Radio România Internațional

Tag: News

  • A new prime minister designate

    A new prime minister designate

    The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, on Thursday designated the current interim defense minister, Nicolae Ciucă, for the position of Prime Minister, after a new round of consultations with the parliamentary parties. This was the proposal of the National Liberal Party — PNL that, at the last moment, gave up nominating its leader Florin Cîțu, the prime minister dismissed by Parliament through a no confidence motion. Romania entered a governmental crisis after Save Romania Union – USR left the center-right coalition formed after the elections together with the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania – UDMR, accusing insurmountable disagreements with the prime minister Cîțu.



    The motion was initiated by the opposition Social Democratic Party – PSD and was supported by the ultranationalist Alliance for the Union of Romanians – AUR and USR. President Iohannis underlined, on Thursday, that the country needs a government with full powers to solve the problems that concern the Romanian people: the pandemic crisis, the dramatic situation in hospitals and the coming winter which will bring rising energy prices. He said he was very pleased and happy that the National Liberal Party came up with a new approach.



    Romania is going through one of the most difficult periods in its recent history – Nicolae Ciucă also underlined — calling on the political class to be responsible. He added that being entrusted with the mandate of prime minister is a gesture of responsibility and that Romania needs to overcome the current crisis. ‘We will negotiate with all the responsible forces, to be able, in a short period of time, to form a government that will be approved by Parliament’ Nicolae Ciucă said. He is the second prime minister proposal made by the head of state, after Dacian Cioloș, the USR leader, whose attempt to coagulate a parliamentary majority failed, not being supported by any other political party.



    Nicolae Ciucă is a reserve general, a Liberal senator who also held the post of defense minister last year in the Liberal Government led by Ludovic Orban. He was also interim prime minister in December 2020, following the resignation of the then PM. Ciuca was chief of staff, holding the highest command rank in the army. He is a career military and has stood out through his participation in numerous missions abroad, in such countries as Iraq, Afghanistan and Bosnia. The prime minister designate has ten days to form a government and draft a governing program which he will submit to Parliament for a vote of confidence. (LS)

  • European law versus national law

    European law versus national law

    Heated debates were held in the European Parliament on Tuesday, following the decision of the Polish Constitutional Court, which called into question the precedence of EU law over national law. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has warned that the EU executive will act to defend the Unions common values. “I am deeply concerned. This decision calls into question the foundations of the European Union. It is a direct challenge to the unity of the European legal order”, said the head of the EC. She went on to say that, in this situation, three options might be considered: to open new infringement procedures, to launch a new protection mechanism to suspend the payment of funds to Warsaw, and to resort to the procedure in Article 7 of the EU Treaty which could deprive Poland of the right to vote. Most MEPs said that all countries in the Union voluntarily agree on common rules when they join the Union and insisted that, in fact, there is no conflict between the legal order of the EU and the Polish Constitution. On behalf of the Slovenian EU presidency, the Slovenian Foreign Minister Anze Logar said that the precedence of the EU law is the foundation of the Union and the basis for living together in a European community.



    Attending the debates, the Polish Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, pointed out that the precedence of the EU law does not extend to the constitutional system, and that the Polish Constitution is above any other principle of law. He said that Poland rejects the EUs ‘blackmail’, and said that, for his country, the Constitution remains the ‘supreme law’. He emphasized the “differences” that the EU makes between member states and stressed that Poland does see “the division between strong and weak countries, new and old countries”. On the other hand, the official insisted on Polands will to continue to be part of the European Union. Warsaw has been in an open conflict with Brussels for several years over controversial reforms made in the judiciary that were implemented by the right-wing populist party Law and Justice.



    The conflict has recently culminated with a ruling by the Polish Constitutional Court on October 7, which declared certain articles in the EU treaties “incompatible” with the countrys constitution. The BBC writes that according to opinion polls, more than 80% of the Poles are in favor of Polands EU membership, primarily because EU membership gives them the freedom to travel and work in the Member States, access to the single market and to the Union money. According to the BBC, more and more Polish citizens, especially against the backdrop the Warsaw-Brussels dispute, have begun to share the Polish governments view that Brussels is overstepping its powers and responsibilities. (LS)

  • Save Romania Union proposes new government

    Save Romania Union proposes new government

    The leadership of Save Romania Union – USR (the 3rd political force of center-right orientation in the Romanian Parliament) approved, on Sunday evening, the list of a minority government and the governing program that the party leader, Dacian Cioloş, proposes for validation to senators and deputies. He was nominated a week ago by President Klaus Iohannis, as a candidate for the prime minister post, following consultations with political parties. USR, which withdrew from the government coalition which also included the National Liberal Party – PNL and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania — UDMR, accusing insurmountable disagreements with the Liberal Prime Minister Florin Cîțu, who was later dismissed by a no confidence motion, was the only party that proposed a candidate to the president.



    Now, Dacian Cioloș goes to Parliament without having formed a majority, neither with the former allies, with whom he held negotiations, nor with the Social Democratic party – PSD, who initiated the motion, or with the nationalists from the Alliance for the Union of Romanians – AUR who voted for it, but with whom he did not even discuss. The prime minister designate proposes a cabinet that includes USR ministers from the former government, including Stelian Ion as Justice Minister, Ioana Mihăilă as Health Minister or Cătălin Drulă as Transport Minister, as well as new names. In the PM designate’s opinion, a one-color USR government can be a solution to get out of the current political and health crisis.



    USR presented a government program with urgent measures to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, to stop rising energy prices, and to also help SMEs. “We are going in Parliament, to see if we get support for a program to overcome the crisis, a program that Romania needs. I am thinking of what the people expect, not of speculations and other calculations,” Dacian Cioloș said. According to the statements of the other political parties, the validation of such a government has little chance of success: PNL and UDMR do not want to resume cooperation with USR, as the former coalition partner voted a motion against the government which they were part of.



