Radio România Internațional

Tag: recovery

  • July 1, 2020

    July 1, 2020

    COVID-19 So far 27,296 coronavirus infection cases have been reported in Romania, with 326 new cases confirmed over the past 24 hours Over 20,749 of them have recovered, and 1,667 people died. The healthcare minister Nelu Tătaru announced 2 days ago that the increase in the number of new COVID-19 cases prompted the authorities to postpone the lifting of further restrictions as of July 1. Three relaxation stages have been introduced since mid-May, when Romania switched from a state of emergency to a state of alert. Among the Romanians living abroad, 4,795 have so far tested positive for the novel coronavirus, and 115 of them died.




    ECONOMY In Bucharest, in the presence of president Klaus Iohannis and Cabinet members, PM Ludovic Orban is presenting tonight a national economic recovery plan following the coronavirus crisis. The PM has recently stated that the regulations required for the implementation of this plan will be adopted shortly. According to the prime minister, infrastructure investments are a fundamental pillar in upgrading and restarting the economy, because Romanias priority is modernisation through investments in transport, energy, healthcare, communications, education and agriculture.




    NATURAL GAS The Romanian natural gas market is fully liberalised as of July 1. Tariffs are no longer regulated by the government, but by demand and supply mechanisms. The liberalisation comes at a time when the energy market is highly concentrated, with 2 companies accounting for 90% of the household consumers. These companies have sent their clients offers with the same prices as before, and unless they receive an answer, the new contracts will take effect by default. A week ago, the Energy Minister, Virgil Popescu, told AGERPRES news agency that households should pay 10-15% less for natural gas after deregulation. He explained that unless major suppliers cut down prices, the Competition Law enables the government to intervene in the market for a 6-month period.




    PARLIAMENT The Parliament of Romania convenes until mid-July for a special session. The Chamber of Deputies is set to discuss a number of bills, including the one setting the date of local elections and an initiative banning people with criminal records from running for public office. On Monday the Deputies will hear PM Ludovic Orban on the procurement contracts signed during the pandemic. In turn, Senate is also to vote on the local elections bill, after the Government decided the election should take place on September 27.




    EU Germany will hold the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union for the next 6 months, taking over from Croatia. The coronavirus crisis and its aftermath is the main challenge for Berlin during this term in office, according to a plan approved by the German government on June 24, and entitled “Together for Europes Recovery. Germanys priorities also include the completion of the Brexit negotiations and topics like environment protection, digitisation and Europes relations with China and the US. With the EU facing the deepest economic recession since World War 2, member states must agree in the following months on a multi-annual budget for 2021-2027 and on the operation of the 750-billion euro European Recovery Fund designed by the European Commission to support the economies of the countries that were hit the worst by the pandemic, particularly Italy and Spain.




    PANDEMIC The total number of COVID-19 cases worldwide passes 10.5 million, with the death toll standing at 514,000, and 5.8 million patients recovered, according to Worldometers.info. In the US, the last 24 hours brought over 47,000 new cases, the highest daily rate since the start of the pandemic, Reuters reports. More than 126,000 Americans died and millions have lost their jobs. The economy collapsed in the first quarter, and is expected to further drop in the second one. Meanwhile, the EU has approved today a list of safe countries for non-essential travel. The list, which includes 14 countries (Algeria, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, and Uruguay) will be updated every 2 weeks, depending on local COVID-19 developments.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • June 9, 2020 UPDATE

    June 9, 2020 UPDATE

    MEASURES President Klaus Iohannis announced on Tuesday that extending the state of alert beyond June 15 is necessary, given the absence of a significant drop in the number of new COVID-19 cases. The head of state also announced further easing of containment measures starting mid-June, including a possible reopening of shopping malls, kindergartens, private schools, gyms and outdoor pools. However, hygiene and physical distancing measures will have to be strictly complied with. The extension of the state of alert must be approved by Parliament, which is why the president called on MPs to be responsible, and said this is the only way the authorities can contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.



    COVID-19 In Romania, 9 more people infected with the novel coronavirus died, taking the death toll to 1,354, the Strategic Communication Group announced on Tuesday. According to the latest data, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Romania is over 20,700. Of these, more than 14,900 have recovered, while 152 patients are in intensive care units. Around 3,300 Romanian nationals living abroad have so far tested positive for the virus, mostly in Italy, Germany and Spain, and 114 of them died. The head of the Emergency Department, Raed Arafat, emphasised that full relaxation is, for the time being, out of the question.



    PARLIAMENT The simple motion tabled
    by the Social Democratic Party in opposition against labour minister Violeta
    Alexandru was discussed and passed by the Senate on Tuesday. The Social
    Democrats requested the Labour Minister to step down over the emergency order
    on furlough and other measures concerning vulnerable categories, which was
    poorly written and required several successive changes. The minister was also
    criticised for how she handled the situation of the Romanian nationals who left
    the country to work abroad. Violeta Alexandru dismissed the accusations. The
    Chamber of Deputies decided on Tuesday to discuss and vote on the motion
    against the development minister Ion Stefan at a later date. The finance
    minister Florin Cîţu is also invited on Wednesday to present explanations to
    the Senate’s economic and budget-finances committees concerning Standard&Poor’s decision with
    respect to including Romania in their investment-grade category.



    ECONOMY The year-on-year economic growth rate in the first quarter of this year, 2.4%, is primarily owing to consumption, which went up 3.8%. According to preliminary data made public on Tuesday by the National Statistics Institute, the GDP was 0.3% higher in the first quarter, in real terms, than in the 4th quarter of 2019. Romanias trade balance deficit also deepened by roughly 201 million euros in Q1 compared to the previous quarter.



    EU PM Ludovic Orban took part on Tuesday in a conference call organized by the Croatian presidency of the Council of the EU, with the ambassadors of EU countries in Bucharest. The PM emphasised that the Government now focuses on economic recovery, and mentioned measures to support the companies and the employees affected by the pandemic. Ludovic Orban also said the Cabinet is considering measures to ensure cashflows, to support investments in vital sectors and to improve the efficiency of EU fund absorption. In turn, the ambassador of Croatia to Romania and the Republic of Moldova, Marija Kapitanovic, commended the Government of Romania for its handling of the health crisis and the repatriation of Romanian citizens from the countries affected by the pandemic.




