Radio România Internațional

Tag: Poseidon 21

February 28, 2021 UPDATE

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – The vaccination campaign continues
in Romania, a total of 1.5 million doses of vaccine having been administered so
far. Over 900 thousand people have received the vaccines developed by Pfizer /
BioNTech, AstraZeneca and Moderna. Another 2,800 new COVID-19 infections were
reported on Sunday by the Group for Strategic Communication, the total number
of infections exceeding 801 thousand. 90% of people infected with COVID-19 have
recovered, while some 20,350 people have died. 1,000 people are in intensive
care.

COVID-19 IN THE WORLD – The third wave of the pandemic
comes with the reintroduction of harsh restriction in several European states.
Meanwhile new vaccines are being greenlit across the globe, and doctors say
they are viable against the new strains of COVID as well. Schools in the
Republic of Moldova will close down for two weeks, although nursery schools
remain open. As of Monday, a lockdown will be in place in the Czech Republic.
People are not allowed to leave cities or villages, while schools and stores
selling non-essential products will be closed. In Italy, the Government will keep
anti-COVID measures in place until after Easter celebrations, with gyms, public
pools, entertainment areas and ski resorts staying closed. All bars and
restaurants will close at 6 PM. In Germany, most people seem to favor the idea
of a vaccination passport, if this will allow them to go to theatre, do sports
or travel abroad. In Hungary, the country’s president has taken the Chinese
Sinopharm vaccine. It is the only EU state to have accepted vaccines developed
by Russia and China. According to the latest worldometers.info update, at least
114 million infections have been confirmed worldwide since the start of the
pandemic, 2.5 million people have died while 89 million people have recovered.

BUDGET – The Romanian Parliament’s committees on
Saturday adopted the 2021 state and social security budget bills. The documents
passed in the form presented by the Government, and none of the 3,000
amendments were adopted. The opposition says this is an austerity budget,
providing for no increases in salaries, pensions and state allowances, while
the power claims the allocations will help overcome the health and economic
crisis caused by the pandemic. Labor Minister Raluca Turcan said the
social-security budget is higher than that of the past two years, and child
benefits will be increased in two stages. According to the calendar established
by the joint Permanent Bureaus, the joint sitting of the Chamber of Deputies
and the Senate on the state and social security budgets is scheduled for
Monday. The bill will get the final vote on Tuesday. The budget is based on a
deficit target of 7.16% of the GDP, and an economic growth rate of 4.31%.

POSEIDON 21 – Some 700 soldiers, 13 military ships, 9
aircraft, a pyrotechnic intervention vehicle and a remote-controlled underwater
robot will be deployed during the exercise ‘Poseidon 21’ organized by the
Romanian Naval Forces between February 26 and March 6. It is the first
multinational exercise in the Black Sea this year, and involves the
participation of forces and equipment from France, Greece, Romania, Spain, USA
and Turkey. Bulgaria had to cancel its participation due to last-minute COVID
infection cases reported among its sailing crews. The NATO maritime command has
authorized the participation of NATO permanent anti-mine naval forces. The
exercise will include training against underwater threats, involving
hydrographic mapping operations to identify and neutralize mines and IEDs,
combat sequences to suppress air strikes, as well as towing damaged ships,
at-sea resupplying and rescue maneuvers.

EUROSTAT – Romania was one the countries that
earmarked the least funds to social protection in 2019, according to a recent
EUROSTAT report. Romania’s social welfare budget stood at 11.9% of the GDP,
nearly 7% under the EU average. Other countries with comparatively low social
welfare allocations were Ireland, Malta and Bulgaria. At the opposite pole are
Finland, France, Denmark, Italy and Austria, with over a 20% budget share for
social welfare. According to the same report, Romania’s healthcare allocations
were also below the EU average of 7%, while its education spending was also
under the EU average of 4%.

MĂRŢIŞOR – Mărţisor, the celebration of the start of spring
on March 1, will be marked by the Romanian Cultural Institute abroad by means
of children’s workshops, screening documentaries, hosting debates featuring
ethnologists, sociologists and anthropologists and the publication of a series
of digital postcards signed by Romanian artists, comic books or the
presentation of March porcelain and ceramic amulets. The Institute’s branches
in Brussels, Istanbul, Lisbon, London, New York, Paris, Prague, Rome, Stockholm,
Tel Aviv, Warsaw and Venice will be promoting the Mărţisor celebration online. Cultural
practices associated with Mărţisor in 2017 were included on UNESCO’s list of
the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as part of a joint application
filed by Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Republic of Moldova and Romania.

FILM – The Berlin Film Festival will
be held online starting Monday. There will be no red carpet or grandiose film
screenings this year, and even no jury president. The 71st edition
was divided in two phases, as screenings in front of the public were postponed
for June. For the first time in a major film festival, the Silver Bear prizes
for best acting will go gender neutral. Romanian film director Radu Jude, who
won the Golden Bear in 2015 with his film, Aferim!,
is returning to the competition with his latest feature, Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn, a Romania-Luxembourg-Croatia-the
Czech Republic coproduction, which will be premiered in the event. The film
deals with individual relations with society, and tells the story of a school
teacher who finds her career and reputation under threat after a personal sex
tape is leaked on the Internet. Adina Pintilie, the 2018 winner of the Golden
Bear award for best film for Touch Me Not,
will be part of the jury this year.

