants and bars, which are highly popular in Romania at this time of the year.

PARLIAMENT The Parliament of Romania is working this week as well in a special session. The agenda of the Senate includes a citizen initiative under which convicted criminals are no longer allowed to hold public office. The bill has already been endorsed by the Chamber of Deputies, but has been pending on Parliaments agenda for over a year.

CRISIS In Bulgaria, the COVID-19 crisis overlaps a political crisis, with Parliament scheduled to discuss today an anti-corruption motion initiated by the Socialist Party and backed by the ethnic Turkish party. The vote will most likely be held on Wednesday. Meanwhile, anti-corruption protesters are set for a new week of rallies, demanding the resignation of PM Boiko Borisov and of prosecutor general Ivan Gheshev, whom they see as working with the organised crime networks in Bulgaria.

PANDEMIC The total number of coronavirus infections worldwide passes 14.6 million, with the death toll in excess of 600,000, according to worldometers.info. The US and Brazil remain the worst hit countries, and the global daily rate of new cases is still on the rise. The scientific coordinator of the World Health Organisation (OMS), Soumya Swaminathan, said researches into the coronavirus genome started in January and great progress has been made so far. The WHO is currently testing over 20 vaccines, and the chances of all of them failing are rather slim, Soumya Swaminathan added. She explained that a vaccine might be available as of early next year, with hopes for mass production and distribution in mid-2021. Oxford Universitys coronavirus vaccine, which is apparently already being slated for production by a pharmaceutical company, is in the most advanced stage in Europe. Amind growing tensions between the UK and Russia, the British foreign secretary Dominic Raab accused Russia of attempting to steal information used by the coronavirus vaccine researchers, while the Russian Ambassador to London, Andrei Kelin, dismissed the accusations.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

20 July 2020
Negotiations and hearings

The members of Florin Citu’s
Cabinet are this week appearing before Parliament’s specialist committees, a procedural
step before the investiture vote. This is the third round of hearings in a matter
of months. The committees will interview the same ministers whom they
interviewed last November, after the leader of the National Liberal Party
Ludovic Orban, took over as Prime Minister from Social-Democrat Viorica
Dancila, the same Orban who last month was ousted under a no-confidence motion
in Parliament. Orban was again nominated by the President, but the Constitutional
Court ruled against this nomination.

The only modification brought to the
current cabinet is Lucian Heius as the new Finance Minister, a position left
vacant when Florin Citu was designated Prime Minister. The Liberals say they
are negotiating with the other parliamentary parties, except the
Social-Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, in order to
form a majority. The Liberals account for 20% of Parliament’s seats, where the
Social-Democrats still hold the majority.

Therefore in order to pass, Citu’s
Cabinet needs votes from all sides of the political spectrum. Dan Barna, the
leader of the third-largest party in Parliament, Save Romania Union, said
following Monday’s talks that the Liberal Party has made no requests regarding
the investiture of the new Cabinet and that the meeting with Florin Citu was
strictly technical. In turn, Kelemen Hunor, the leader of the Democratic Union
of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, says his party has not yet made any decision
to support the Liberal Government. The Pro Romania Party, made up of dissidents
from the Social-Democratic Party and led by the former Prime Minister Victor
Ponta, announced its members will vote against the new Cabinet. Finally, the votes
of the Social-Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats seem
to be of little interest to the Liberals, whose obvious disinterest in the
current negotiations has prompted political pundits to say the Liberal Party
might still try to force early elections, based on its superior position in
surveys.

Early elections can be held if two consecutive governments are rejected
over 60 days and Parliament is dissolved. The President favors this scenario
and reacted to the Constitutional Court’s ruling against Orban’s second
nomination as Prime Minister, saying that chances to organize snap elections
have dropped below 50%. Experts say June 21 is the deadline for early
elections, as after this date Parliament can no longer be dissolved, as it enters
its last six months in office. Early elections have never been held in Romania
since the anticommunist revolution of 1989, no matter how much instability our
country has seen at political level.