    FESTIVAL This year, the Sibiu International Theatre Festival (FITS) will hold a special, online edition, scheduled between June 12th and 21st, the organisers have announced. FITS #online Empowered will be fully accessible online, on the Festivals homepage and Facebook and YouTube channels. According to the organisers, for 10 days the public will be able to watch some of the best ever theatre, dance, music, and opera performances online. Between June the 15th and 17th, over 100 performing artists and companies will take part online in the Sibiu Performance Exchange, the only event in Romania that brings together performing arts professionals, cultural managers and agents.



    REPATRIATION Romanias Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday that 166 Romanian nationals were repatriated from the UK, including students, airline personnel as well as people who could no longer extend their stay for various reasons. A special flight by the Romanian airline Tarom was used for this operation, and 3 British citizens were taken to the UK on the same occasion.



    PARTNERSHIP A Romanian defence ministry team will return to the country on Wednesday after a mission to support the Alabama state authorities in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a Defence Ministry news release, the 15 military and civilians in the team work in emergency military hospitals in the country and in the field of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defence. The cooperation between Romania and the state of Alabama is part of a State Partnership Program initiated in 1993 and coordinated by the US European Command. So far more than 200 bilateral operations have been conducted, with an emphasis on interoperability between military structures, at NATO standards, support for civilian authorities, aid provision and support in the deployment of Romanian units to theatres of operations.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • The Week in Review 31 May – 6 June

    The Week in Review 31 May – 6 June

    COVID-19 restrictions further eased in Romania


    June 1 came with a new stage in easing restrictions in Romania, even though the threat of the novel coronavirus is not yet behind us. With the death toll recently passing 1,300 out of 20,000 infection cases confirmed in the 3 months since the virus first hit Romania, the country now lifts another set of restrictions.



    Some of the measures introduced on March 15 to contain the spread of the virus had already been lifted two weeks ago, when the state of emergency was replaced by a state of alert. As of May 15, for example, people could leave their homes without needing a sworn statement to travel within the locality. Parks and museums reopened, and things took a turn to normalcy.



    The results of an analysis run by decisionmakers now, 2 weeks into implementing the new rules, prompted them to announce that as of June 1 Romania would take further steps to lift containment measures.



    These steps include the reopening of outdoor bars and restaurants and beaches, as well as the organization of outdoor performances with up to 500 people in attendance. Sports competitions that do not require direct contact between athletes are also resumed, and so is international road and railway transport. People can also travel freely from one locality to another. But even though some restrictions were eased, president Klaus Iohannis reiterated, caution is still needed.




    Constitutional Court rulings


    Romanias Constitutional Court ruled down any extension of local elected officials terms in office, and the date of the forthcoming elections must be agreed on by the Government and Parliament. On Wednesday, the Court ruled that a government emergency order extending the terms in office of local elected officials was unconstitutional. The Court also dismissed a bill passed by Parliament on the term in office for local public authorities and on the date of the local elections.



    Judges argued that an extension of these terms in office can only be regulated by law, and not by a government order. Parliament had passed a bill extending the term in office in local administration until the end of the year, in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, and giving Parliament the right to set a date for local elections.



    Constitutional Court judges argued however that institutional cooperation between Parliament and Government is necessary, and that local elections must be scheduled before the end of local authorities current term in office, on June 21. This means that as of next week parliamentary parties must start to prepare and table legislation to regulate the forthcoming local elections.




    New economic recovery measures


    The IMM Invest programme has been improved by the Government, which announced plans to also increase the budget earmarked for this programme, so as to triple the number of companies benefitting from these funds in a few weeks. Moreover, the Government has put together a plan to also support large companies affected by the crisis, similar to the programme devoted to small and medium-sized enterprises.



    The finance minister Florin Cîţu said the programme to support large companies will have a budget of around 1.6 billion euro, and will be ready within a month. He also announced that Bucharest will have to deposit guarantees of 393 million euro to be able to access funds under the EUs SURE programme, which targets active employment measures and which could channel up to 5 billion euros into Romania.




    Festivals postponed in Romania


    Major festivals, which had become a tradition in Romania and used to be scheduled every summer, were officially cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic and of relevant restrictions. Untold was due to take place between July 31 and August 2 in Cluj-Napoca (north-west), while Neversea was scheduled for early July in Constanţa, on the Black Sea coast.



    According to organisers, the decision was made in the context of the uncertainties looming over the events industry and of the strict conditions under which people are allowed to meet. The Culture Ministry presenting Parliament with a bill banning events with more than 1,000 people in attendance until August 31, 2020, did not help either.



    Summer Well, held every summer for the past few years near Bucharest, was also rescheduled for next year, and so was Electric Castle, another festival due in Cluj in mid-July. Also in Cluj, another landmark event, Jazz in the Park, was cancelled over the COVID-19 pandemic. Those who have purchased tickets for this years festivals may choose to use them for the forthcoming editions, or to get a refund, where possible.



    On the other hand, the 19th Transylvania International Film Festival, deferred because of the coronavirus containment measures introduced this spring, will be held between July 31 and August 9. TIFF comes with a summer edition with lots of outdoor screenings, holiday atmosphere and a programme adapted to the context. The screenings will be held in specially designed areas, with seats placed a safe distance from one another.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)



  • May 17, 2020 UPDATE

    May 17, 2020 UPDATE

    LAW A law regulating the state of alert takes effect in Romania on Monday, after being endorsed on Wednesday by the Chamber of Deputies and promulgated by President Klaus Iohannis. Under the new law, the state of alert cannot be longer than 30 days and may only be extended for justified reasons, at the proposal of the Interior Ministry. The state of alert replaces the state of emergency introduced 2 months ago over the coronavirus pandemic. For 30 days, wearing protective face masks in shops, public transportation, at work and in other public enclosed areas will be compulsory. People may leave their homes, but they need a sworn statement and justified reasons to leave their home locality.




    COVID-19 In Romania 1,104 SARS CoV-2-related deaths have been reported, out of a total of over 16,800 cases, according to the latest data made public by the authorities. More than 10,000 patients have recovered. Among the Romanians living abroad, nearly 3,000 have tested positive and 103 have died because of this disease since the start of the pandemic.




    BORDER Checkpoints on Romanias Hungarian border, in the west, were overcrowded on Sunday as border checks require longer times because of the epidemiological checks conducted by the Public Health Directorate on incoming travellers. In Nădlac 1, cars had to queue for as long as 8 hours to be able to come into Romania and around 1.5 hours to be able to go out. At the Borş checkpoint in the north-west, the waiting time was 3 hours to enter the country and 40 minutes to exit. As of May 15th, when the state of emergency was replaced by a state of alert, all people coming into Romania from abroad must self-isolate. Those who cannot do so at home or who choose to protect their families may be accommodated in special facilities made available by the authorities.