GAUDEAMUS – The spring edition of
the Gaudeamus book fair is being held on line over March 1-31. Organized by
Radio Romania, the book fair awaits its visitors on www.gaudeamus.ro. Some 70
publishers will take part in scores of events, while the latest releases and
many other surprises are the highlights of this year’s marathon edition.

(V.P.)

28 February 2021
February 28, 2021

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – The vaccination campaign continues
in Romania, a total of 1.5 million doses of vaccine having been administered so
far. Over 900 thousand people have received the vaccines developed by Pfizer /
BioNTech, AstraZeneca and Moderna. Another 2,800 new COVID-19 infections were
reported on Sunday by the Group for Strategic Communication, the total number
of infections exceeding 801 thousand. 90% of people infected with COVID-19 have
recovered, while some 20,350 people have died. 1,000 people are in intensive
care.

COVID-19 IN THE WORLD – The third wave of the pandemic
comes with the reintroduction of harsh restriction in several European states.
Meanwhile new vaccines are being greenlit across the globe, and doctors say
they are viable against the new strains of COVID as well. Schools in the
Republic of Moldova will close down for two weeks, although nursery schools
remain open. As of Monday, a lockdown will be in place in the Czech Republic.
People are not allowed to leave cities or villages, while schools and stores
selling non-essential products will be closed. In Italy, the Government will keep
anti-COVID measures in place until after Easter celebrations, with gyms, public
pools, entertainment areas and ski resorts staying closed. All bars and
restaurants will close at 6 PM. In Germany, most people seem to favor the idea
of a vaccination passport, if this will allow them to go to theatre, do sports
or travel abroad. In Hungary, the country’s president has taken the Chinese
Sinopharm vaccine. It is the only EU state to have accepted vaccines developed
by Russia and China. According to the latest worldometers.info update, at least
114 million infections have been confirmed worldwide since the start of the
pandemic, 2.5 million people have died while 89 million people have recovered.

BUDGET – The Romanian Parliament’s committees on
Saturday adopted the 2021 state and social security budget bills. The documents
passed in the form presented by the Government, and none of the 3,000
amendments were adopted. The opposition says this is an austerity budget,
providing for no increases in salaries, pensions and state allowances, while
the power claims the allocations will help overcome the health and economic
crisis caused by the pandemic. Labor Minister Raluca Turcan said the
social-security budget is higher than that of the past two years, and child
benefits will be increased in two stages. According to the calendar established
by the joint Permanent Bureaus, the joint sitting of the Chamber of Deputies
and the Senate on the state and social security budgets is scheduled for
Monday. The bill will get the final vote on Tuesday. The budget is based on a
deficit target of 7.16% of the GDP, and an economic growth rate of 4.31%.

POSEIDON 21 – Some 700 soldiers, 13 military ships, 9
aircraft, a pyrotechnic intervention vehicle and a remote-controlled underwater
robot will be deployed during the exercise ‘Poseidon 21’ organized by the
Romanian Naval Forces between February 26 and March 6. It is the first
multinational exercise in the Black Sea this year, and involves the
participation of forces and equipment from France, Greece, Romania, Spain, USA
and Turkey. Bulgaria had to cancel its participation due to last-minute COVID
infection cases reported among its sailing crews. The NATO maritime command has
authorized the participation of NATO permanent anti-mine naval forces. The
exercise will include training against underwater threats, involving
hydrographic mapping operations to identify and neutralize mines and IEDs,
combat sequences to suppress air strikes, as well as towing damaged ships,
at-sea resupplying and rescue maneuvers.

EUROSTAT – Romania was one the countries that
earmarked the least funds to social protection in 2019, according to a recent
EUROSTAT report. Romania’s social welfare budget stood at 11.9% of the GDP,
nearly 7% under the EU average. Other countries with comparatively low social
welfare allocations were Ireland, Malta and Bulgaria. At the opposite pole are
Finland, France, Denmark, Italy and Austria, with over a 20% budget share for
social welfare. According to the same report, Romania’s healthcare allocations
were also below the EU average of 7%, while its education spending was also
under the EU average of 4%.

MĂRŢIŞOR – Mărţisor, the celebration of the start of spring
on March 1, will be marked by the Romanian Cultural Institute abroad by means
of children’s workshops, screening documentaries, hosting debates featuring
ethnologists, sociologists and anthropologists and the publication of a series
of digital postcards signed by Romanian artists, comic books or the
presentation of March porcelain and ceramic amulets. The Institute’s branches
in Brussels, Istanbul, Lisbon, London, New York, Paris, Prague, Rome, Stockholm,
Tel Aviv, Warsaw and Venice will be promoting the Mărţisor celebration online. Cultural
practices associated with Mărţisor in 2017 were included on UNESCO’s list of
the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as part of a joint application
filed by Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Republic of Moldova and Romania.

FILM – The Berlin Film Festival will
be held online starting Monday. There will be no red carpet or grandiose film
screenings this year, and even no jury president. The 71st edition
was divided in two phases, as screenings in front of the public were postponed
for June. For the first time in a major film festival, the Silver Bear prizes
for best acting will go gender neutral. Romanian film director Radu Jude, who
won the Golden Bear in 2015 with his film, Aferim!,
is returning to the competition with his latest feature, Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn, a Romania-Luxembourg-Croatia-the
Czech Republic coproduction, which will be premiered in the event. The film
deals with individual relations with society, and tells the story of a school
teacher who finds her career and reputation under threat after a personal sex
tape is leaked on the Internet. Adina Pintilie, the 2018 winner of the Golden
Bear award for best film for Touch Me Not,
will be part of the jury this year. (V.P.)