    The Liberal Party president, Florin Cîţu, said that the prime minister designate must assume the responsibility of forming a majority with the two opposition parties with which he dismissed the government. PSD recently said, however, that the right decision is to form a government of apolitical specialists that should manage the pandemic and the economy until early elections are held. The Alliance for the Union of Romanians – AUR stated last Monday that the nomination of Dacian Cioloş for the position of prime minister “seems just a political game”, given that “there is no majority to support him”. USR has 80 senators and deputies, and for them to receive support in Parliament, the prime minister designate needs at least 234 favorable votes. (LS)

  • October 5, 2021

    October 5, 2021

    Covid — The Romanian authorities have decided to activate, today, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism in order to purchase Tocilizumab, medication used to treat COVID-19. The head of the Department for Emergency Situations, Raed Arafat, explained that the decision was made given that in two or three weeks’ time there could emerge problems related to Tocilizumab stocks in Romanian hospitals. He added that they were also considering asking for certain equipment, especially individual medical oxygenators. More than 8,000 new SARS-CoV-2 cases were registered on Monday in Romania, out of over 32,000 tests. During the same period, 133 Covid-related deaths were reported. At least 14,000 people infected with SARS-CoV-2 are hospitalized in specialized health facilities, and almost 1,500 patients are in ICUs. The Covid incidence rate, cumulated in 14 days, is higher than or equal to 3 per thousand inhabitants in almost 190 cities and about 990 communes. On the other hand, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has approved the administration of the third dose of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine to people over 18, pointing out that protection against COVID-19 may decrease in time, after the first two doses. In Romania, the third dose started being administered last week.



    Motion – The minority government in Buchararest made up of the National Liberal Party — PNL and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania — UDMR headed by the Liberal Florin Citu has been dismissed today through a no confidence motion. The motion was initiated by the Social Democratic opposition and voted by Save Romania Union – USR (center-right), a former governing partner and the Alliance for the Union of Romanians – AUR. 281 parliamentarians voted for the departure of the Citu government, the minimum number required being 234. Before the vote, the prime minister, who is also the Liberal Party leader, announced that the Liberal officials would participate in the plenary debates, but would not vote.



    Visit — The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, participates, as of today, in Brdo, Slovenia, in the two-day informal meeting of the European Council and in the EU – Western Balkans Summit. According to the Romanian Presidential Administration, high on the agenda of the European Council meeting is the EU’s role at global level. The situation in Afghanistan, the security agreement between the US, Great Britain and Australia, as well as the relations with China will also be addressed. The EU-Western Balkans Summit will discuss issues related to reaffirming the European perspective for the countries in the region, to cooperation with these countries so as to manage the socio-economic effects of the pandemic, as well as to strengthening dialogue and cooperation in the political and security domains.



    Investigation — Countries and political leaders have rejected recent revelations by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists according to which hundreds of officials and people in their entourage have hid billions of dollars through offshore companies, mainly for tax evasion. Published on Sunday, this investigation, in which about 600 journalists have been involved, is entitled Pandora Papers and is based on about 12 million documents that have brought to light over 29,000 offshore companies. Among the officials targeted are: King Abdullah II of Jordan, people close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Czech PM Andrej Babis, the Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso, and also Colombian singer Shakira and the German model Claudia Schiffer. In most countries, these acts are not considered criminal, but, in the case of political leaders, journalists also talk about the contrast between their anti-corruption discourse and their money placements in tax havens. The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists includes professionals from over 100 countries and territories.



    Facebook — The social networking platform Facebook and its WhatsApp and Instagram services are functional again, after, on Monday, they went out of order for several hours thus being unavailable for billions of users around the world. According to Facebook, the interruption was caused by a faulty modification of its servers. Analysts noted that the incident occurred in the context in which an internal integrity alerter stated that Facebook always gave priority to benefits over safety. Frances Haugen, a former Facebook product manager who initially published numerous company documents on condition of anonymity, revealed her identity and is to testify in the US Senate in an internet protection investigation. She says the choices made by the Silicon Valley giants leadership represent a huge problem for children, for public safety and democracy.



    Statistics – Last year Romanians earned, on average, a gross salary of about 5,100 lei (about 1,030 Euros), registered at the level of the national economy in 2020, the National Institute of Statistics shows. This is an increase of 7.4% as against the previous year. The net salary was 3,217 lei (about 650 Euros), higher by 7.7%. The most profitable sectors are IT&C, financial brokerage and insurances, Public Administration and the production and supply of electricity. At the opposite pole are the hotels and restaurants, agriculture, forestry, fisheries and real estate. (LS)

  • October 3, 2021 UPDATE

    October 3, 2021 UPDATE

    Covid – In Romania, the government has approved a decision under which people vaccinated against COVID and those who have recovered from the disease in the last six months are exempted from several restrictions that apply in localities where the incidence rate threshold exceeds 6 cases per thousand inhabitants. Bucharest and over 40 other cities across Romania, as well as more than 200 communes are in this situation. Public and private events can take place in these localities only with a low participation rate, access being allowed only to vaccinated people or people who have recovered from the disease, who will have to wear protective masks. These two categories are also allowed to go to restaurants or gyms, as well as to travel during the weekend or night quarantine. The new regulations were a source of dissatisfaction for thousands of people who took to the streets on Saturday without keeping the physical distance, without wearing protective masks and without respecting the limit of participation in such demonstrations. The protesters marched through the center of the capital, protested in front of the Government headquarters and, later, some of them went to the Presidential Palace. They chanted messages against vaccination and the introduction of the green certificate and also demanded the resignation of the government, of the head of the Committee for Emergency Situations, Raed Arafat, and of president Iohannis. The protests took place on the day with the highest number of Covid cases reported in Romania – almost 12,600. Over 8,700 new cases were reported on Sunday and 150 Covid-associated deaths. 1,440 people are in ICUs. The high number of contaminations boosted the vaccination campaign. On Sunday more than 30 thousand doses were administered of which half accounted for the 3rd dose.




    Rome — In Italy, more than 12 million eligible voters are called to the polls on Sunday and Monday in about 1,200 localities, including major cities such as Rome, Milan, Turin, Naples, Bologna and Trieste, where partial local elections are being held. There is also a vote for a new governor in Calabria. More than 120 Romanians, the highest number reported so far, are running for the positions of councilor in these local elections. Romanians, who make up the largest community of foreigners in Italy, have the right to vote and be elected councilors in their cities of residence. They also rely on the votes of Italians, especially since very few Romanians will be able to vote, as they do not have a voter ID card.



    Table tennis – The Romanian womens table tennis team was defeated, on Sunday, by Germany’s team, 1-3, in the final of the European Championship held in Cluj Napoca. The Romanians have won the continental title twice. In 2017, in Luxembourg, when Romania won the final with Germany, score 3-2. And in 2019, in Nantes (France), when the Romanian athletes defeated Portugal 3-0 in the final.