    PARLIAMENT Senate will debate on Monday a simple motion tabled by the Social Democratic Party (in opposition) against the Romanian agriculture minister Adrian Oros. The Social Democrat Petre Daea, former agriculture minister, argues that since the Orban Cabinet took power, the normal course of agriculture programmes has been hindered. He warns that farmers are now in a difficult position, among others because the authorities have either blocked or delayed some ongoing programmes. The Social Democrats also claim that the agriculture minister failed to take concrete measures with respect to the drought and the grain exports during the corona crisis. In response, Adrian Oros argues that the motion is proof that he has disrupted certain groups of interests which controlled the ministry in recent years. Meanwhile, the Social Democrats announce they are considering motions against other Cabinet members, including the education, healthcare and interior ministers.




    ECONOMY Romania saw the highest economic growth rate of the 27 EU member states in the 1st quarter of this year, compared to the corresponding period in 2019, according to preliminary data released by the EUs statistics office, Eurostat. The countries with the largest year-on-year growth in Q1, 2020 were Romania, with 2.7%, Lithuania with 2.5% and Bulgaria with 2.4%. The most severe contraction was reported by France, negative 5.4%, followed by Italy and Spain. The Eurozones GDP dropped by more than 3% in the first 3 months of this year compared to 2019, and also saw the biggest fall since 2009. Also, in the first 3 months of 2020, compared to the previous quarter, the Eurozone saw a 3.8% drop, the most severe since 1995, when this type of data was first released. Forecasts for the coming months are even more alarming. The latest report of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development says Romanias economy might shrink by 4% this year, as against the 3.2% increase forecast in November 2019. The European Commission expects Romanias economy to fall by a substantial 6% in 2020, and the IMF forecasts a 5% drop. However, all major international financial institutions estimate that the Romanian economy will recover next year, with growth rates between 3.9 and 4.4%.




    PANDEMIC The total number of novel coronavirus infections worldwide is over 4.7 million, with the death toll standing at over 313,000 and nearly 1.8 million people recovered from the disease. The situation remains critical in the USA, where the number of deaths reported since the start of the pandemic has passed 88,700. The US has so far reported over 1.4 million cases. Official figures indicate that Brazil is now the 4th worst hit country in the world in terms of total cases, after the US, Russia and the UK. In Brazil, the total number of cases is over 230,000. Experts say testing in that country is rather limited, which means the actual infection rate may be even 5 times higher. Italy, which has so far reported over 31,000 deaths, Monday reopens shops, bars, restaurants, hotels, beaches, pools and gyms, as well as beauty salons. Rome has also announced that on June 3rd it will open borders for tourists coming from the EU and Schengen countries, including Switzerland and Monaco, without compulsory quarantine for these travellers.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • May 17, 2020

    May 17, 2020

    LAW A law regulating the state of alert takes effect in Romania on Monday, after being endorsed on Wednesday by the Chamber of Deputies and promulgated by President Klaus Iohannis. Under the new law, the state of alert cannot be longer than 30 days and may only be extended for justified reasons, at the proposal of the Interior Ministry. The head of state reiterated the importance of social distancing and of complying with relevant safety rules. The state of alert replaces the state of emergency introduced 2 months ago over the coronavirus pandemic. For 30 days, wearing protective face masks in shops, public transportation, at work and in other public enclosed areas will be compulsory. People may leave their homes, but they need a sworn statement and justified reasons to leave their home locality.




    COVID-19 In Romania 1,097 SARS CoV-2-related deaths have been reported, out of a total of over 16,800 cases, according to the latest data made public by the authorities. More than 10,000 patients have recovered. Among the Romanians living abroad, nearly 3,000 have tested positive and 103 have died because of this disease since the start of the pandemic.




    BORDER Checkpoints on Romanias Hungarian border, in the west, are overcrowded as border checks require longer times because of the epidemiological checks conducted by the Public Health Directorate on incoming travellers. In Nădlac 1, cars have to queue for as long as 8 hours to be able to come into Romania and around 1.5 hours to be able to go out. At the Borş checkpoint in the north-west, the waiting time is 3 hours to enter the country and 40 minutes to exit. As of May 15th, when the state of emergency was replaced by a state of alert, all people coming into Romania from abroad must self-isolate. Those who cannot do so at home or who choose to protect their families may be accommodated in special facilities made available by the authorities.




    ECONOMY Romania saw the highest economic growth rate of the 27 EU member states in the 1st quarter of this year, compared to the corresponding period in 2019, according to preliminary data released by the EUs statistics office, Eurostat. The countries with the largest year-on-year growth in Q1, 2020 were Romania, with 2.7%, Lithuania with 2.5% and Bulgaria with 2.4%. The most severe contraction was reported by France, negative 5.4%, followed by Italy and Spain. The Eurozones GDP dropped by more than 3% in the first 3 months of this year compared to 2019, and also saw the biggest fall since 2009. Also, in the first 3 months of 2020, compared to the previous quarter, the Eurozone saw a 3.8% drop, the most severe since 1995, when this type of data was first released. Forecasts for the coming months are even more alarming. The latest report of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development says Romanias economy might shrink by 4% this year, as against the 3.2% increase forecast in November 2019. The European Commission expects Romanias economy to fall by a substantial 6% in 2020, and the IMF forecasts a 5% drop. However, all major international financial institutions estimate that the Romanian economy will recover next year, with growth rates between 3.9 and 4.4%.




    PANDEMIC The total number of novel coronavirus infections worldwide is over 4.7 million, with the death toll standing at over 313,000 and nearly 1.8 million people recovered from the disease. The situation remains critical in the USA, where the number of deaths reported since the start of the pandemic has passed 88,700. The US has so far reported over 1.4 million cases. Official figures indicate that Brazil is now the 4th worst hit country in the world in terms of total cases, after the US, Russia and the UK. In Brazil, the total number of cases is over 230,000. Experts say testing in that country is rather limited, which means the actual infection rate may be even 5 times higher. Italy, which has so far reported over 31,000 deaths, Monday reopens shops, bars, restaurants, hotels, beaches, pools and gyms, as well as beauty salons. Rome has also announced that on June 3rd it will open borders for tourists coming from the EU and Schengen countries, including Switzerland and Monaco, without compulsory quarantine for these travellers.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • May 15, 2020

    May 15, 2020

    COVID-19 Another 3 patients infected with the novel coronavirus have died in Romania, taking the death toll to 1,056, the Strategic Communication Group announced on Friday. More than half of the over 16,400 Romanians who have tested positive for the virus so far have recovered. Among the Romanians living abroad, over 2,880 have been reported to have the disease, and 103 of them have died.