28 February 2021
February 27, 2021 UPDATE

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – The vaccination
campaign continues in Romania, a total of 1.5 million doses of vaccines having
been administered so far. Over 890 thousand people have received the vaccines
developed by Pfizer / BioNTech, AstraZeneca and Moderna. Another 3.432 new
COVID-19 infections were reported on Saturday by the Group for Strategic
Communication, taking the total number of infections close to 800 thousand. 90%
of people infected with COVID-19 have recovered, while some 20,300 people have
died. 1,000 people are in intensive care.

COVID-19 IN THE WORLD –Worldwide
the number of cases of Sars-Cov -2 infection has exceeded 113 million, and that
of deaths 2.5 million. According to worldometers.info, more than 89 million
infected people have been cured. Meanwhile, European countries have opted for
voluntary vaccination against Covid-19, although some of them, such as France,
the United Kingdom or Hungary, are examining potential certificates or
passports to prove it, international news agencies report. In
Germany, coronavirus vaccination is voluntary and the government has stressed
that there are no plans to make it mandatory. Vaccination is not mandatory in
France either. However, the government has launched an online consultation to
find out citizens’ views on the possibility of implementing a vaccination
certificate and whether it should be mandatory or optional. In the United
Kingdom, which was the first country in the world to launch a mass vaccination
program against Covid-19, immunization is widely accepted by the population.
The vaccination plan in Italy is also voluntary and started with the highest
risk groups. For its part, the Austrian Government insists that vaccination is
and will be voluntary and that it has not yet been decided, for example,
whether it can be a condition for carrying out an activity. The World Health
Organization insists that the cure for the pandemic is to speed up
immunization, and the available vaccines promise an effectiveness of about 90%.
In another development, the European Medicines Agency on Friday announced the
antibody cocktail development by Regeneron can be used in treating COVID
patients. The United States adopted the product last year for emergencies,
President Donald Trump being one of the patients treated with Regeneron.

COUNCIL – EU heads of state
and government agreed to continue talks on the introduction of anti-COVID
vaccine passports, allowing for free circulation across the community bloc,
particularly during summer. At the European Council virtual summit, they pleaded
for a common approach. Member States relying on tourism, such as Cyprus and
Greece, have argued in favor of an accelerated adoption of vaccination
passports to save the summer season. After the videoconference, the Portuguese
Prime Minister expressed hope the European anti-COVID-19 vaccination
certificated will be implemented by summer, while French President Emmanuel
Macron said such a document cannot grant special rights to people who’ve taken
the vaccine. Representing Romania was President Klaus Iohannis, who’s called
for a coordinated EU-wide approach, saying the vaccination certificate should
be used for medical purposes only. President Iohannis has supported the quick
implementation of the European mechanism for donating vaccines to third countries.

BUDGET – The
Romanian Parliament’s committees on Saturday adopted the 2021 state and social
security budget bills. The documents passed in the form presented by the
Government, and none of the 3,000 amendments were adopted. The opposition says
this is an austerity budget, providing for no increases in salaries, pensions
and state allowances, while the power claims the allocations will help overcome
the health and economic crisis caused by the pandemic. Labor Minister Raluca
Turcan said the social-security budget is higher than that of the past two
years, and child benefits will be increased in two stages. According to the
calendar established by the joint Permanent Bureaus, the joint sitting of the
Chamber of Deputies and the Senate on the state and social security budgets is
scheduled for Monday. The bill will get the final vote on Tuesday. The budget
is based on a deficit target of 7.16% of the GDP, and an economic growth rate
of 4.31%.

POSEIDON 21 -
Some 700 soldiers, 13 military ships, 9 aircraft, a pyrotechnic intervention
vehicle and a remote-controlled underwater robot will be deployed during the
exercise ‘Poseidon 21’ organized by the Romanian Naval Forces between February
26 and March 6. It is the first multinational exercise in the Black Sea this
year, and involves the participation of forces and equipment from France,
Greece, Romania, Spain, USA and Turkey. Bulgaria had to cancel its
participation due to last-minute COVID infection cases reported among its
sailing crews. The NATO maritime command has authorized the participation of
NATO permanent anti-mine naval forces. The exercise will include training
against underwater threats, involving hydrographic mapping operations to
identify and neutralize mines and IEDs, combat sequences to suppress air
strikes, as well as towing damaged ships, at-sea resupplying and rescue
maneuvers.

MOLDOVA – The first 21.600
doses of anti-COVID-19 vaccine donated by Romania have reached neighboring
Moldova. Moldova’s President, Maia Sandu, posted a message on her Facebook
page, writing this is the first batch of the 200,000 doses of vaccine, part of
a generous donation promised by Romania to the citizens of our country. Thank
you, Romania, president Sandu writes. She added that Saturday’s batch of
AstraZeneca vaccines will be used to immunize health and first line workers.