(Translated by V. Palcu)

3 March 2020
March 2, 2020 UPDATE

NEGOTIATIONS The Liberals Monday started negotiations with parliamentary parties with a view to forming a new majority that would support the investiture of Florin Citu’s Cabinet. The parliamentary hearings of the new ministers designate are scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The Social-Democrats in opposition accuse the Liberals of not giving up on the idea of early elections. Save Romania Unions president Dan Barna said on Monday that the Liberals did not expressly ask for support for the Ciţu government, and added that his party believes the goal is to attain stability. The president of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians Kelemen Hunor says his party is ready to ensure the majority required for the investiture of the new cabinet, but that a final decision depends on the order regarding early elections. The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats claims the Liberals try to make sure that the new Cabinet is rejected by Parliament, while the People’s Movement Party says a Liberal Government backed by a parliamentary minority is unlikely to be sworn in. Florin Cîţu’s nomination by president Klaus Iohannis came after the Constitutional Court ruled as unconstitutional the president’s first choice, the interim prime minister and leader of the National Liberal Party Ludovic Orban. The latter’s government had been dismissed through a vote of no-confidence at the beginning of February.

COVID-19 The Strategic Communication Group Monday announced that in Romania 42 people are in quarantine centres and over 9,000 are under home monitoring. So far 3 people have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in Romania, one of whom has recovered and has been discharged, and the other 2 are reported to be in good state. Meanwhile, the Romanian Foreign Ministry announced that the 7 Romanian members of the crew of Diamond Princess vessel, who were transferred last week to a facility in Wako, Japan, are still quarantined. Two other Romanians were brought into the same facility on Sunday, and will remain there for an additional 14 days. The Foreign Ministry added that the state of the 2 Romanians infected with COVID-19 and hospitalised in Japan remains good. On the other hand, the death toll of the new coronavirus has exceeded 3,000, and over 80,000 cases have been confirmed so far, most of them in China, where the daily number of victims is decreasing steadily. South Korea and Italy are of particular concern now, reporting 500 new cases in one day and dozens of deaths so far. The coronavirus risk level in Europe has been raised from moderate to high, the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen announced on Monday. 2,100 cases of coronavirus infection have been confirmed in 18 EU member countries to date.

LEGISLATION The Senate Monday endorsed unanimously a bill that increases punishments for the sexual abuse of children. The bill, tabled by an independent Deputy, raises the minimum penalties for sex crimes against children and introduces in the Romanian legislation a number of provisions from the EU laws designed to fight the sexual abuse and exploitation of children and child pornography. Under the new bill, rape will be punished by 5 to 10 years in prison, as against 3 to 10 years as it was so far, and offences that result in the death of the victim will be punished by 9 to 18 years behind bars. In order to take effect, the bill must be endorsed by the Chamber of Deputies as well.

FLU The number of deaths from seasonal flu in Romania has reached 49. The last 2 people who died are men, aged 69 and 75 respectively, in Ilfov and Harghita counties. They were both suffering from other conditions and had not received a vaccine. The number of flu cases continued to grow, with around 2,000 new cases confirmed between February 17 and 23. The overall number of people affected by acute respiratory infections (156,500) is a lot higher than last year, but the number of cases is on a downward trend compared to the previous week.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

2 March 2020
Negotiations over the EU budget

Representatives of EU Member
States, including Romania, on Monday met in Brussels on the sidelines of the
General Affairs Council to discuss the upcoming budget for the 2021-2027
period. The topic ranks high on the agenda of the upcoming EU Summit on
Thursday, which is due to decide how Europe’s money will be spent over the next
seven years. At the end of the General Affairs Council, Commissioner for Budget
Johannes Hahn said the meeting will most likely extend over several days. Talks
are marred by great many divergences over the negotiation framework proposed by
European Council President Charles Michel.