    ALERT On Friday Romania replaced the state of emergency with a 30-day state of alert, enabling the authorities to continue to fight against the COVID-19 outbreak. In shops, public transportation, at work and in other indoor public areas, protective face masks are compulsory. Citizens may move freely within their home localities, but a sworn statement and justified reasons are necessary in order to leave the locality. Romanias president Klaus Iohannis Friday signed into law a bill on measures to prevent and contain the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill was previously endorsed by Parliament with a number of amendments, including the fact that a state of alert introduced in at least half of the national territory needs to be approved by Parliament.



    CEI Romanias foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu takes part today in an extraordinary summit of Central European Initiative (CEI) heads of government, held over conference call. According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, the agenda focuses on national, regional and European efforts to curb the COVID-19 pandemic and on economic recovery plans in the 17 CEI member states. The participants will also look at the measures aimed at containing the multisectoral impact of the pandemic, at coordinated measures the fight the health crisis and at economic and social recovery. A CEI joint declaration will be adopted at the end of the summit, which is chaired by Montenegro holding the 2020 CEI Presidency and organised together with the CEI-Executive Secretariat and in cooperation with the WHO Regional Office for Europe. The CEI is a flexible regional cooperation platform comprising 17 countries, of which 9 EU member states.



    ECONOMY Romanias GDP went up 2.4% in the first quarter of the year compared to 2019, and 0.3% compared to the previous quarter, the National Statistics Institute announced on Friday. These preliminary figures will be revised and, given the current context, corrections may be more substantial than usual, the institution says. The main international financial institutions estimate that Romanias GDP will drop by 4-6% in 2020, over the corona crisis.



    VIRUS The EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called for an independent scientific investigation into the origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, dpa reports. In a column in Fridays issue of the German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Borrell urges China, where the virus first emerged, to take measures to help protect the world from future pandemics. The US and several European countries criticised Beijings handling of the epidemic, but China claims its approach was open and transparent. Josep Borrell calls on China to take responsibilities commensurate to its weight in fighting the pandemic, developing a vaccine and boosting global economy. The EU official also urges Beijing to contribute to the debt relief efforts for developing countries particularly hit, as the EU has done.



    PANDEMIC The COVID-19 pandemic has killed over 300,000 worldwide since December, according to data posted on Worldometer. The total number of cases has passed 4.5 million, with nearly 2 million patients having recovered so far. The USA, which reported the first coronavirus-related death in February, is now the worst hit country in the world, both in terms of deaths (85,000), and in total cases (1.4 million). In Europe, the most affected countries are the UK (over 33,000 deaths), Italy (more than 31,000), France and Spain (over 27,000 deaths). Borders between the Baltic states are reopening today. Also on Friday, a 14-day quarantine rule takes effect for all travellers entering Spain. Vienna reopens traditional cafes after 2 months, while Berlin reopens restaurants.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • May 13, 2020

    May 13, 2020

    COVID-19 ThThe COVID-19 death toll in Romania has reached 1016,
    the Strategic Communication Group announced today. According to the latest
    official data, the total number of cases is over 16,000, of which almost 8,000 patients
    have recovered. The largest number of cases is reported in Suceava (north-east)
    and in the capital Bucharest. Among the Romanians living abroad, more than 2,850
    have so far tested positive for the virus, mostly in Italy, Spain and Germany,
    and 102 have died since the start of the pandemic.




    BILL The bill introduced by the Government with respect to the state of alert set to replace the state of emergency on May 15, is debated and voted on today in the Chamber of Deputies, the decision-making parliamentary body in this case. The Senate passed the bill on Tuesday, but the text was substantially amended, mostly by the Social Democrats in opposition. Under the bill, the state of alert can only be in place for 30 days at most, and its introduction must be approved by Parliament. A number of articles were also scrapped, regulating among others the work of public administration institutions, criticised by most parties on grounds of introducing excessive political control on the administration. The bill concerns the introduction of temporary and gradual measures to prevent and contain the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, so as to safeguard citizens right to life, health and physical integrity at the cost of restricting other fundamental rights and freedoms.




    MOTION Romanian Deputies are today voting on a simple motion tabled by the Social Democratic Party in Opposition against the Liberal finance minister Florin Cîţu. “The countrys resources must no longer be pawned, Romania must be saved from the ‘Florin Cîţu virus,’ and the finance minister must go, reads the text of the motion. The Social Democrats claim Cîţu proved unable to come up with efficient measures to support the economy. On Monday, when the motion was debated, minister Cîţu accused the Social Democrats of using the virus to promote their political agenda. He said that during the 2 months of the governments implementing measures to restart the economy, the Social Democrats tried to amend them in Parliament in a populist manner. Had their amendments been passed, Romania would have been in economic chaos, Florin Citu added.




    CONSTITUTIONAL COURT The Constitutional Court of Romania Wednesday ruled that the government emergency order regulating the state of alert is constitutional, but it cannot restrict citizen rights. The Court was notified by the Ombudsman, who claims that fundamental rights and freedoms can only be restricted by law, and not by emergency or government orders. Delegating legislative powers that affects citizens rights comes against the principle of the separation of powers, under which Parliament is the countrys only legislative authority, the Ombudsman argued. The Constitutional Court had previously ruled that the fines issued during the state of emergency were unconstitutional.




    ECONOMY Romanias economy is expected to shrink 4% this year, as against a 3.2% growth rate predicted in November 2019, reads a report made public on Wednesday by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The EBRD lowered its estimates concerning the Romanian economy in 2020, as a result of the corona crisis. For 2021, the institution expects a 4% growth of Romanias GDP. The EBRD is the main institutional investor in Romania, with investments totalling over 8.6 billion euros. The European Commission has also adjusted its estimates for the Romanian economy this year and expects a substantial, 6% fall after years of robust growth, while the government deficit is forecast to reach 9.2% of the GDP this year. In turn, the IMF expects Romanias economy to drop 5% in 2020, and to recover in 2021, when a 3.9% growth rate is predicted.