    Plane crash – Two Romanian citizens are among the people who died in the crash, on Sunday, of a small plane near Milan, the Romanian Foreign Ministry reports. According to the information provided by the Italian authorities to the representatives of the Romanian consular office in Milan, the investigations carried out so far, show that two Romanian citizens, with dual citizenship are among the deceased. The General Consulate of Romania in Milan is in permanent dialogue with the local authorities, being prepared to provide consular assistance, according to legal competences, including on specific procedures, facilitating the repatriation of dead bodies and issuing death certificates respectively. According to Italian police, all 8 people on board, including a child, have died. The pilot of the plane had dual citizenship, Romanian and German, according to Radio Romania. The plane was flying to Sardinia Island, from Linate Airport, Milan. The Romanian Air Traffic Services Administration ROMATSA announces that the tragic event will be investigated by the Italian authorities, and Romania will appoint an accredited representative for this investigation.



    Insolvencies – In Romania, over 38,000 companies and self-employed persons went into insolvency in the first 8 months of the year, over 7% more compared to the same period of 2020, show data published on the website of the National Trade Register Office. Most insolvent companies were registered in Bucharest and in the counties of Cluj, Bihor and Timiş, with the counties of Harghita, Covasna and Tulcea being at the opposite pole. The highest number of insolvencies by fields of activity was recorded in wholesale and retail trade, automobile repair shops, and the construction and manufacturing industries. (LS)

  • October 3, 2021

    October 3, 2021

    Covid – In Romania, the government has approved a decision under which people vaccinated against COVID and those who have recovered from the disease in the last six months are exempted from several restrictions that apply in localities where the incidence rate threshold exceeds 6 cases per thousand inhabitants. Bucharest and over 30 other cities across Romania, as well as more than 200 communes are in this situation. Public and private events can take place in these localities only with a low participation rate, access being allowed only to vaccinated people or people who have recovered from the disease, who will have to wear protective masks. These two categories are also allowed to go to restaurants or gyms, as well as to travel during the weekend or night quarantine. The new regulations were a source of dissatisfaction for thousands of people who took to the streets on Saturday without keeping the physical distance, without wearing protective masks and without respecting the limit of participation in such demonstrations. The protesters marched through the center of the capital, protested in front of the Government headquarters and, later, some of them went to the Presidential Palace. They chanted messages against vaccination and the introduction of the green certificate and also demanded the resignation of the government, of the head of the Committee for Emergency Situations, Raed Arafat, and of president Iohannis. The protests took place on the day with the highest number of Covid cases reported in Romania – almost 12,600. Over 8,700 new cases were reported on Sunday and 150 Covid-associated deaths. 1,440 people are in ICUs. The high number of contaminations boosted the vaccination campaign, with tens of doses being administered daily.



    USR-PLUS – Dacian Cioloş, the president elect of the Save Romania Union – USR PLUS party (former no. 2 in the governing coalition), says that although the team he represented does not have a majority in the party’s new National Bureau, he wants decisions to be made based on common goals, and not depending on team membership. The team of his opponent, Dan Barna, won most of the votes in the elections for the National Bureau, has 14 vice president positions, while the team of the new president, Dacian Cioloş, has 8 such mandates in the partys national leadership. The Congress continues with debates exclusively in online format, on the changes to be made to the party’s statute, including the duration of the president’s term in office. Dacian Cioloş wants a mandate limited to two years and announces that, otherwise, he will resign in 2023, and will organize a congress in which he wants validation as presidential candidate and will establish the strategy for the elections scheduled for next year.




    Rome – In Italy, more than 12 million eligible voters are called to the polls on Sunday and Monday in about 1,200 localities, including major cities such as Rome, Milan, Turin, Naples, Bologna and Trieste, where partial local elections are being held. There is also a vote for a new governor in Calabria. More than 120 Romanians, the highest number reported so far, are running for the positions of councilor in these local elections. Romanians, who make up the largest community of foreigners in Italy, have the right to vote and be elected councilors in their cities of residence. They also rely on the votes of Italians, especially since very few Romanians will be able to vote, as they do not have a voter ID card.



    Visa – The British Prime Minister Boris Johnson does not rule out issuing several temporary visas in an effort to help address the shortage of tanker drivers, which has led to a shortage of fuel at the pumps. British authorities said last week that they would issue temporary visas for 5,000 foreign truck drivers and 5,500 poultry farm workers to try to address the acute labor force shortage, which has led to a disruption in fuel supplies to petrol stations and created difficulties in food production. The British Road Haulage Association (RHA) reports that the country is facing a shortage of about 100,000 drivers due to the departure of industry workers, to the pandemic – which for almost a year prevented the training and testing of drivers – and to the post-Brexit immigration rules. As of 1 October, the EU citizens can only enter the UK based on a passport stamped with work, study or tourist visas.



    List – The updated list of countries and territories with high epidemiological risk has come into force on Sunday. Romania is now in the red zone, along with the Republic of Moldova, Bulgaria, Armenia, Belarus and Greenland. The National Committee for Emergency Situations has decided to exempt from quarantine the drivers of goods and passenger vehicles, if they provide a negative RealTime-PCR test result. Germany has also revised the conditions for entering this country – thus, people arriving from Romania can enter the territory of Germany only if they have a negative COVID test, if they are vaccinated or if they have recovered from the disease. Documents must be written in one of the languages: ​​German, English, French, Italian or Spanish and may be submitted in physical or electronic format. (LS)

  • October 1, 2021 UPDATE

    October 1, 2021 UPDATE

    Fire – A strong fire broke out on Friday at the ICU of the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Constanţa (southeastern Romania), resulting in 7 deaths. The entire hospital was evacuated, and the patients were transferred to other health units in the county. A criminal investigation into negligence and man slaughter has been opened in this case. Dysfunctions and irregularities regarding the fire alert system had been identified in this hospital during two previous controls, says the Interior Minister Lucian Bode. Sanctions were imposed, but the problems were not remedied. The Romanian PM Florin Cîţu asked for the dismissal of the manager of the Constanţa Infectious Diseases Hospital and dismissed the president of the National Authority for Quality Management in Healthcare. This is the 10th fire in less than 12 months to take place in one of Romania’s hospitals, many of which are COVID units. Similar tragedies occurred at the end of last year, at the County Hospital in Piatra Neamţ (northeast), and at the beginning of this year at the Matei Balș Institute in Bucharest. Both incidents resulted in deaths and injuries among patients treated for Covid 19 in intensive care. Controls launched at Romanian hospital units showed that some of them do not have a fire safety certificate.



    Aachen – The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, stated on Friday, in Aachen, during a debate, that the European Union must go through a deep integration and that he does not believe in eliminating countries from the bloc, as he likens the EU to a family. President Iohannis also said at the accession of candidate countries from the Western Balkans should be accelerated. Iohannis spoke of Romanias neighbors – Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova – as ‘states that want to move things together with us.’ The Romanian head of state is present in Germany in the context in which, on Saturday, he receives the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen – For the Unity of Europe.