Over the last few weeks Charles
Michel has consulted with all EU leaders and summoned a summit on February 20
in an attempt to reach consensus. A difficult task it seems, given that talks
over the 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework are being further
complicated by the withdrawal of Great Britain from the community bloc, a net
contributor to the EU budget. In brief, Charles Michel suggested an increase in
the contribution of national governments to the budget of 1.07% of GDP, whereas
rich countries refuse to allot more than 1%. At the same time, Charles Michel
suggested to strike a balance between new and old policies, additional funds
for the fund for transitioning to a green economy, new self-sufficient
financial resources, as well as an overhaul of the cohesion policy that should
help less developed countries and areas.

Charles Michel’s proposal is seen as
mostly favoring Eastern-European countries, which have opposed any slash of
development funds. As for those Member States supporting the mechanism that
conditions the disbursement of European funds on the observance of the rule of
law, they claim the European Council president has considerably eased criteria
for this mechanism. Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden want to
maintain the system of reducing rebates for contributing states, namely for
those whose contribution to the EU budget exceeds their allotted share.
According to Austria, in the absence of rebates, these four countries plus
Germany would end up financing 75% of net payments to the EU budget. As for
Romania, our country wants the EU to continue financing the common agricultural
policy and the cohesion policy, which remain the main instruments of reducing
disparities between East and West inside the EU.

(Translated by V. Palcu)

18 February 2020
October 25, 2019 UPDATE

ARMY DAY President Klaus Iohannis said on Friday that the regional and global security environment is continually changing, and Romania needs a strong and well trained army, able to further contribute to promoting security and stability in the region, to the fulfilment of its NATO commitments and to implementing the Common Defence and Security Policy in Europe. The statement was occasioned by the Romanian Army Day, celebrated with special events at military units and memorial sites across the country. Military ceremonies and cultural and educational activities were also organised in the theatres of operations abroad where Romanian troops are deployed. Flowers were also laid at memorial sites celebrating Romanian soldiers in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, the Republic of Moldova and Hungary. On the 25th of October 1944, the Romanian Army freed northern Transylvania from Horthy occupation and continued to fight on the territories of Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Austria alongside the Allied troops, contributing to the great victory of May 9th 1945 that marked the end of WWII in Europe.

NATO Defence ministers from NATO member countries discussed in Brussels on Thursday and Friday about Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan, the training mission in Iraq, and Operation KFOR. According to a news release issued by the Romanian Defence Ministry, participants analysed the implementation of the NATO initiative to enhance the Allied forces interoperability, response and generation capacities. They also exchanged opinions on the fair sharing of responsibilities within the organisation. Representing Romania, the state secretary for defence policy Doru Frunzulică talked about the need for a stronger NATO presence in Romania, to counter the threats and volatile security situation at the Black Sea.

BREXIT The ambassadors of the 27 EU member states had not made a decision on Friday as regards the postponed date of Britains exit from the Union. According to Radio Romanias correspondent, attending the meeting of EU ambassadors was also the blocs chief negotiator for Brexit, Michel Barnier, who described the talks as excellent. The diplomats agreed that a deferral is called for, but are still trying to reach a consensus on its exact duration. The UK has officially requested a postponement to the end of January. A new meeting of the EU ambassadors will take place early next week.

TENNIS The Romanian Simona Halep was drawn in the Purple Group of the WTA Finals in Shenzhen (China), scheduled to take place between October 27 and November 3. She plays in the same group with the Romanian-born Canadian Bianca Andreescu, the Czech Karolina Pliskova and the Ukrainian Elina Svitolina, according to Fridays draw release. The Red Group includes world no. 1 Ashleigh Barty, of Australia, Japans Naomi Osaka, the Czeck Petra Kvitova and the Swiss Belinda Bencic. Halep, no 5 in the world and winner of this years Wimbledon trophy, takes part in the tournament of the worlds elite eight for the sixth time in her career. This years edition offers record-high prizes, 14 million US dollars, twice as much as last year.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

25 October 2019
October 19, 2019

INTERMENT – The remains of the Queen
Mother Elena were reinterred on Saturday in the Royal tomb at Curtea de Arges,
southern Romania, after being brought to Romania on Friday. Queen Elena, born into the Greek royal family,
married prince Carol of Romania, the future King Carol II, but seven years
later she divorced him and focused on the education of her son, King Mihai I.
In January 1948, Queen Elena left Romania for good, together with her son, who
was forced by the communists to abdicate. A press release issued by the Royal
House of Romania reads that, after seven decades, Queen Mother Elena returns to
Romania for eternity.