    PANDEMIC There are over 4.3 million cases of coronavirus infections worldwide, with the death toll standing at nearly 293,000. 1.6 million patients have recovered so far. In the US, the worst hit country in the world, the number of deaths is over 82,000. Russia, with more than 232,000 cases, comes second. China announced plans to test all the 11 million locals in Wuhan, the region where the outbreak started, after several new infections were reported early this week.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • May 9, 2020 UPDATE

    May 9, 2020 UPDATE

    EUROPE DAY Europe is experiencing the most difficult period since WW2, the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis says in a message released on Europe Day, May 9. He says that this is a time that tests our resilience, unity and humanity, and that, faced with the unprecedented challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic, Romania has once again proved to be a trustworthy partner. The president mentioned that teams of Romanian doctors and nurses went to Italy and the Republic of Moldova to support the efforts to fight the epidemic. Romania is also the first EU member state to manage a strategic stock of medical equipment for the entire Union, and under this mechanism vital equipment has already been delivered to the worst hit areas. May 9 marks the 1945 victory of the Allies against Nazi Germany in WW2, as well as the historic 1950 declaration of the French foreign minister Robert Schuman, proposing an economic cooperation plan between France and Germany, to do away with deep-rooted rivalries. On the same day, Romania celebrated its independence from the Ottoman Empire, proclaimed during the Russo-Turkish war in 1877.




    COVID-19 The National Public Health Institute Saturday presented a draft list of measures to be implemented as of May 15, when the state of emergency introduced 2 months ago to contain the coronavirus outbreak ends. The list includes field specific measures and refers to the resumption of the activities suspended in order to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Among other things, appointments to dentist practices and beauty salons will be mandatory, and a distance of at least one and a half metres between clients will be secured. End-of-cycle students will only attend classes of 10 children at most, and will not spend more than 3 hours a day together. In open-plan offices and public transport, face masks will be compulsory. This set of measures is currently subject to public debate. The interior minister Marcel Vela urged companies with more than 50 employees to organise shifts so as to reduce pressure on public transportation. He added that the committee drafting the rules for lifting restrictions are still discussing whether the sworn statement required at present for those who leave their home should be maintained after May 15. According to the authorities, the total number of deaths in Romania is 929. The total number of cases so far is over 15,100. Of these, over 6,400 have recovered. Among the Romanians living abroad, 2,756 have tested positive for the virus, most of them in Italy and Spain, and 99 have died since the start of the pandemic.




    NATO The Romanian Chief of Defence Staff, lieutenant general Daniel Petrescu, Friday discussed in a conference call with the chairman of the NATO Military Committee, Sir Stuart Peach. According to a news release issued on Saturday, talks focused on the management of the COVID-19 crisis at Allied level, NATOs operations, missions and commitments and the impact of the current context on the security environment. The NATO official emphasised the important role of the Allied solidarity in fighting the pandemic, the concentration of efforts for the mutual support of member states and the medium and long term repercussions of the current health crisis on the Alliance and its partners. In turn lieutenant general Petrescu highlighted the national commitment in theatres of operations and the efforts to consolidate a coherent deterrence and defence posture for NATO. The Romanian Armys experience in supporting local and central public authorities to fight the coronavirus outbreak was also presented and discussed.




    TRANSPORT Airlines are bound to refund the price of tickets for cancelled flights, according to the EU legislation, the European Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean announced. She said citizens must contact the relevant member states, because many countries have provided state aid to airlines precisely in order to help them cover their cash shortages. Adina Vălean also announced that next week she will make public a list of safety rules for various transport means, as cross-border traffic is being gradually resumed and the EU seeks to help the tourism industry recover. She also said the so-called green corridors for commodities will be preserved in the foreseeable future.




    PANDEMIC The European Commission has called on all Schengen member and associate states to extend the temporary ban on non-essential travel in the EU until June 15. Although some member countries are already lifting the restrictions aimed at fighting the coronavirus pandemic, the situation is still fragile both in Europe and in the rest of the world, the Commission argues. This is why external border restrictions are still needed, in order to reduce the risk of the disease spreading through travel into EU countries. The number of confirmed SARS-CoV-2 cases worldwide is around 3.9 million, and the death toll stands at over 274,000. In the US, over 1.2 million people have tested positive, and in Spain, Italy and the UK the number of cases is over 200,000.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • May 9, 2020

    May 9, 2020

    EUROPE DAY Europe is experiencing the most difficult period since WW2, the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis says in a message released today, on Europe Day. He says that this is a time that tests our resilience, unity and humanity, and that, faced with the unprecedented challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic, Romania has once again proved to be a trustworthy partner. The president mentioned that teams of Romanian doctors and nurses went to Italy and the Republic of Moldova to support the efforts to fight the epidemic. Romania is also the first EU member state to manage a strategic stock of medical equipment for the entire Union, and under this mechanism vital equipment has already been delivered to the worst hit areas. May 9 marks the 1945 victory of the Allies against Nazi Germany in WW2, as well as the historic 1950 declaration of the French foreign minister Robert Schuman, proposing an economic cooperation plan between France and Germany, to do away with deep-rooted rivalries. On the same day, Romania celebrates its independence from the Ottoman Empire, proclaimed during the Russo-Turkish war in 1877.




    COVID-19 The Strategic Communication Group in the Government of Romania is to make public today a list of measures to be implemented by business operators and public institutions as of May 15, when the state of emergency introduced 2 months ago over the coronavirus epidemic ends. The interior minister Marcel Vela urged companies with more than 50 employees to organise shifts so as to reduce pressure on public transportation. He added that the committee drafting the rules for lifting restrictions are still discussing whether the sworn statement required at present for those who leave their home should be maintained after May 15. The SCG also announced today that the total number of deaths in Romania is 926. The total number of cases so far is over 15,100. Of these, 6,400 have recovered. Among the Romanians living abroad, 2,444 have tested positive for the virus, most of them in Italy and Spain, and 96 have died since the start of the pandemic.




    TRANSPORT Airlines are bound to refund the price of tickets for cancelled flights, according to the EU legislation, the European Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean announced. She said citizens must contact the relevant member states, because many countries have provided state aid to airlines precisely in order to help them cover their cash shortages. Adina Vălean also announced that next week she will make public a list of safety rules for various transport means, as cross-border traffic is being gradually resumed and the EU seeks to help the tourism industry recover. She also said the so-called green corridors for commodities will be preserved in the foreseeable future.