    Covid Ro — The Romanian authorities announced, on Friday, almost 10,900 new cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection out of over 67,000 thousand tests. 169 COVID-associated deaths were also reported, most in unvaccinated people. All deaths were in patients with other health conditions. The number of hospitalized people also continued to increase. At present there are over 12,500 hospitalized people, 5,500 more than one week ago. 1,391 people are in intensive care.



    Measures – The National Committee for Emergency Situations has decided that it is mandatory to wear a protective mask in all indoor and outdoor public spaces when the infection rate for a period of 14 days exceeds 6 per thousand inhabitants. Regardless of the aggregate incidence rate, the Health and Education Ministries can allow the physical participation of all children in classes. On the other hand, shops will close at 10 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays if the Covid-19 incidence exceeds the threshold of 6 per thousand inhabitants and at the same hour in the rest of the week, if the infection rate in the respective locality is higher than 7.5 per thousand, the National Committee for Emergency Situations has also decided. Restaurants, performance halls and gyms will not close when the incidence reaches 6 per thousand inhabitants, but they will be able to operate at only 50% of their maximum capacity. Access will be allowed only to vaccinated people or people who have recovered from the disease. The rule also applies to private events, such as weddings or baptisms.



    Pandemic – The Romanian Committee for Emergency Situations has updated the list of countries and territories of high epidemiological risk. Romania has joined the red zone, along with the Republic of Moldova, Bulgaria, Armenia, Belarus and Greenland. Following the drop in the incidence rates, Austria, Switzerland, Gibraltar, Iran, the Maldives and the Bahamas are now in the yellow zone. The green zone now includes, among other countries, the Netherlands, Germany and France. Those vaccinated against COVID-19 would not be quarantined if they come from yellow or red list areas. The committee has decided to exempt from the quarantine measure the drivers of goods and passenger vehicles if they provide a negative RT-PCR test result. The new list takes effect on October 3.



    UK – As of October 1, EU citizens will need a passport to enter the UK, showing that they came to work, study or as tourists. Identity cards are no longer accepted as valid travel documents following Brexit. Nearly six million EU citizens, who were in the UK on 31 December 2020, were eligible to apply for residency and over 90% of them have received it. In their case, the identity card will continue to be accepted as a travel document until January 1, 2026. The new immigration system introduced this year means much more border controls, because the EU citizens no longer enjoy freedom of movement. According to the British newspaper “The Guardian”, in the first six months of the year, 7,249 European citizens were stopped at the Great Britain’s bordres and 60% of them were from Romania.



    Football — Romania’s football champions, CFR Cluj (northwest) ended in a draw 1-all the match played on Thursday, on home turf, against the Danish team Randers FC, in Group D of the Europa Conference League. In the other match of the group, the Dutch team AZ Alkmaar defeated Jablonec, from the Czech Republic, at home, 1-0. CFR ranks last in the group and will play the next match against Alkmaar, in Cluj, on October 21. CFR Cluj is the only representative of Romania in the continental competitions. (LS)

  • September 30, 2021 UPDATE

    September 30, 2021 UPDATE

    Covid– In Romania, the number of new Covid-19 cases exceeded 12,000 on Thursday. In the last 24 hours, 176 Covid- related deaths were registered. 1,364 patients are in a serious condition in ICUs, and medical units are looking for solutions to manage the large number of SARS-CoV-2 infections. Two hospitals in Bucharest have started to discharge patients who can continue their treatment at home and to transfer those who still need medical care, so as to become medical units dealing exclusively with COVID cases. On the other hand, the vaccination rate has increased recently. In Romania, only one 3rd of the eligible population has been vaccinated against Covid – 19.



    Motion — The censure motion filed by Social Democratic Party – PSD, the main opposition party in Romania, against the Government made up of the National Liberal Party — PNL and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania – UDMR led by the liberal Florin Cîţu, was read, on Thursday, in the plenum of Parliament. The document is signed by 157 MPs and states that the only solution for Romania to overcome a continuous political, economic and social crisis is for the Cîţu government to leave. The PSD motion shows that the government has failed to attract European funds, the Romanian companies are doomed to bankruptcy, and the local communities are underdeveloped. The Social Democrats also say that the solution at this moment is holding snap elections. 234 votes are needed for the government to be ousted. Save Romanian Union – USR-PLUS Alliance, until recently the governing partner of the Liberals, and the ultranationalist Alliance for the Union of Romanians – AUR in opposition say they will vote for the PSD motion. There is another censure motion in Parliament against the current Cabinet, submitted by USR-Plus and AUR. Prime Minister Florin Cîțu announced that the Liberal Party has formed negotiation teams that will try to obtain the rejection of the motion. The vote on the motion will take place on Tuesday.



    Exhibition — The exhibition Archaeological treasures from Romania. Dacian and Roman roots is an exceptional tool for promoting Romanian culture and civilization in the Spanish space, eloquently highlighting the strong ties between the two peoples, formed on the basis of the Roman civilization, said on Thursday in Madrid, the Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu. He inaugurated the exhibition together with his Spanish counterpart, Jose Manuel Albares Bueno, at the National Archeology Museum. The event was also attended by Bogdan Gheorghiu, the Romanian Minister of Culture and Miquel Iceta, the Spanish Minister of Culture. The exhibition held under the High Patronage of the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, and of King Felipe VI of Spain, brings together 838 exceptional artifacts from 40 Romanian and 4 Spanish institutions and follows the historical evolution of the current Romanian territory over a period of more than one thousand years (8th century BC – 7th century AD). Bogdan Aurescu began a two-day official visit to Spain, in the context of celebrating 140 years of bilateral diplomatic relations. The program of the visit includes consultations with Jose Manuel Albares Bueno and the launch, together with him, of a bilingual album dedicated to this anniversary.



    Energy – The Energy Ministry in Bucharest is preparing a state aid scheme for small and medium-sized enterprises, in the context of the energy price crisis. The scheme would be applied as of November 18th. In another move, a parliamentary inquiry commission has called representatives of the Romanian Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE) for hearings, to clarify the increases in the electricity and natural gas bills in Romania.



    Diaspora – Starting on Thursday, the Parliament Palace in Bucharest is hosting the 6th RePatriot summit, devoted to the Romanian Diaspora, which will bring together, until October 3rd, more than 300 Romanians from around the world. A jubilee volume will be also launched on the occasion, and the visitors will be able to watch a new exhibition, titled “Photogeographica, a quarter of a century”. The Photogeographica project was started in the 1990s and is the most important youth photography contest in Romania, an ample event that capitalizes on the Romanian natural and cultural heritage.