CONSULTATIONS – Liberal Prime Minister
designate Ludovic Orban has this week concluded the first round of negotiations
with parliamentary parties, seeking support for his new government after the
Dancila Cabinet did not survive the no-confidence motion. Orban needs 233 out
of a total of 465 votes for his new cabinet. After Friday’s talks with Orban,
Save Romania Union leader Dan Barna said negotiations will continue in order to
see the Liberals’ reaction to other proposals the Union might come up with. In
turn, Ludovic Orban said the National Liberal Party and the Save Romania Union
are old partners, adding he is counting on their support for the new
government. Ludovic Orban this week also had talks with the Alliance of
Liberals and Democrats, the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians, the Pro
Romania Party and the People’s Movement Party. The group of national minorities
has already declared its support for the new cabinet. Next week Ludovic Orban will continue talks
with parliamentary parties and is expected to announce his list of ministers
and governing program.

NAVY
– The King Ferdinand frigate will join a Puma Naval battleship and a Special
Ops naval forces unit to take part in a new NATO mission in the Mediterranean
Sea, unfolded until November 7. According to a release of the Romanian Naval
forces, the main objectives of the Sea Guardian 19 military operation is the
deter illegal activities on the southern flank of NATO and the EU by means of
monitoring maritime traffic. During its mission, the King Ferdinand frigate
will stop in the ports of Aksaz in Turkey, Alexandria in Egypt, Haifa in Israel
and Limassol in Cyprus. For the first time, the Romanian Naval Forces have
invited members of the Romanian communities in Egypt, Israel and Cyprus to
visit the frigate. Over November 9-20, the King Ferdinand frigate will take
part in the Dogu Akdeniz multinational exercise, hosted by Turkey.

BREXIT – The British Parliament convenes today to vote on Boris
Johnson’s new Brexit deal, approved on Thursday by the 27 member states.
According to the BBC, less than 2 weeks before Britain’s scheduled withdrawal
from the community bloc, Saturday’s vote could go either way. In an attempt to
secure support for his deal, Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Friday said there
has never been a better deal than the one he has secured in Brussels.

TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Marius Copil (92 ATP) on Friday lost to
Andy Murray of Britain, 6-3, 6-7, 6-4 in the quarterfinals of the ATP
tournament in Antwerp, Belgium, totaling some 635 thousand euros in prize
money. Murray and Copil had previously met twice in the ATP circuit, in the
1,000 Masters Madrid Open in 2017, and last year in Washington, the British
player winning both times. On Thursday, Copil defeated Diego Schwartzman of
Argentina, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6.

(Translated by V. Palcu)

19 October 2019
March 19, 2019

DETENTION The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) has voiced concern with what it called the abuse and improper conditions still to be found in Romanian detention centres. In a release made public today following a visit to 10 detention facilities this February, CPT members point to cases of physical ill-treatment by prison personnel and police on detainees as well as violence among detainees. They urge the Interior Ministry and the Romanian Police Inspectorate General to send a clear message that ill-treatment of detained individuals is illegal, unprofessional and will be punished accordingly. The CPT appreciates the efforts made since 2014 to reform the penitentiary system in Romania, particularly in terms of the development of the parole service, a 30% reduction of prison population and the introduction of compensations for those detained in overcrowded prisons.