    PANDEMIC The European Commission has called on all Schengen member and associate states to extend the temporary ban on non-essential travel in the EU until June 15. Although some member countries are already lifting the restrictions aimed at fighting the coronavirus pandemic, the situation is still fragile both in Europe and in the rest of the world, the Commission argues. This is why external border restrictions are still needed, in order to reduce the risk of the disease spreading through travel into EU countries. The number of confirmed SARS-CoV-2 cases worldwide is around 3.8 million, and the death toll stands at over 264,000. In the US, over 1.2 million people have tested positive, and in Spain, Italy and the UK the number of cases is over 200,000.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • May 8, 2020 UPDATE

    May 8, 2020 UPDATE

    COVID-19. A total of 923 people infected with the novel coronavirus have died in Romania since the start of the pandemic. The number of confirmed cases is over 14,800, while more than 6,400 people have recovered. Among the Romanians living abroad, the number of infections reaches 2,444, mostly reported in Italy and Spain, while the death toll is 96. Meanwhile, a new, state of the art modular hospital was opened in Bucharest, able to treat 500 Covid-19 patients with mild symptoms.



    ECONOMY The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis Friday said the countrys budget deficit will be larger than expected and will have to be financed. The head of state had a meeting with PM Ludovic Orban, the finance minister Florin Cîţu, and the governor of the National Bank of Romania, Mugur Isărescu, to assess the economic situation in the context of the crisis generated by the Covid-19 outbreak. Klaus Iohannis said that very coherent measures are required to help restart the economy, which is currently in a crisis situation. He argued that solutions have been identified, which can be implemented if all stakeholders work together. Previously, PM Ludovic Orban had another meeting on Friday with cabinet ministers in the economic sector, to put together a post-crisis recovery plan.



    GDP Romanias contribution to the EU GDP was 1.6% last year, the same as the Czech Republics but higher than Portugals (1.5%) and Greeces (1.3%), according to data released on Friday by Eurostat. Romanias GDP stood at around 223 billion euros, while the overall EU GDP was 13,900 billion euro. Around one-quarter of this was generated by Germany, followed by France, Italy and Spain. Eurostat warns that a sharp drop in the Unions economy is expected this year, following the restrictions aimed at containing the COVID-19 pandemic.


    TRANSPORT The European Commission will carry on investments in railway infrastructure “across the European Union, because this type of transport is the most sustainable, said the European Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean, in an online dialogue with EU citizens. She emphasised that railway transport produces low carbon emissions, carries large volumes and is a type of infrastructure that only requires upgrading. Vǎlean added that some of the money for economic recovery should be channelled into such projects.



    VE DAY Against the background of the coronavirus pandemic, European countries Friday marked the 75th anniversary of the end of WWII in Europe. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg thanked the Allied armies that continue to play a key role in fighting current security threats, including the ongoing pandemic. NATO was forged on the ruins of the war, built on the unbreakable bond between Europe and North America, and cemented by our solemn promise to protect each other. One for all, and all for one. 30 friends and allies, stronger together, Stoltenberg concluded in a video message. On Thursday, the foreign ministers of nine European countries, including Romania, as well as the United States signed a joint declaration on this anniversary in which they paid tribute to the victims of war and the soldiers who fought to defeat Nazi Germany and put an end to the Holocaust.




    PANDEMIC The number of coronavirus infections worldwide is now over 3.9 million, while the death toll is 270,000. Over 1.3 million people have recovered, according to Worldometer. The United States is the worst hit country in the world, with 2,400 deaths reported in 24 hours, taking the death toll to more than 75,500, Johns Hopkins University has announced. In Europe, the UK remains the worst affected country, with over 30,000 deaths, followed by Italy, Spain, France and Germany. Russia, where 10,000 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours, is now fifth in the world in terms of the number of infections, with over 187,000, overtaking Germany and France. Meanwhile, restrictions are being eased in Norway and Denmark, where schools and shopping centres are reopening. In Bulgaria, domestic tourism will resume on May 13, when the state of emergency ends, but authorities are yet to decide when foreign tourists will be allowed in the country. Over half of Japans prefectures have decided to lift some of the restrictions, whereas Kuwait introduces a state of emergency and a 20-day lockdown.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • How fast will the Romanian economy recover?

    How fast will the Romanian economy recover?

    Romania’s right-wing President Klaus Iohannis and the Liberal government in Bucharest are convinced that Romania will come out well after the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and that the economy will recover fast, although it is expected to report a steep downturn. Activity has been resumed these days in several economic sectors. Moreover, according to the finance minister Florin Cîțu, the government’s support measures, such as the IMM Invest – SMEs Invest program has helped the business environment.



    Florin Cîțu: “Differently from 2008, we managed to cover the furlough expenses from the budget, we have not made companies pay for their employees’ furlough. This means that companies have been left with resources than can be used. The government has taken these two measures: furlough and the SMEs Invest program, which is also valid for big companies, which, together, have ensured the production capacity. Jobs have not been lost, people can return to work and companies have not been shut down as happened during other economic crises.”



    President Klaus Iohannis also talked about an economic recovery program at a meeting with the business environment representatives. He said public investments in infrastructure should be massively increased, and the focus should be on Romanian products.



    Klaus Iohannis: “A fundamental target of the economic recovery plan that we are currently working on together with the government is the massive growth of public investments in all types of infrastructure, energy, transport, health infrastructure and so on. We are practically talking about a project for Romania’s reconstruction. Romanian quality-products are themselves a resource, which we are going to better promote, and we will support significant investments in strategic economic sectors, such as agriculture and the food industry, energy and health security.”



    The economic recovery plan has not managed to persuade the opposition, though. Here is the spokesman for the Social Democratic Party, Lucian Romaşcanu: “We remind President Iohannis that Parliament, which he has harshly criticized, voted a series of economic and social measures, such as the deferment of payments on loans without interest, the postponement of utilities and rents payment, the granting of concrete fiscal facilities for companies or the approval of transfer in lieu of payment. The President returned some of these laws to Parliament, the Liberal Party challenged others at the Constitutional Court and for other laws, the president is delaying promulgation.”