    Sarkozy – On Thursday France’s former Conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy was found guilty of illegally financing his 2012 election campaign and sentenced to one year in prison. The verdict comes just seven months after he was convicted of corruption and influence peddling. The Court ruled that Sarkozy had benefited from a double-entry accounting system created in order to dodge the campaign spending limits imposed by the French law. (LS)

  • September 29, 2021

    September 29, 2021

    Covid — Romania reports a record number of contaminations and deaths since the onset of the pandemic, after on Tuesday the authorities announced over 11,000 new SARS-CoV-2 contaminations, out of over 73 thousand tests, the number of tests performed also being a record. The number of deaths has sharply increased, going over 200, and the number of hospitalized COVID patients went beyond 11,400, double the number reported two weeks ago. 1,267 patients were in ICUs on Tuesday, where only 26 beds were still available. The authorities have drawn an alarm signal on the Rovaccinare Facebook page, announcing that Romania ranks 2nd in Europe and 6th in the world in relation to the number of Covid-related deaths in 24 hours. Against the background of an alarming increase in the number of SARS-CoV-2 contaminations on Tuesday, the 3rd vaccine dose started being administered in Romania, with mRNA Covid vaccines alone, irrespective of the type of the first two doses.



    Compensation — The Romanian Government is going to establish, today, the mechanism to compensate for the rise in energy bill prices, experienced everywhere in Europe. Natural gas tariffs have almost tripled in recent months, and the government wants to support families with average income and average consumption and SMEs. 13 million Romanians should be the beneficiaries of an emergency decree, which will complete the Law on the Vulnerable Consumer. High on the agenda of the government meeting are other laws among which increasing the health ministry’s budget with 460 million lei, the equivalent of almost 100 million Euros, in order to face the 4th pandemic wave.



    Protest — Tens of trucks, brought by 3 road transport employers associations, are parked in front of the Government building in Bucharest, as part of a protest against the government’s policy. The protesters are dissatisfied with the taxation of freight drivers’ daily allowance, the prices of compulsory car insurance and the quarantine measures for drivers. These would have a significant negative impact on the competitiveness of Romanian carriers within the EU, already severely affected by the new provisions of European legislation brought by the Mobility Package 1. Protesters also claim that Romania is the only European state to tax the per diem, while other ex-communist Eastern European countries such as Poland, Lithuania and Hungary protect their carriers. According to the protesters, the effects of this measure are devastating, especially since taxation is retroactive, as companies will find it impossible to pay penalties.



    Exhibition — The Romanian Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, is, today and tomorrow, on an official visit to Spain. His visit takes place in the context of the anniversary, in 2021, of 140 years of bilateral diplomatic relations. The visit schedule includes political consultations with his Spanish counterpart Jose Manuel Albares Bueno, and the launch, together with him, of the bilingual anniversary album dedicated to the anniversary of 140 years of Romanian-Spanish diplomatic relations. The two officials will discuss ways to develop and deepen the bilateral relationship, which in 2013 moved to the level of Strategic Partnership, as well as current European, regional, international and security issues. On Thursday, Bogdan Aurescu will inaugurate the exhibition Archaeological Treasures from Romania. Dacian and Roman roots at the National Archeology Museum in Madrid. The exhibition brings together 835 exceptional exhibits from the collections of 39 museums from Romania and will close in late January 2022.



    Chisinau– The President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, begins today a two-day visit to the Republic of Moldova (ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian-speaking population), where he wants to assert his support for the reforms initiated by his counterpart, Maia Sandu. According to the German presidential administration, Steinmeier is accompanied by a delegation of businessmen and they are going to open an economic forum with President Sandu. Maia Sandu, who became president of Moldova after the November 2020 presidential election, is pleading for closer ties between Moldova and the European Union. She wants to fight corruption and stop mass emigration, which has caused serious problems for Moldovas economy. She took over the presidency from the pro-Russian socialist Igor Dodon. (LS)

  • September 28, 2021 UPDATE

    September 28, 2021 UPDATE

    Covid — On Tuesday over 11,000 new Covid-19 cases were reported in Romania, which is an absolute record since the beginning of the pandemic, out of over 73,000 tests, which is also a record. Most cases are in Bucharest, almost 2,000, and the contamination rate in the capital has exceeded 5.5 cases per thousand inhabitants. Over 660 localities have over 3 Covid-19 cases per thousand inhabitants, accumulated in 14 days. On Tuesday, the authorities announced that 1,267 seriously ill patients are being treated in intensive care, including 17 minors. 208 Covid- associated deaths have been reported in the last 24 hours. On the other hand, the 3rd dose of Covid vaccine started being administered in Romania on Tuesday, as the country is in the grips of the 4th pandemic wave, when the number of infections and hospitalized people is skyrocketing. Over 20 thousand Romanians got vaccinated with the 3rd dose on the first day of the campaign, the authorities showed. Over 22 thousand have been vaccinated in the past 24 hours with the 1st or 2nd dose. The coordinator of the vaccination campaign, Valeriu Gheorghiţă, said on Tuesday that the COVID vaccine coverage in Romania stands at about 33%, and in Bucharest at 51.1%.



    Resignation – The Liberal Adrian Oros resigned the position of minister of agriculture and rural development, saying that “for prime minister Florin Cîţu, agriculture and the food industry were never priorities”. He says the ministry’s budget for this year is 60% that of last year, which has a negative impact on ongoing projects, and that no major project in agriculture was included in the National Plan for Recovery and Resilience. Adrian Oros was the only minister in the Cîţu cabinet to support Ludovic Orban as leader of the National Liberal Party. Cîţu won the leadership of the party for the next four years. At the beginning of September, the Save Romania Union USR – PLUS Alliance withdrew from the ruling coalition with the Liberals and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania following a disagreement over a regional development fund and filed a no-confidence motion in Parliament, refusing to return to government with Cîţu as prime minister.



    Motion — The censure motion submitted to Parliament by the Social Democratic Party (in opposition) on Tuesday will be read on Thursday, in a plenary session, and will be debated and voted next Tuesday, the joint Permanent Bureaus of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate have decided. As for the censure motion initiated by USR PLUS, former no. 2 in the government coalition, and the ultranationalist Alliance for the Union of Romanians – AUR, the joint Permanent Bureaus did not set a timetable. They decided to wait for the motivation of the Constitutional Court’s decision regarding the notification submitted by the Liberal prime minister Florin Cîţu related to the existence of a constitutional conflict between the Government and Parliament. On Tuesday, the Constitutional Court admitted the notification of the prime minister in relation to this censure motion, but claims that the motion can be debated and voted. The motion was registered on September 3 and read in the Parliament’s plenary session on September 9. The Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania – UDMR, which remained in the governing coalition alongside the National Liberal Party – PNL, has called for urgently restoring the governing coalition to overcome the political crisis.