PLAN – The US House of
Representatives on Saturday passed, with a majority of votes, the 1.900
billion-dollar American Rescue Plan proposed by Democrat President Joe Biden to
help the American economy recover after the COVID crisis. The law was voted at
the end of a long debate where Republicans denounced certain measures they
consider to be too costly and badly designed. The text has been submitted to
the Senate, where the Democrats have prepared a legislative move allowing
them to adopt the plan without the support of the Republicans. Among other
things, the plan provides for the purchase of vaccines and medical equipment
and for the distribution of new financial assistance packages to American
households, local businesses and administrations that have been affected by the
pandemic. The assistance also includes a direct payment of $1.400 to natural
persons, an unemployment allowance of $400 to be paid until August 29 and other
relief measures for those who cannot pay rent until mid-March. (V.P.)

27 February 2021
February 27, 2021

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – The vaccination
campaign continues in Romania, a total of 1.5 million doses of vaccine having
been administered so far. Over 890 thousand people have received the vaccines
developed by Pfizer / BioNTech, AstraZeneca and Moderna. Another 3.432 new COVID-19
infections were reported on Saturday by the Group for Strategic Communication,
taking the total number of infections close to 800 thousand. 90% of people
infected with COVID-19 have recovered, while some 20,300 people have died. 1,000
people are in intensive care.

COVID-19 IN THE WORLD –Worldwide
the number of cases of Sars-Cov -2 infection has exceeded 113 million, and that
of deaths 2.5 million. According to worldometers.info, more than 89 million
infected people have been cured. Meanwhile, European countries have opted for
voluntary vaccination against Covid-19, although some of them, such as France,
the United Kingdom or Hungary, are examining potential certificates or
passports to prove it, international news agencies report. In
Germany, coronavirus vaccination is voluntary and the government has stressed
that there are no plans to make it mandatory. Vaccination is not mandatory in
France either. However, the government has launched an online consultation to
find out citizens’ views on the possibility of implementing a vaccination
certificate and whether it should be mandatory or optional. In the United
Kingdom, which was the first country in the world to launch a mass vaccination
program against Covid-19, immunization is widely accepted by the population.
The vaccination plan in Italy is also voluntary and started with the highest
risk groups. For its part, the Austrian Government insists that vaccination is
and will be voluntary and that it has not yet been decided, for example,
whether it can be a condition for carrying out an activity. The World Health
Organization insists that the cure for the pandemic is to speed up
immunization, and the available vaccines promise an effectiveness of about 90%.
In another development, the European Medicines Agency announced the
antibody cocktail development by Regeneron can be used in treating COVID
patients. The United States adopted the product last year for emergencies,
President Donald Trump being one of the patients treated with Regeneron.

COUNCIL – EU heads of state
and government agreed to continue talks on the introduction of anti-COVID
vaccine passports, allowing for free circulation across the community bloc,
particularly during summer. At the European Council virtual summit, they pleaded
for a common approach. Member States relying on tourism, such as Cyprus and
Greece, have argued in favor of an accelerated adoption of vaccination
passports to save the summer season. After the videoconference, the Portuguese
Prime Minister expressed hope the European anti-COVID-19 vaccination
certificate will be implemented by summer, while French President Emmanuel
Macron said such a document cannot grant special rights to people who’ve taken
the vaccine. Representing Romania was President Klaus Iohannis, who’s called
for a coordinated EU-wide approach, saying the vaccination certificate should
be used for medical purposes only. President Iohannis has supported the quick
implementation of the European mechanism for donating vaccines to third
countries.

BUDGET – The
Romanian Parliament’s budget-finance committees on Saturday continue
debates on the 2021 budget bill. Labor Minister Raluca Turcan and Minister for
Investments and European Projects, Cristian Ghinea, will appear before senators
and deputies in the committees to discuss the budgets allotted to their
ministries. On Friday, the budgets of agriculture, healthcare, education,
economy and justice were approved, in addition to the budgets of public
institutions such as the radio and TV public broadcasters and the national
health insurance agency. Coalition leaders have agreed not to table any
amendments, while the proposals proposed by the opposition have been rejected. According
to the calendar established by the joint Permanent Bureaus, the joint sitting
of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate on the state and social security
budgets is scheduled for Monday. The bill will get the final vote on Tuesday.
The budget is based on a deficit target of 7.16% of the GDP, and an economic
growth rate of 4.31%.

POSEIDON 21 -
Some 700 soldiers, 13 military ships, 9 aircraft, a pyrotechnic intervention
vehicle and a remote-controlled underwater robot will be deployed during the
exercise ‘Poseidon 21’ organized by the Romanian Naval Forces between February
26 and March 6. It is the first multinational exercise in the Black Sea this
year, and involves the participation of forces and equipment from Bulgaria, France,
Greece, Romania, Spain, USA and Turkey. The NATO maritime command has
authorized the participation of NATO permanent anti-mine naval forces. The
exercise will include training against underwater threats, involving
hydrographic mapping operations to identify and neutralize mines and IEDs,
combat sequences to suppress air strikes, as well as towing damaged ships,
at-sea resupplying and rescue maneuvers.