    The National Trade Union Bloc appreciates the president’s initiative to invite the business environment representatives for talks on economic recovery, but urges the president to also show availability for dialogue with the workers’ representatives. (translation by L. Simion)

  • April 22, 2020 UPDATE

    April 22, 2020 UPDATE

    Covid-19 Romania — Another 3 people infected with Covid-19 have died, taking the total death toll in Romania to 519, the Strategic Communication Group announced on Wednesday evening. Romania now has more than 9,700 patients diagnosed with Covid-19 and over 2,400 patients have recovered from the infection. The number of Romanian citizens outside Romania killed by Covid-19 reached 64. Over 950 Romanian citizens abroad have been infected, most of them in Italy and Spain. Also on Wednesday, President Klaus Iohannis announced that after May 15, when the state of emergency comes to an end, the restrictions on the individuals’ freedom of movement would not be extended. However, people will be obliged to wear face masks in enclosed public spaces and in the public transportation means, with public gatherings remaining strictly forbidden. According to President Iohannis, the authorities are working on a detailed plan on resuming economic activities, especially in the highly restricted areas.



    Economy — The Romanian finance minister Florin Citu says that, according to his estimates, Romania’s economic situation is not as bad as initially expected. He added that next week he would receive the situation of the revenues collected by the state in the past month. He underlined that many SMEs managed to adapt to the current situation, starting to produce what is requested on the market and that they are paying their taxes. The finance minister went on to say that the state’s main objective was to ensure the population’s health, but once the peak of the epidemic is overcome, and the social distancing measures are relaxed, all necessary instruments will be used to re-launch the economy. Minister Citu also said that Romania is getting funds only from the domestic market at present but that it is also looking for financing on the international market. He added that he is also working on a government-bond issuance program.



    Media — In this period of crisis, the public mass media institutions from Europe have proved their unique importance, by providing the audience with credible, carefully verified information while avoiding fake news — said the Director General of the European Broadcasting Union, Noel Curran. He also underlined the European public radio and television broadcasters’ concern with broadcasting cultural programs and also gave the example of Radio Romania in this regard. The public mass media services provide credible news, introduce educational programs and programs for children, being very creative in their work. Against the backdrop of this unprecedented crisis, this is a very strong response, to which the public reacted in its turn — the EBU Director General added.



    Washington — The U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday that Washington had serious reasons to believe that the Chinese authorities delayed reporting the new coronavirus outbreak in a timely manner to the WHO. He also accused China of failing to report human to human transmission of the virus ‘for a month, until it was in every province inside of China.’ President Donald Trump said Saturday that there should be consequences for China, if it was ‘knowingly responsible’ for the coronavirus pandemic. He also added that the WHO failed to fulfill its main mission and should be held responsible for having promoted China’s disinformation. (tr. L. Simion)

  • April 21, 2020

    April 21, 2020

    Covid-19 Romania — So far 482 people have died of coronavirus infection in Romania, and the number of Covid-19 infections has exceeded 9,200, the Strategic Communication Group informs. According to the authorities, 2,153 people have been declared recovered and have been discharged from hospital. Outside Romania, another Romanian infected with the new coronavirus has died in Belgium, taking the death toll of Romanian victims abroad to 62. According to the Strategic Communication Group, 947 Romanian citizens from abroad have been confirmed with coronavirus infection, most of them in Italy, 633. In another development, the Romanian authorities say they are not yet considering relaxing restrictions over the pandemic because of sanitary security. In the analysis the authorities are going to make, they will take into account the recommendations of the EC while trying to coordinate their actions with those of the other EU states. The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has today summoned a meeting with the PM, part of the government ministers and the head of the Department for Emergency Situations, Raed Arafat, to assess the measures needed for managing the current sanitary crisis. In a Facebook post, referring to the recently ended Easter break, the interior minister Marcel Vela thanked the Romanian citizens for having observed the authorities’ decision meant to fight the spread of the coronavirus infection. At the same time, scores of people have been taken into temporary custody or fined over the past days for having violated the military decree provisions or for violent acts.



    Covid-19 world — The coronaviurs pandemic across the world has so far caused 2.5 million infections and more than 170 thousand deaths. The US is the hardest hit country with almost 800 thousand cases and more than 42 thousand deaths. Europe reports half of the total number of contaminations the world over and more than 60% of deaths. Spain, Italy, Germany, France and the UK remain the most affected European countries. The number of daily contaminated persons has dropped though in Italy, which has two regions where no new cases of infection have been reported of late. In Spain, the number of deaths caused by Covid-19 in the past 24 hours has dropped, being the smallest percentage of the past month. Several European states, among which Germany, have started the week with a relaxation of restrictions, while continuing to call for caution, isolation and social distancing.



    Dacia Mioveni — The Dacia Mioveni Factory in southern Romania, which belongs to the Renault group, has resumed progressive car production as of today. As of May 4 they will resume work at full capacity. The company announced that for the period when the activity was suspended, they defined and applied measures to protect the employees against the new coronavirus, and that they would inform employees on the need to observe these measures. Dacia factory in Mioveni stopped working in mid March when the employees were furloughed due to the coronaviurs pandemic. In another development, the American car maker Ford informed that most of its employees from the factory in Craiova (southern Romania) will remain furloughed by April 30.



    Oil price — Romania will not be affected, on short term, by the drastic drop in the oil price reported in the US, given that the country consumes a lot of oil from its domestic production – says the Romanian economy minister Virgil Popescu. The price of the American oil collapsed on Monday, dropping under 10 dollars per barrel, thus breaking a new negative record, due to the ever decreasing demand against the backdrop of the coronaviurs pandemic, according to the CNN. While production dropped by 10%, demand decreased by 30% at world level, shows a Reuters analysis. (tr. L. Simion)

  • April 20, 2020

    April 20, 2020

    EASTER In Romania, Orthodox and Greek Catholic Christians are celebrating the second day of Easter, Bright Monday. On this day, the same religious service is performed in churches as the one on Easter night. Believers can only attend Mass online, as their presence in churches is restricted over the COVID-19 pandemic. On the other hand, hundreds of people have been fined by police over the past 2 days, for breaking the measures introduced by authorities to contain the virus. In some cases, violent clashes were reported, with police resorting to their weapons in order to end the scuffles.




    COVID-19 The coronavirus pandemic has killed 451 people in Romania so far, out of a total of nearly 9,000 cases, 190 of them confirmed in the last 24 hours. Over 2,000 people have recovered. Over 1,000 healthcare personnel have so far tested positive for Covid-19, most of them in Suceava (north-east), the main outbreak in the country, and in Bucharest. According to the Healthcare Minister Nelu Tătaru, Romania is seeing an upward trend in terms of new infections, but the increase is slow. As many as 60 Romanian nationals living abroad died since the pandemic started, out of 730 that tested positive for the COVID-19, most of them in Italy and Spain.