    Certificate – The European Covid certificate may become mandatory for Romanian healthcare staff working in the public and private sectors, under a new bill proposed by the health ministry. The certificate serves as proof that a person is fully vaccinated against Covid, has tested negative for the virus or has recovered from the infection in the last six months. Medical staff who does not meet any of the three conditions face suspension for a month and even termination of the labor contract later on. The bill also stipulates that the staff will have to pay for the Covid tests. Employers will only cover testing costs for persons who are advised against getting the vaccine for health reasons.



    Ash cloud – The ash cloud released into the atmosphere after the eruption of the volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma in the Canary Islands reached the territory of Romania. The particles containing sulfur dioxide and other chemicals have been pushed by the wind through the west of Romania, spreading across the country. The particles will start disappearing as of Wednesday. Romanian experts are monitoring the air quality and have given assurances that there are no reasons for concern at the moment. Meanwhile, on the island in the Atlantic Ocean, the population of the non-evacuated areas was advised to stay in their homes and not to open the windows. The volcano released lava into the atmosphere again, accompanied by toxic gases.



    Visit – The Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova (ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian-speaking population), Natalia Gavriliţa, met on Tuesday, during her official visit to Brussels, with Adina Valean, European Commissioner for Transport, and Kadri Simson, European Commissioner for Energy. According to a press release from the Moldovan government, the talks focused on the importance of transport as a connection element between the EU and the Republic of Moldova, but also as a potential for economic development for the Moldovan businesspeople, on the role of the Union in developing the energy sector in the Republic of Moldova, on possibilities of completing the projects started with the neighboring countries and which can be an alternative to the gas and electricity supply of the Republic of Moldova. (LS)

  • Differentiated restrictions in Romania

    Differentiated restrictions in Romania

    The Romanian government decided during Thursdays session to establish night quarantine measures at the weekend in those localities where the SARS-CoV-2 infection rate exceeds 6 cases per thousand. So far, this threshold was 4 per thousand inhabitants. Also in these localities, businesses will have working hours with the public between 5 a.m. and 6 p.m. There is an exception, though. Vaccinated people can leave their homes and travel to areas where the Covid incidence threshold is higher than 6 per thousand inhabitants, but they need to present the green certificate attesting to their vaccination. At the same time, the Romanian government has decided that minors up to 12 years will no longer need the green certificate for access inside public spaces. Until now, the age limit was 6 years. The Prime Minister Florin Cîţu said that, regardless of the restrictions, vaccination must be a priority for as many Romanians as possible.



    Florin Cîţu: “The only solution to solve the pandemic problem is vaccination, the green certificate. When a restriction or other measure appears, we close at 8 p.m., but restrictions do not solve the pandemic problem. The pandemic problem is solved only by vaccination and that is what I will continue to repeat, on and on: if we want to get over the pandemic, we have to get vaccinated – it is very simple. I think it is much more important that this effort be multiplied by the responsibility of each of us”.



    Florin Cîţu believes that compulsory vaccination should be the last resort to stop the pandemic, after the other measures announced. The prime minister says that if this decision is eventually made, the authorities should think of what happens to those who, despite the mandatory vaccination rule, still refuse to get vaccinated. He added that a bill on the compulsory vaccination of a certain category of persons might be introduced in Parliament, among whom medical staff and teachers. Meanwhile, the authorities announced that the threshold of 10 million vaccine doses administered in Romania since the start of the vaccination campaign, on December 27, 2020, has been exceeded.



    All in all more than 5.4 million people have been vaccinated, of whom about 5.3 million have been fully vaccinated. The increasing number of cases boosted the vaccination campaign, so that this week, in one single day, twice as many people as compared to the previous period were immunized, most of them with the first dose.



    Over the past days the number of people contaminated with SARS-CoV-2 has grown alarmingly, as well as of Covid-related deaths. ICUs across Romania are packed and some of those with serious forms of Covid-19 in this 4th wave of the pandemic are children. The National Committee for Emergency Situations has announced that, as of Sunday, Romania enters the yellow scenario following the surge in the number of contaminations. (LS)

  • September 23, 2021

    September 23, 2021

    Covid — The COVID-19 epidemic in Romania continues on an upward trend. On Wednesday a new, unprecedented threshold for this year was exceeded. 7,045 new cases of coronavirus infection have been reported out of almost 54,000 tests. Most new cases have been reported in Bucharest, where the contamination rate is maintained at over 1,000 new cases in 24 hours. 130 coronavirus-related deaths have been reported in the past 24 hours. The number of COVID patients in ICUs exceeded 1,000, a situation that has not been recorded since the first half of May. More than 300 localities across Romania, including the capital, are in the red scenario, after the infection rates exceeded the threshold of 3 per thousand.




    Ambassador – Romania has been a candidate for accession to the Visa Waiver program for almost 15 years, said the new Romanian ambassador to Washington, Andrei Muraru, who recalled that there are only three EU member states whose citizens need a short – stay visa on the territory of the US. According to Andrei Muraru, the visa rejection rate is currently at a fairly high level, around 10%, but he pointed out that the Romanian authorities are working with the American side so that a maximum rejection rate of 3% can be reached, which is necessary for accessing to the Visa Waiver program. The Romanian ambassador to the US also said that an information campaign will be organized in Bucharest for citizens to find out how they can apply for a visa, what the reasons are for the rejection of their application and why they should not apply, since they do not meet the criteria that the American side considers fundamental.




    Exercise — A ship of the Romanian Navy, the “Vice Admiral Constantin Bălescu” minesweeper leaves, today, from the Military Port of Constanţa (southeast), to participate in the operation EUNAVFOR MED “Irini”, in the Mediterranean Sea, from October 1 to December 31. The Romanian military sailors will ensure the observance of the arms embargo imposed on Libya by the United Nations. Their mission also aims to combat illicit trafficking in oil products, drugs and people by monitoring maritime traffic and carrying out inspections of suspicious vessels in the Mediterranean basin. A detachment of navy combat divers is on board the ship. The 85 crew members were vaccinated against COVID, tested and quarantined in the accommodation facilities of the Romanian Navy before departure.