PLAN – The US House of
Representatives on Saturday passed, with a majority of votes, the 1.900 billion-dollar
American Rescue Plan proposed by Democrat President Joe Biden to help the
American economy recover after the COVID crisis. The law was voted at the end
of a long debate where Republicans denounced certain measures they consider to
be too costly and badly designed. The text has been submitted to the Senate,
where the Democrats have prepared a legislative move allowing them to adopt
the plan without the support of the Republicans. Among other things, the plan
provides for the purchase of vaccines and medical equipment and for the
distribution of new financial assistance packages to American households, local
businesses and administrations that have been affected by the pandemic. The
assistance also includes a direct payment of $1.400 to natural persons, an
unemployment allowance of $400 to be paid until August 29 and other relief
measures for those who cannot pay rent until mid-March. (V.P.)

27 February 2021
February 26, 2021 UPDATE

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – Starting
on Friday, the incidence rate of infections with the new coronavirus in Romania
will be calculated according to different rules, in the sense that outbreaks
will be introduced in the final analysis. Authorities say that the new rules
are in line with the international standards and other countries are doing the
same. According to the head of the Department for Emergency Situations, Raed
Arafat, a slight increase in the incidence of COVID-19 cases is expected as a
result of the new approach. The new outbreaks that will be introduced in the
calculation of COVID-19 cases are reported mainly in hospitals and care
centers. In another development, some 3,700 new cases of people infected with
SARS-CoV-2 were reported within 24 hours after performing about 36 thousand
tests nationwide. In total, since the onset of the pandemic in Romania, almost
795 thousand cases have been registered. 90% of the Covid-19 patients have been
cured. The total number of deaths has exceeded 20,200. Friday marked one year
since the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Romania. The first death from
coronavirus was officially reported in the country on March 22 last year.

COVID-19 IN THE WORLD –Worldwide the number of cases of
Sars-Cov -2 infection has exceeded 113 million, and that of deaths 2.5 million.
According to worldometers.info, more than 89 million infected people have been
cured. Meanwhile, European countries have opted for voluntary vaccination
against Covid-19, although some of them, such as France, the United Kingdom or
Hungary, are examining potential certificates or passports to prove
it, international news agencies report. In Germany, coronavirus vaccination is
voluntary and the government has stressed that there are no plans to make it
mandatory. Vaccination is not mandatory in France either. However, the
government has launched an online consultation to find out citizens’ views on
the possibility of implementing a vaccination certificate and whether it should
be mandatory or optional. In the United Kingdom, which was the first country in
the world to launch a mass vaccination program against Covid-19, immunization
is widely accepted by the population. The vaccination plan in Italy is also
voluntary and started with the highest risk groups. For its part, the Austrian
Government insists that vaccination is and will be voluntary and that it has
not yet been decided, for example, whether it can be a condition for carrying
out an activity. The World Health Organization insists that the cure for the
pandemic is to speed up immunization, and the available vaccines promise an
effectiveness of about 90%. In another development, the European Medicines
Agency on Friday announced the antibody cocktail development by Regeneron can
be used in treating COVID patients. The United States adopted the product last
year for emergencies, President Donald Trump being one of the patients treated
with Regeneron.

BUDGET – The
Romanian Parliament’s budget-finance committees continued, on Friday, the
debates on the 2021 budget bill. The budgets of the main ministries have been
voted in the form proposed by the Government. None of the amendments tabled by
the opposition has been adopted. According to the calendar established by the
joint Permanent Bureaus, the joint sitting of the Chamber of Deputies and the
Senate on the state and social security budgets is scheduled for Monday. The
bill will get the final vote on Tuesday. The budget is based on a deficit
target of 7.16% of the GDP, and an economic growth rate of 4.31%.

SUMMIT –The EU heads of state and government,
including the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, on Friday attended a
virtual summit on security and defense. Referring to vaccination certificates,
President Iohannis said they can be used for medical purposes. EU leaders have
called for coordinated action to combat COVID-19 in Europe, but couldn’t solve
their disagreements over a possible vaccination passport. The Romanian
president hailed the European Commission’s efforts to deal with the pandemic,
both in terms of purchasing and distributing vaccines, as well as ensuring the
functioning of the single market. On the other hand, participants have
reiterated the EU’s firm commitment to cooperate closely with NATO and
strengthen partnerships with the UN and key regional partners. President
Iohannis pointed out Romania supports the implementation of the Union’s
initiatives in the field of healthcare and defense, at the same time ensuring
complementarity with NATO, which remains the foundation of collective defense
for allied states. Klaus Iohannis expressed his firm support for consolidating
political dialogue and for development the strategic partnership between the EU
and NATO, arguing the trans-Atlantic ties are key to EU security.

POSEIDON 21 – Some 700 soldiers, 13 military
ships, 9 aircraft, a pyrotechnic intervention vehicle and a remote-controlled
underwater robot will be deployed during the exercise ‘Poseidon 21’ organized
by the Romanian Naval Forces between February 26 and March 6. It is the first
multinational exercise in the Black Sea this year, and involves the
participation of forces and equipment from Bulgaria, France, Greece, Romania,
Spain, USA and Turkey. ‘Poseidon 21’ is an exercise with a high degree of
complexity, included in the NATO Training Program proposed by Romania at the
NATO Summit in Warsaw, in 2016, to strengthen security measures on the European
south-eastern flank, as well as to ensure a continuous presence in the Black
Sea region.