EPPO The first round of negotiations between the European Parliament and the Council of the EU on the appointment of the new European chief prosecutor is scheduled for tomorrow. Romanias former anti-corruption chief Laura Codruţa Kövesi is one of the candidates for this post. In case the negotiation teams fail to reach an agreement tomorrow, further rounds will be held on March 27, April 4 and 10. The head of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani has recently sent the Romanian minister delegate for European Affairs George Ciamba, the incumbent chairman of the Council of the EU, the official letter announcing Laura Codruţa Kövesi as the European Parliaments candidate for the chief of the European Public Prosecutors Office. The Council of the EU on the other hand supports Jean-Francois Bohnert, of France. The EPPO, set to be up and running by end-2020, will be an independent body in charge of investigating and prosecuting crimes against the EU budget. The European chief prosecutor has a non-renewable 7-year term in office.

SOCIAL EU-wide expenditure for social protection amounted to 2,890 billion euro in 2017, accounting for 18.8% of the GDP and for 41.1% of the total government spending, the European statistics bureau Eurostat announced today. Pension benefits accounted for 10% of the Unions GDP. Social protection spending was below 13% of GDP in Ireland, Lithuania, Malta, Latvia, Romania, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria, whereas 6 member states—Finland, France, Denmark, Italy, Austria and Sweden—allotted at least 20% of their GDP to this area.

BREXIT The EU ministers for European affairs convene in Brussels today to prepare the European spring summit. They will also discuss the latest developments in the Brexit case, given that March 29 is the end of the 2-year period since the UK notified its intention to leave the Union. European leaders expect London to state clearly its intentions for the future, and many of them want the European bloc to deny a new extension of the deadline. Until a new vote in the British Parliament on the withdrawal deal, which London has already rejected twice, the EU ministers will analyse the political and judicial consequences of a Brexit deferral. Meanwhile, the president of the European Council, Donald Tusk, had meetings with key EU leaders, including the German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the President of France, Emmanuel Macron.

AWARDS Odeon Theatre in Bucharest hosted last night the 19th edition of the Radio Romania Culture Awards Gala. The event rewarded the most important achievements in Romanian culture last year. Recipients included writer Gabriela Adameşteanu, stage director Radu Afrim, and screenplay writer Ivana Mladenović. “Teach for Romania Association won the section on education, for projects conducted in schools in underprivileged communities. A lifetime achievement award also went to pianist Valentin Gheorghiu.

VOLLEYBALL The Romanian womens volleyball team CSM Alba Blaj is playing at home today against the Italian side Yamamay e-work Busto Arsizio, in the first leg of the CEV Cup finals. The second leg is scheduled next week in Italy. In the semis the Romanians beat their co-nationals of Ştiinţa Bacău (3-nil in both legs), and the Italians outplayed the Hungarian team Swietelsky Bekescsaba. Last year, Alba lost the Champions League finals to the Turkish side VakifBank Istanbul.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

19 March 2019
No accord on Brexit yet

Britain and the European Union are trying to reach a compromise that should make possible an accord on Brexit. After talks in Brussels between the European leaders and the British PM Theresa May, the parties failed to reach an agreement on Brexit. The British side came with new proposals while the Europeans, who have warned repeatedly that Brexit in the absence of an agreement, would disadvantage London, are now talking about “calm and patience”. One solution to get things going could be the extension, by one year, until end-2021, of the transition period, before Britain’s exit from the EU.

Radio Romania’s correspondent to Brussels, Amalia Bojescu, tells us more about the decisions taken by the European leaders: “ British PM Theresa May said ahead of the meeting that the two teams work intensively on an agreement on Brexit and the future relations between the EU and Britain. In his turn, EU’s chief negotiator for Brexit, Michel Barnier, said more time is needed for an accord to be reached and urged for patience regarding negotiations.”

Although there are many delicate negotiations chapters, such as the commercial chapter or the one regarding free circulation, the most difficult one seems to be the chapter regarding the Irish border. Romania was represented at the meeting by President Klaus Iohannis. He said Bucharest wants to forge an as comprehensive accord as possible as regards future relations and finding new ways of collaboration between the parties, in particular in sectors such as security, defense and foreign policy. About Romania’s direct interests as far as Brexit is concerned spoke minister delegate for European Affairs, Victor Negrescu, during a meeting in Luxembourg. In Bucharest’s opinion, a well planned and predictable withdrawal of Britain from the EU can guarantee the observance of the European citizens’ rights after Brexit, including the rights of Romanians living and studying in Britain. Minister Negrescu also said that Romania, as the next holder of the EU Council Presidency, will collaborate closely with all European institutions and member states in order to ensure a proper institutional framework for Brexit.