    Covid certificate — The COVID green certificate remains in force in those localities where the infection rate is or exceeds 3 per thousand inhabitants, for access to restaurants, bars, shows or private events, and in the case of children the certificate will be mandatory for those over 12 years, according to the decision made today by the Romanian authorities. Until now, the certificate was necessary for children aged over 6. Another measure allows businesses to also operate after 6 p.m. if the infection rate is between 3 and 6 per thousand inhabitants. The night quarantine will be established on weekends in those localities where the infection rate exceeds 6 per thousand and throughout the week in areas where the COVID-19 incidence is over 7.5 per thousand. The PM Florin Cîţu has today announced that the vaccinated people will be allowed to leave the house without a self-declaration in the localities where the quarantine was imposed. On the other hand, the emergency ordinance regarding the COVID digital certificate was adopted by the Senate, as the first legislative chamber notified, and will be debated by the Chamber of Deputies, as a decision-making body in this case. The COVID digital certificate was created in the European Union to facilitate free movement during the pandemic. The document – which can only be verified by scanning the QR code – certifies vaccination, the existence of a negative test or the recovery from the disease.




    Ordinance – The Romanian government has approved an emergency ordinance under which drivers who have to repair their cars based on a car insurance policy issued by the City Insurance company will be compensated faster through the Insured Guarantee Fund. They will not have to wait until the court finally declares the bankruptcy of the former leader on the insurance market, a procedure that can last more than a year. At the time of the recent withdrawal of the operating license, City Insurance had 3 million insurance policies issued. (LS)

  • September 22, 2021 UPDATE

    September 22, 2021 UPDATE

    Covid -19 – The Romanian Prime Minister Florin Cîţu announced that, starting on September 28, the third dose of the Covid-19 vaccine will start being administered in Romania for all the persons who were vaccinated with the second dose more than 6 months ago. The 3rd dose will be with a messenger RNA vaccine, regardless of the type of the initial doses. 7,045 cases of COVID-19 were reported on Wednesday out of about 54,000 tests. This is the highest daily figure this year. 130 COVID patients have died in the last 24 hours. More than one thousand people are hospitalized in intensive care. The capital Bucharest and three counties of Romania entered the red scenario after exceeding the threshold of three cases per thousand inhabitants. We remind you that in those localities where the infection rate is over 3 per thousand, but does not exceed 6 per thousand, access to restaurants, performance halls or private events is allowed only on the basis of the green COVID certificate. The Romanian College of Physicians calls on the population to understand the impact and consequences which the infection with the new coronavirus can have and asks the authorities to find correct and applicable solutions as soon as this is possible, to limit the disease. The college warns that the high contamination rate means increased pressure on hospitals. The College of Physicians also continues to support the voice of scientists internationally, saying that vaccination is one of the most handy and effective tools to fight the pandemic.



    Investigation – The Romanian anti-corruption prosecutors are looking into the procurement of Covid vaccines, amid suspicions of abuse of office and obtaining undue benefits. Nobody is officially under charges as yet. The incumbent finance minister Dan Vîlceanu says he has no information regarding the procurement of Covid vaccines outside the mechanism created by the European Commission and for prices negotiated at EU level. The former health minister Vlad Voiculescu claims however that based on the decision of PM Florin Cîțu, Romania ordered too many doses and was subsequently forced to sell or donate some of them.



    UN – In New York, the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, addressed the heads of state and government of the more than 100 countries participating in the annual meeting of the UN General Assembly. In his speech, Klaus Iohannis stressed the importance of an international order based on rules. During the Transforming action for nature and people event, organized on the sidelines of the General Assembly, he underlined that, in combating climate change and biodiversity loss, international cooperation is essential. “Lets work together to protect biodiversity by sharing knowledge, technology and financial resources. I invite you to mobilize new financing sources for nature, to support and reward the providers of ecosystem services “, the President of Romania added.



    Ordinance — The Romanian government on Wednesday adopted an emergency ordinance to implement the Caring for Children program. State Councilor Mădălina Turza, the program coordinator, has recently stated that the program aims to provide free counseling for children affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, to provide training sessions for teachers and other specialists, introduce in the Masters in Teaching degree programs a compulsory module for the development of psycho-emotional skills, the introduction in the school curriculum of topics related to the management of emotions and the management of relationships with other children. The program also aims to hire more than one thousand psychologists for marginalized schools. The state councilor also said that the project will run for 2 years and will have a budget of almost 6 million Euros.



    City Insurance Investigation — Romanian anti-mafia prosecutors will investigate, at the request of the shareholders in the ‘City Insurance’ company, the way in which the company was administered. The shareholders filed a criminal complaint with the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crimes and Terrorism – DIICOT and accuse the Romanian employees, who managed City Insurance, of forming an organized crime group, of fraud and embezzlement. Investigations by the National Anti-Corruption Directorate – DNA could also begin, following criminal complaints filed by the Financial Supervisory Authority, even before City Bank bankruptcy is asked. Meanwhile, the government on Wednesday adopted an emergency ordinance amending the law on the Insured Guarantee Fund, following the companys insolvency. “I want to make sure that all those who have reported losses, do not suffer from this bankruptcy,” said the PM Florin Citu. City Insurance was a market leader, with nearly three million car insurance policies issued.



    Tennis — The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, former world number one and currently ranked 14th in the WTA rankings, announced the end of her collaboration with Australian coach Darren Cahill. Trained by him, Halep won her first Grand Slam title, in 2018, at Roland Garros, and finished two consecutive years on the first place in the WTA rankings, in 2017 and 2018. In March 2019, Simona Halep announced her collaboration with the Romanian coach Daniel Dobre, who trained her to win the title at Wimbledon in July. In 2020, she resumed training with Darren Cahill. Halep faced a number of injuries this season, one of which kept her away from tennis from May to August, failing to participate in the Roland Garros and Wimbledon tournaments, as well as in the Tokyo Olympics, which led to her exit from the top 10. She announced that she would participate again this season in the tournaments in Indian Wells, Moscow and Cluj. Simona Halep, who turns 30 on September 27, got married last week. (LS)

  • September 15, 2021

    September 15, 2021

    Covid-19 – The number of COVID-19 cases and associated deaths recorded in one single day is on the rise Romania. 4,004 cases were announced on Wednesday out of more than 44,000 tests. 83 people have died of Covid-19 and 696 are in ICUs. New Covid-19 outbreaks are emerging. In those localities where the threshold of 2 cases per thousand inhabitants has been exceeded, the authorities are starting to enforce additional protection measures. In another development, the pace of the vaccination campaign remains slow, despite repeated calls from experts. Moreover, the Delta virus strain, which is beginning to become dominant, has a higher transmission rate than the previous variants. The authorities expect more and more people to get contaminated.