FORD – Due to the problems related to
the supply of semiconductors that affect a large part of the world car
industry, the Ford factory in Craiova (southwestern Romania) has suspended for
eight days the production of vehicles and engines. Production would resume on
March 10. The factory representatives have state that, in the eight days off
work, the employees will be paid according to the agreements concluded between
the company and the unions and taking into account the legislation in force.
This month, the Dacia factory, owned by the French group Renault, also stopped
production for five days in Mioveni (southern Romania). The crisis in the
automotive industry is expected to last a few more months and could lead to a
world production of over a million smaller cars this year. (M.I. & V.P.)

26 February 2021
February 26, 2021

Covid-19
RO. Starting today, the incidence rate of
infections with the new coronavirus in Romania will be calculated according to
other rules, in the sense that outbreaks will be introduced in the final analysis.
Authorities say that the new rules are in line with the international standards
and other countries are doing the same. According to the head of the Department
for Emergency Situations, Raed Arafat, a slight increase in the incidence of
COVID-19 cases is expected as a result of the new approach. The new outbreaks
that will be introduced in the calculation of COVID-19 cases are reported mainly
in hospitals and care centers. In another development, some 3,700 new cases of
people infected with SARS-CoV-2 were reported within 24 hours after performing
about 36 thousand tests nationwide. In total, since the onset of the pandemic
in Romania, almost 795 thousand cases have been registered. 90% of the Covid-19
patients have been cured. The total
number of deaths has exceeded 20,200. Today is one year since the first case of
COVID-19 was confirmed in Romania. The first death from coronavirus was
officially reported in the country on March 22 last year.

Pandemic. Worldwide, the number of cases of Sars-Cov -2 infection has
exceeded 113 million, and that of deaths 2.5 million. According to
worldometers.info, more than 89 million infected people have been cured.
Meanwhile, European countries have opted for voluntary vaccination against
Covid-19, although some of them, such as France, the United Kingdom or Hungary,
are examining potential certificates or passports to prove it,
international news agencies report. In Germany, coronavirus vaccination is
voluntary and the government has stressed that there are no plans to make it
mandatory. Vaccination is not mandatory in France either. However, the
government has launched an online consultation to find out citizens’ views on
the possibility of implementing a vaccination certificate and whether it should
be mandatory or optional. In the United Kingdom, which was the first country in
the world to launch a mass vaccination program against Covid-19, immunization
is widely accepted by the population. The vaccination plan in Italy is also
voluntary and started with the highest risk groups. For its part, the Austrian
Government insists that vaccination is and will be voluntary and that it has
not yet been decided, for example, whether it can be a condition for carrying
out an activity. The World Health Organization insists that the cure for the
pandemic is to speed up immunization, and the available vaccines promise an
effectiveness of about 90%.

Budget. The Romanian Parliament’s budget-finance committees continue, today, the debates on the 2021
budget bill. Debates are scheduled on
the budgets of several ministries, including the Ministry of Economy, of
Tourism, the Ministry of Development and Agriculture, of Education and Foreign
Affairs, as well as the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Justice. On
Thursday, members of the two committees approved several articles in the draft
budgets and endorsed budgets of some chief authorizing officers. These include the
budgets of the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Interior, the Presidential
Administration, the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. No amendment out of the
more than 3,000 submitted by the opposition was accepted. According to the
calendar established by the joint Permanent Bureaus, the joint sitting of the
Chamber of Deputies and the Senate on the state and social security budgets is
scheduled for Monday. The bill will get the final vote on Tuesday.

Summit. The EU heads of state and
government, including the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, are today
attending a virtual summit on security and defense. Talks focus on means to
improve the collective ability to respond to challenges and issues related to
cyber attacks and hybrid threats. On Thursday, the first day of the summit,
European leaders called for firm restrictions and an accelerated pace of immunization
in order to stop the spread of new coronavirus variants. Officials stressed the
need for coordinated action to combat the COVID-19 pandemic on the continent,
but failed to overcome disagreements over a future vaccination passport.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said there were many
questions about how they would be used, but added that each Member State had to
make its own decision. It has also been agreed that non-essential travel will
be restricted for the time being, but the unrestricted flow of goods and
services within the single market must be ensured, including through the use of
green corridors.

Poseidon 21. Some 700 soldiers, 13 military ships, 9
aircraft, a pyrotechnic intervention vehicle and a remote-controlled underwater
robot will be deployed during the exercise ‘Poseidon 21’ organized by the
Romanian Naval Forces between February 26 and March 6. It is the first
multinational exercise in the Black Sea this year, and involves the participation of forces and equipment
from Bulgaria, France, Greece, Romania, Spain, USA and Turkey. ‘Poseidon 21’ is
an exercise with a high degree of complexity, included in the NATO Training
Program proposed by Romania at the NATO Summit in Warsaw, in 2016, to strengthen
security measures on the European south-eastern flank, as well as to ensure a
continuous presence in the Black Sea region.

Ford. Due to the problems related to the supply of
semiconductors that affect a large part of the world car industry, the Ford
factory in Craiova (southwestern Romania) has suspended for eight days the
production of vehicles and engines. Production would resume on March 10. The
factory representatives have state that, in the eight days off work, the
employees will be paid according to the agreements concluded between the
company and the unions and taking into account the legislation in force. This
month, the Dacia factory, owned by the French group Renault, also stopped
production for five days in Mioveni (southern Romania). The crisis in the
automotive industry is expected to last a few more months and could lead to a
world production of over a million smaller cars this year. (M.I.)