    AID Romania will receive 800,000 USD in medical assistance from the US, in addition to the US-financed transport operation that brought protection equipment to the country, the US Embassy to Bucharest announced in a news release. Ambassador Adrian Zuckerman emphasised the close relations between the 2 countries and voiced confidence that, thanks to the cooperation between the 2 partner countries, the challenges of this period will be successfully overcome. The announcement comes shortly after an Easter message sent by the American Ambassador in Romanian on the occasion of the Orthodox Easter.




    PANDEMIC There are over 2.4 million confirmed COVID-19 cases around the world, according to data centralised by the Johns Hopkins University in the US. More than 165,000 people died, and nearly 630,000 recovered. The US continues to report the highest numbers of cases and deaths, and in Europe the worst hit countries are Italy, Spain, France and the UK. Italy already sees the 6th week of lockdown. According to Radio Romanias correspondent in Rome, people will only be allowed to leave their homes in 14 days, if the daily number of new cases drops. At present Italy reports around 3,000 new cases and some 400 deaths every day. As of May 4, construction sites, shops, bars and restaurants will gradually open. Spain and France decided to postpone the lifting of containment measures for a few weeks, but in other EU countries measures are already being eased, the BBC reports. On Monday Poland reopens parks and forests and Norway opens kindergartens. The Czech Republic allows outdoor food markets to resume operation and in Albania the mining and oil industry are back to work. Also on Monday Germany reopens a number of small-sized shops, and the students due to take final exams this year go back to school. Last week Germany announced that the number of new cases is falling and that the epidemic is under control.




    OIL US oil prices dropped by around 20% on Monday, to less than 15 USD, the lowest level since March 1999, as the Covid-19 pandemic deepened uncertainties in the global market and cut the demand for fuel, while onshore storage capacities in Europe are maxing out. In its report for April, the International Energy Agency estimated that the global oil demand might fall in 2020 by a record 9.3 million barrels a day, as the pandemic paralyses the worlds economy.




    STATISTICS The EU reported a 22.4 billion euro surplus in trade, as against 16.4 billion euros in the corresponding period of 2019, according to preliminary data made public on Monday by the European Statistics Institute, Eurostat. As for Romania, data shows that in January – February 2020, exports rose by 2%, to 11.6 billion euro, while imports went up 3%, to 14.2 billion euro, resulting in a 2.6 billion euro deficit in the first 2 months of the year compared to 2.5 billion euro in the corresponding period of 2019.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Romania’s post-war recovery

    Romania’s post-war recovery

    This is definitely a painstaking and lengthy process. Fortunately, people brace up to avert the fateful consequences of the war; besides, any obstacle would finally be overcome, thanks to the effort made by the succeeding generations.



    Notwithstanding, war-generated traumas are a lot more difficult to heal when the foundation is not properly laid. The communist regime instated by the Red Army in all Central and East European countries tried to rebuild the societies it violently occupied by repressing those who had a different opinion. It is exactly what happened in Romania, whose recovery after the war was more difficult than that of any other country that had not been occupied by the Soviets, although the reported volume of damage was lower than in other countries.



    In the mid-1940s, when everything went well and people tried to reclaim their lives, the newly-instated communist government found it really hard to deal with the difficulties posed by the countrys post-war recovery. The government made the already big problems even more difficult to solve, because incapable people, lacking any political and administrative experience had been appointed to prominent positions only for being obedient.



    Indigence had mainly to do with food supplies, heating possibilities for the population at large and urban mobility. Stefan Barlea was an ordinary young man. He was a high-school student in the 1940s. Later he would climb up the ladder of the communist partys high-level hierarchy. In 2002, Stefan Barlea was interviewed by Radio Romanias Oral History Centre and he recalled the day-to-day hardships Bucharesters had to cope with, as well as the difficulties all those living in Romanias major cities had to face.



    Stefan Barlea: In 1946, we had very serious supply problems, actually that occurred as early as 1945. Transportation was an awful mess, and so were the supply means, the day-to-day life, there was a shortage of fuel. In 1946 economy was picking up as well, be it capitalist, cooperative, private, Im not speaking about the state economy…It was already being given an impetus with all possible means, jobs began to be taken, all people who had fled during the war had returned to their place of origin, schools were functioning, while the most difficult thing had to do with the transport means. It was unimaginable, words fail me at that, but whoever lived those times had a complete grasp of what the fated aftermath of the war meant.



    Public Transportation in Bucharest was quite a desolating picture. Travel conditions were hard to imagine and accidents often happened.



    Stefan Barlea: “Trams were most of the time overcrowded and used to travel with people clinging to them. In 1945, many of Bucharests inhabitants who had fled the city, were returning home. Until people found their place in society and activity returned to normal, winter had already set in. In 1945, one would wait even half an hour for a tram to come as there were but a few of them. We lived in the remote Ghencea district and needed to go a long way to our school, Lazar, in downtown Bucharest. I needed to wake up an hour or two earlier to be sure I could get on a tram. As the tram railways were just in front of our home, I often used to take the tram in the opposite direction and got off one or two stops away. There, I got on a tram running towards the city centre, in order to be able to find a vacant seat. People would travel on the trams buffers and deadly accidents were commonplace. Transport was a big issue when the school year started. In summer we would walk to school and back home almost on a regular basis.



    Food supply and distribution was also a difficult issue and the authorities resorted to ration schemes to cope with the shortage of foodstuffs. It was an emergency, completely unsatisfying solution.



    Stefan Barlea: “The situation was difficult when it came to bread and meat supplies. They were rationed and sometimes the meat rations werent available. Bread came in bigger supplies but they werent enough either. So huge lines would form most of the time. People would wake up at two or three in the night to buy a piece of meat. So it was very painful when dictator Ceausescu had again to introduce the rationing system something that our country didnt actually need at the time. It was something that threw Romania back in time and I had to experience again at maturity the things I saw as a child. Ceausescu did that and it was a stupid mistake; he argued that we had to pay back a big foreign debt, which actually stood at 12-13 billion dollars, that is considerably lower than that of Hungary or Poland, for instance.



    Romanias material recovery after WWII was a huge effort on the part of the whole society and the pressure exerted by the aberrant communist ideology made it even harder.