    Motion — Romania’s Constitutional Court is to announce the deadline for debating the Liberal Prime Minister Florin Cîţus notification regarding the existence of a legal conflict between the Parliament and the Government in relation to the censure motion tabled by the USR-PLUS, former no. 2 in the governing coalition and the nationalist Alliance for the Union of Romanians — AUR, in opposition. The parties involved were given Wednesday as deadline to submit their views to the Constitutional Court. The Permanent Bureaus of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies believe that there is a constitutional conflict in the case of the censure motion. Instead, the Speaker of the Senate, Anca Dragu (USR-PLUS), and the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Ludovic Orban (PNL), do not agree with Parliament’s unfavorable point of view, adopted with the votes of the National Liberal Party – PNL and of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania – UDMR (in the government coalition), and also of the opposition Social Democratic Party – PSD, therefore they sent separate documents to the Constitutional Court. Ms. Dragu syas there is actually a political conflict which the Government wants to transform into a constitutional one. The government, dominated by the Liberals, claims that the no-confidence motion does not have the minimum number of valid signatures and that the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies did not inform the Government about the document on the same day it was tabled. Entitled Dismissal of the Cîţu Government, Romanias only chance to live! the censure motion accuses the prime minister of having plunged Romania into a serious economic and social crisis.



    Energy — The Romanian Parliament is today debating the rise in energy bills in Romania. The parliament has already decided to set up a committee to investigate the causes of the skyrocketing natural gas and electricity price hikes. The Labor Minister, Raluca Turcan, has pointed out that, one week after its adoption in Parliament, the Vulnerable Consumer Law has not yet been sent for promulgation. According to her, this is a law that provides financial aid to more than 500,000 households that need state support to be able to pay their bills during the winter season. On Tuesday, President Klaus Iohannis and Prime Minister Florin Cîţu talked with representatives of the Enel energy company about the recent developments on the domestic energy market. Klaus Iohannis told Enels management that it is necessary for companies in the sector and the authorities to coordinate their efforts to protect vulnerable consumers, and also companies that have already been strongly affected by the rising prices.



    Strasbourg — The next year will be yet another test of character for the EU with new challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and deeper fractures, said Ursula von der Leyen in her State of the Union Speech delivered Wednesday in the plenum of the European Parliament in Strasbourg. The European official said the EU bloc would be stronger if it looked more like the “Next Generation”. The debate on the state of the European Union takes place every year in September and it is a key moment in demonstrating the European Commissions responsibility to the democratically elected EU representatives.



    Survey – Almost 2/3 of Romanian entrepreneurs (62%) do not feel the economic growth announced by the Government – show the results of a survey made by one of the most important producers of software for companies in Romania. According to the survey, only 9.5% of companies have registered increases in their turnover, and 26% do not notice any real change compared to 2020. Many entrepreneurs believe that instability and the lack of predictability will persist in the Romanian business environment in the current political context. (LS)

  • September 13, 2021 UPDATE

    September 13, 2021 UPDATE

    School year — Almost 3 million school and preschool pupils started a new school year in Romania on Monday. The school year has 34 weeks, being divided into two semesters and it will end on June 11, 2022. On the first school day, festivities were allowed with the participation of parents, the wearing of protective masks and keeping the physical distance from other participants being mandatory. However, there are also children who cannot attend school physically, because, in several localities, the COVID-19 infection rate exceeded 6 cases per thousand inhabitants, and also because the schools where they study were not repaired. The Education Minister, Sorin Cîmpeanu, expressed hope that important progress would be made in relation to pupils’ vaccination after the beginning of school, given that the authorities showed availability to organize mobile teams to bring vaccination closer to schools.



    Partnership — The Romanian FM Bogdan Aurescu on Monday hailed the 10th anniversary of the conclusion of the Romania-US Strategic Partnership, as well as of the Agreement on the installation of an anti-missile system in Romania. In his turn, the charge daffaires of the US Embassy in Bucharest, David Muniz, pointed out that Romania fought side by side with America and the other allied forces in some of the toughest theaters of operations in the world. “Through their actions, the Romanian military brought peace to the affected areas and protected the vulnerable from forces that would have treated them like prey,” said David Muniz. He added that Romania remained an essential link in the NATO anti-missile defense chain.



    Covid-19 — Almost 1,850 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Romania on Monday, out of more than 22,000 tests. In addition, another 46 deaths were reported in patients infected with the novel coronavirus. At least 5,280 people infected with COVID-19 are hospitalized. There are now over 630 patients in intensive care. Romania has 860 intensive care beds for Covid patients, and the authorities are looking to increase their number. 5.2 million Romanians have been fully vaccinated, which means one third of the eligible population.



    Investigation – A Romanian Parliament committee will start this week investigating the increase in energy prices. The commission was set up with the support of all parliamentary groups, in the context of an increase of more than 20%, over the summer, in energy prices and amid fears that financial pressure on households will increase substantially in the cold season. A National Institute of Statistics analysis shows that more than one million families could not afford to pay their electricity and gas bills even when the energy prices were regulated. The authorities have recently approved the Vulnerable Consumer Law, but experts believe this is not enough.



    Firefighters’ Day – On Monday, President Klaus Iohannis decorated the Battle Flag of the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations in Bucharest and the commanders of the units that acted, this summer, to put out the fires in Greece, as part a ceremony on the occasion of Firefighters Day, marked, every year, on September 13th. At the same time, President Iohannis handed over battle flags to 11 County Emergency Inspectorates in sign of appreciation for the devotion and spirit of sacrifice of the Romanian rescuers in fulfilling the missions of protecting the citizens and the community. In turn, the PM Florin Cîţu congratulated the firefighters and spoke about their dedication and professionalism.



    Pope – Pope Francis is on an official visit to Slovakia until Wednesday. After a meeting with members of the Jewish community, including Holocaust survivors, he will travel, on Tuesday, to the poorest regions of Slovakia, where he will have talks with representatives of the Roma community, and on Wednesday he will hold a religious service in Bratislava in the open air. Earlier, Pope Francis paid a brief visit to Budapest, where he pleaded for openness towards our fellows during his discussion with the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is known for his anti-immigration policies.



    Film – The film “Immaculate”, directed by Monica Stan and George Chiper-Lillemark, won the “Leone del Futuro” film debut award at the 78th edition of the Venice International Film Festival. The production, presented for the first time in the world, features Ana Dumitraşcu, Vasile Pavel and Cezar Grumăzescu in the main roles. Monica Stan received an award also for the screenplay of the film “Immaculate” in the section dedicated to authors under the age of 40. The two filmmakers also won the best director award in a parallel section, entitled “Authors Days”, created after the “Directors Week” section of the Cannes Film Festival. The Venice Film Festival ended on September 11th. (LS)