26 February 2021
February 24, 2021 UPDATE

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – The vaccination of education
employees, through school inspectorates, stared on Wednesday in Bucharest and
most counties in Romania. The whole procedure will take until March 10 for the
first dose of vaccine, and authorities estimate that 60,000 people will be
immunized during this period. So far, more than 42,000 teachers have already
been vaccinated through the specially created national online platform.
Meanwhile, about 80,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine have arrived in the
country on Wednesday, which will be stored to ensure boosters for those already
vaccinated with the first dose. Since the start of the vaccination campaign in
Romania on December 27, a total of almost 2 million doses of vaccine have been
received, most of them from Pfizer. The serum from AstraZeneca has also been
administered in Romania for about ten days now. 3,300 new cases of coronavirus
infection were reported on Wednesday, following some 34,000 tests run at
national level. Another 73 related deaths have also been reported, and 1000
people are in intensive care.

COVID-19
IN THE WORLD – Worldwide,
more than 112 million people have been infected with the new coronavirus since
the beginning of the pandemic, more than a year ago. About 88 million have been
cured, and nearly 2.5 million have died. The World Health Organization has
announced that the death toll has fallen for three consecutive weeks, and the
number of confirmed cases of coronavirus has also continued to decline.
Meanwhile, European countries are making plans to ease restrictions and resume activities,
but are acting cautiously against the more contagious strains of the new
coronavirus. The European Commission has called on Belgium, Denmark, Finland,
Germany, Hungary and Sweden to drop restrictive measures imposed unilaterally
at the borders. The six states have ten days to justify the restrictions. In
order to curb the spread of the new variants, Italy is isolating more and more
localities. For its part, France has for the first time taken the measure of
territorial isolation of the population.

EUROPEAN
COUNCIL – Romania’s
President, Klaus Iohannis, on Thursday and Friday is attending the
extraordinary meeting of the European Council, held in videoconference format,
the presidency reports. The agenda for talks includes elements pertaining to
the coordination of the European Union in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic
and actions in the healthcare sector. Moreover, EU leaders will tackle topics
in the field of security and defense, especially EU-wide cooperation and
EU-NATO complementarity and aspects related to the Southern Vicinity of the
European Union.

BUDGET –The specialized committees of
Romania’s parliament will start debates on the state and social security
budgets for 2021 on Thursday afternoon, during which the parliamentary groups
can submit amendments to the draft drawn up by the Government. The discussions
in the committees are expected to be completed by Saturday, and the vote in
plenary on the two documents to take place next Tuesday. The draft law for
approving the ceilings, which must be adopted before the state budget, will
also be debated and voted according to a tight calendar. The document was
endorsed by the Senate and on Wednesday was voted by the Chamber of Deputies,
the decision-making body on this matter. The ceilings bill sets the caps on
deficits and staff expenditure. The document stipulates that the ceiling of the
budget deficit will be 7.16% of the GDP this year, and personnel spending will
stand at 9.8%.

PROTESTS – Trade union protests continue
in Romania. On Wednesday, protests organized by the PUBLISIND Federation,
affiliated to the National Trade Union Bloc, were staged in Bucharest and in
the country’s prefectures against the freezing of salaries and bonuses, the
non-indexation of pensions against inflation, and the lack of a minimum wage
increase correlated with rising prices. PUBLISIND has members from the police,
border and penitentiary police, central and local public administration, social
assistance, court registry, sports and youth, finance and financial or environmental
control. Also on Wednesday, the Meridian National Trade Union Confederation and
the Federation of Railway Transport Trade Unions in Romania protested in front
of the transport ministry headquarters. Meanwhile, the miners who blocked
themselves in the underground of the Lupeni coal mine, in the Jiu Valley
(center-west), ended the protest that had started six days earlier, after they
were informed about the provisions of the agreement, concluded by their leaders
and the Ministry of Labour, under which they will receive all outstanding
salaries and other benefits they are entitled to. Prime Minister Florin Cîţu
said the Government has adopted a decision whereby all the payments stipulated in
the collective employment agreement, tantamount to some €2.25 million, will be
paid.

SPECIAL PENSIONS – President Klaus Iohannis has
promulgated the law eliminating the special pensions for senators and deputies.
The law was endorsed by Parliament last week. All parties, except the
Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians, which abstained, voted in favour of the
bill initiated by the Social Democratic Party to eliminate special pensions.
The President of the Chamber of Deputies, Ludovic Orban, has stated that this
is just the first step. We will have to fearlessly attack all the
legislation in the field, in order to eventually make sure that all pensions in
Romania are established based on the principle of contribution, Ludovic
Orban said. 800 former MPs benefit from these special pensions, amounting to
some €10 million a year, paid from the state budget.

POSEIDON 21 – Over 700 soldiers, 13 military
ships, 9 aircraft, a pyrotechnic intervention truck and a remote-controlled
underwater robot will be deployed during the ‘Poseidon 21’ exercise organized
by the Romanian Naval Forces between February 26 and March 6. It is the first
multinational exercise in 2021 in the Black Sea. Forces and means from
Bulgaria, France, Greece, Romania, Spain, USA and Turkey will participate. With
a high degree of complexity, ‘Poseidon 21’ is included in the NATO Training
Program proposed by Romania at the NATO Summit in Warsaw, in 2016, to strengthen
security measures on the European south-eastern flank, as well as to ensure a
continuous presence in the Black Sea region. (M.I. & V.P.)