18 October 2018
October 11, 2018

TRANSPORTS – Intercity passenger transport is severely disrupted in many counties in Romania, where carriers protest the line ministrys plans to change the rules for the award of licenses. The protest was organised after the Transport Ministry announced it would change the scoring system for the companies taking part in bids for transport routes, on grounds that the current system has led to a monopoly in the market. Carriers around the country are waiting for a meeting with PM Viorica Dăncilă, before they make a decision regarding future protests. Meanwhile, the Transport Committee in the Chamber of Deputies has invited the line minister, Lucian Sova, to provide explanations.

JUDICIARY – The Public Ministry has all the resources required in order to make the Section investigating magistrate offences operational, the Prosecutor General Augustin Lazăr announced today. The statement comes after the Government passed an order on Wednesday regarding the establishment of that section, which is to take over all pending and finalised cases from the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, as of October 23. Augustin Lazăr said the act has already been made public in the Official Journal. Under the law, the new Section is to start working within six months after the law has taken effect, and the Higher Council of Magistrates is yet to initiate the procedures for making it operational. The new unit will be made up of 15 prosecutors, and its chiefs will be appointed further to a selection process run by a commission of 3 judges and a prosecutor from the Higher Council of Magistrates.

PENSIONS – In Romania, a new Pension Bill is to be sent to Parliament, after having been passed by the Government. The Labour Minister Olguta Vasilescu says no pension will be reduced under the new law, nor will the standard retirement age and contribution period be amended. Novelties include the introduction of masters degree and doctoral degree studies as corresponding to pension fund contribution periods. The new law is to come into force in several stages until 2021, when it has taken full effect. Its provisions will regulate the benefits paid to over 5 million Romanian pensioners.

COURT – The Constitutional Court of Romania is discussing today the notifications filed by the Supreme Court, the National Liberal Party, the Save Romania Union and President Klaus Iohannis against a bill amending the Code of Criminal Procedure, as it has been drafted and approved by the ruling coalition. The magistrates claim the text is fraught with ambiguities, whereas the Opposition says the bill helps favour offenders. Also today the Constitutional Court is to discuss the bill on the organisation of courts.

BREXIT – German Chancellor Angela Merkel says progress has been made in the Brexit negotiations, just one week ahead of a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels for what might be one of the last chances to reach an agreement on the terms of the separation between Britain and the European bloc. Merkel said the 27 remaining EU member countries are very united and that they have great confidence in the EU chief negotiator, Michel Barnier. Negotiations are stuck particularly over the Irish border issue and ways to monitor trade over that border.

FOOTBALL – Romanias national football team is playing today, away from home, against Lithuania, in the UEFA Nations League. On Sunday the Romanians will take on Serbia, in Bucharest. In the group standings, Montenegro and Serbia have 4 points each, Romania 2 and Lithuania nil. Depending on its performance in Nations League, Romania may have a better position in the draw for the Euro 2020 preliminaries. Moreover, if they fail to qualify, the Romanians might still have a chance in the play-offs, provided they finish at least 2nd in their group. Meanwhile, Romanias Under 21 team is playing on Friday against Wales, at home, and on Tuesday against Liechtenstein, in the last games of the 2019 European Championships qualifiers. Top of the group is Bosnia, with 18 points, followed by Romania. The last time Romania took part in a Euro Under 21 final tournament was 20 years ago.

YOUTH OLYMPICS – The Romanian table tennis player Andreea Dragoman won the bronze in the womens singles event at the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires. This is the 7th medal for Romania, which Wednesday night was ranking 7th in the nations with 2 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze medals. Romanias Youth Olimpics delegation is made up of 34 athletes, 21 girls and 13 boys, competing in 14 events. The Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires conclude on October 18th.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

11 October 2018