24 February 2021
February 24, 2021

Budget. The specialized committees of Romania’s parliament will
start debates on the state and social security budgets for 2021 on Thursday
afternoon, during which the parliamentary groups can submit amendments to the draft
drawn up by the Government. The discussions in the committees are expected to
be completed by Saturday, and the vote in plenary on the two documents to take
place next Tuesday. The draft law for approving the ceilings, which must be
adopted before the state budget, will also be debated and voted according to a
tight calendar. The document was endorsed by the Senate and today it will be
voted in the Chamber of Deputies, which is the decision-making body on this
mater. The ceilings bill sets the caps on deficits and staff expenditure. The
document stipulates that the ceiling of the budget deficit will be 7.16% of the
GDP this year, and personnel spending will stand at 9.8%.

Special pensions. President Klaus
Iohannis has promulgated the law by means of which the special pensions of
senators and deputies are eliminated. The law was endorsed by Parliament last
week. All parties, except the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians, which
abstained, voted in favour of the bill initiated by the Social Democratic Party
to eliminate special pensions. The President of the Chamber of Deputies,
Ludovic Orban, has stated that this is just the first step. We will have to fearlessly
attack all the legislation in the field, in order to eventually make sure that
all pensions in Romania are established based on the principle of contribution,
Ludovic Orban said. 800 former
parliamentarians benefit from these special pensions, amounting to some 10
million euros a year, paid from the state budget.

Protests.
Trade union protests continue in
Romania. Today, protests organized by the PUBLISIND Federation, affiliated to
the National Trade Union Bloc, are announced in Bucharest and in the country’s
prefectures against the freezing of salaries and bonuses, the non-indexation of
pensions against inflation, and the lack of a minimum wage increase correlated
with rising prices. PUBLISIND has members from the police, border and
penitentiary police, central and local public administration, social
assistance, court registry, sports and youth, finance and financial or
environmental control. Also today, the Meridian National Trade Union
Confederation and the Federation of Railway Transport Trade Unions in Romania are
protesting in front of the transport ministry headquarters. Meanwhile, the miners who blocked themselves
in the underground of the Lupeni coal mine, in the Jiu Valley (center-west),
ended the protest that had started six days earlier, after they were informed about
the provisions of the agreement, concluded by their leaders and the Ministry of
Labour, under which they will receive all outstanding salaries and other
benefits they are entitled to.

Vaccination.
The vaccination of education
employees, through school inspectorates, has stared today in Bucharest and most
counties in Romania. The whole procedure will take until March 10 for the first
dose of vaccine, and authorities estimate that 60,000 people will be immunized
during this period. So far, more than 42,000 teachers have already been
vaccinated through the specially created national online platform. Meanwhile,
about 80,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine have arrived in the country today,
which will be stored to ensure boosters for those already vaccinated with the
first dose. Since the start of the vaccination campaign in Romania on December
27, a total of almost 2 million doses of vaccine have been received, most of
them from Pfizer. The serum from AstraZeneca has also been administered in
Romania for about ten days now. 3,300 new cases of coronavirus infection have
been reported today, following some 34,000 tests run at national level. Another
73 deaths have also been reported, and 1000 people are in intensive care.

Pandemic. Worldwide, more than 112 million people have been
infected with the new coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic, more
than a year ago. About 88 million have been cured, and nearly 2.5 million have
died. The World Health Organization has announced that the death toll has
fallen for three consecutive weeks, and the number of confirmed cases of
coronavirus has also continued to decline. Meanwhile, European countries are
making plans to ease restrictions and resume activities, but are acting
cautiously against the more contagious strains of the new coronavirus. The
European Commission has called on Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary
and Sweden to drop restrictive measures imposed unilaterally at the borders.
The six states have ten days to justify the restrictions. In order to curb the
spread of the new variants, Italy is isolating more and more localities. For
its part, France has for the first time taken the measure of territorial
isolation of the population.

Poseidon 21. Over 700 soldiers, 13 military ships, 9 aircraft, a
pyrotechnic intervention truck and a remote-controlled underwater robot will be
deployed during the ‘Poseidon 21’ exercise organized by the Romanian Naval
Forces between February 26 and March 6. It is the first multinational exercise
in 2021 in the Black Sea. Forces and means from Bulgaria, France, Greece,
Romania, Spain, USA and Turkey will participate. ‘Poseidon 21’, with a high
degree of complexity, is included in the NATO Training Program proposed by Romania
at the NATO Summit in Warsaw, in 2016, to strengthen security measures on the European
south-eastern flank, as well as to ensure a continuous presence in the Black
Sea region.

Moldova. The
Constitutional Court of the Republic of Moldova (ex-Soviet, predominantly
Romanian-speaking), has declared unconstitutional the presidential decree by
which Natalia Gavriliţă has been repeatedly appointed prime minister. The court
requested the resumption of consultations between the President of the
Republic, Maia Sandu, and the parliamentary parties to identify a candidate for
prime minister. Maia Sandu announced on February 11, after consultations with
parliamentary groups, that she proposed, again, Natalia Gavriliţă, already
rejected once, as a candidate for the position of prime minister, practically forcing
the possibility of triggering early legislative elections. (MI)

24 February 2021