Radio România Internațional

Tag: travel

July 10, 2021 UPDATE

Pandemic Romania. 36 new Covid cases from some 24,000 tests were reported
in Romania on Saturday, as well as 19 deaths, with only one being recorded in
the last 24 hours. 54 Covid patients are still in intensive care. The Romanian
government extended the state of alert nationwide for a further 30 days from 12th
July. The coordinator of the mass vaccination campaign, dr. Valeriu Gheorghiţă warned that Romania may
see an increase in the number of new Covid cases driven by the spread of the Delta
variant. According to official data, over 25,000 Covid jabs were administered
in Romania in the last 24 hours. Since the start of the vaccine roll-out in
late December, more than 4.8 million people have received the Covid vaccine in
Romania, with at least 4.6 million being fully vaccinated.

Government. As interim finance minister, prime minister Florin Cîţu has requested
the state of the budget execution and staff expenditure from every ministry and
public institution in Romania and to be briefed on the situation of investment
projects in the last five months. He said on Saturday he will keep the interim
job for 45 days and that certain projects must be stepped up, adding that like
the outgoing finance minister Alexandru Nazare, all ministers are constantly evaluated.
The prime minister took over as interim finance minister this week after sacking
Nazare, saying the latter did not fulfil his objectives.

Travel. More than 150,000 people crossed the
Romanian border in the last 24 hours, according to the border police. 78,000
entered the country and 75,600 exited it. The border police are working at
maximum capacity and are advising those travelling by road to use all border
crossing points open for international travel to avoid overcrowding.

Rep. Moldova. Early parliamentary elections are
taking place on Sunday in the Republic of Moldova, an ex-Soviet state with a
majority Romanian-speaking population. 12 of the 150 voting stations abroad are
in Romania. The country’s pro-western president Maia Sandu dissolved Parliament
in late April and called early elections. One of the main themes of the
election campaign was whether Moldova should look more to the West or the East,
geopolitically speaking.

Football. Italy and England are playing the
European Football Championship final hosted by London’s Wembley stadium on
Sunday. In the semis, England defeated Denmark 2-1 in extra-time, while Italy
defeated Spain 4-2 on penalties. Bucharest hosted four Euro 2020 matches, three
in the group stage and one in the round of last 16. The president of the
European Commission Ursula von der Leyen hopes Italy
beats England in the final, her spokesperson said. EU officials usually
avoid taking positions, but the UK’s exit from the Union made von der Leyen’s
allegiance to founding EU member Italy inevitable, Reuters notes. (CM)

10 July 2021
July 2, 2021

COVID Over 340,000 Covid digital certificates were generated in the first 12 hours since the launch of the certificat-covid.gov.ro platform. As of 1 July, the Covid digital certificate is available for travellers in the EU. The document proves the owner has been vaccinated, has recovered or recently tested negative for the disease. Also as of 1 July, further relaxation measures are in place in Romania. The vaccine rollout continues, and a new batch of Johnson & Johnson vaccine is due to arrive in the country today. On Thursday some 19,000 people received their doses. Authorities urge citizens to get immunised and warn against a new wave of infections. Yesterday 31 new coronavirus infection cases were announced, out of some 26,000 tests, and 5 people died in the past 24 hours. A total of 430 Covid patients are currently in hospitals, 67 of them in intensive care.

RESTRICTIONS In Romania, the National Committee for Emergency Situations Thursday updated the list of countries and regions with high epidemiological risks. Travellers coming into the country from regions with a combined rate of COVID-19 cases above 3 per thousand in the past 14 days must isolate for 14 days. The UK stays in the red zone, alongside 22 other territories, including exotic destinations like the Seychelles and Maldives. The 18 regions in the yellow zone include, among others, the United Arab Emirates, Cyprus, Russia and Portugal. Countries with an infection rate below 1.5 per thousand are on the green list.

LAW Criminal liability for human trafficking and exploitation, sexual assault, and torture in children is no longer subject to time limits in Romania, under a law signed on Thursday by president Klaus Iohannis. The act, which amends the Criminal Code, also increases punishments for failure to report a crime, while also criminalising the failure to report human trafficking and exploitation and sexual offences against child victims.

MILITARY Romania and Germany signed on Thursday, in a ceremony at the Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base 57 on the Romanian Black Sea coast, a statement of intent concerning the development of bilateral relations in the field of aviation. In the presence of the air force chiefs of the 2 countries and of the UK, a demonstration was held showcasing the joint fulfilment of an enhanced air policing mission. Taking part in the exercise were aircraft in the MiG-21 LanceR unit, alongside Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft of the British Royal Air Forces and the German Air Forces, deployed at the Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base 57.

COIN The National Bank of Romania will issue on 7 July a new silver coin to mark 100 years of diplomatic relations between Romania and Japan, the institution announced in a news release. The obverse of the coin features Caraiman Peak in the Bucegi Mountains, while the reverse features a traditional Japanese gate, tori, overlapping the image of Mount Fuji reflected in the Kawaguchi lake.

TENNIS The Romanian player Sorana Cîrstea Thursday qualified into the 3rd round of the Wimbledon tournament, the 3rd grand slam of the year, after defeating Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, in 3 sets. Cîrstea (45 WTA) is to play Saturday against Emma Răducanu (338 WTA), who managed to beat the Czech Marketa Vondrousova in one of the tournaments major surprises. Today, Irina Begu (74 WTA) attempts qualification in the round of 16, in a match against Iga Swiatek of Poland, (9 WTA and seed no. 7). In the doubles, Romanians Horia Tecău and Raluca Olaru, with their respective partners, have qualified in the second round of the mens and womens competitions. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

2 July 2021
July 1, 2021 UPDATE

CERTIFICATE A digital Covid certificate is available as of 1 July, to ease travel around the European Union. The document proves the owner has been vaccinated, has recovered or recently tested negative for the disease. The Special Telecommunication Service in Romania has created a web platform, which can be accessed at certificate-covid.gov.ro. After filling in a form, users can download a QR code, which can be printed or displayed on the mobile phone so that it may be scanned by customs officers. In another development, new relaxation measures were introduced in Romania on 1 July. Fairs and theme parks have been opened while accommodation facilities and gyms are allowed to operate at full capacity. Cafes and restaurants can stay open until 2 o’clock in the morning but access to night clubs and bars is only allowed to those vaccinated. On Thursday authorities announced 31 new Covid infections out of 26 thousand tests and reported only 5 fatalities in the past 24 hours. 450 patients are being treated in hospitals and 67 in intensive care.

EU Slovenia took over on 1
July the half-yearly rotating EU presidency from Portugal. PM Janez Jansa promised Slovenia will be an
unbiased mediator in the dispute between various EU member states with respect
to the rule of law and human rights. On the other hand, he called for consensus
over the enlargement of the bloc. This is Slovenia’s
second term at the helm of the EU since 2008. During its present term Slovenia,
jointly with the EU’s main institutions will chair the Conference over Europe’s
future.

REGISTRY The Romanian Police announced that a national registry is operational, concerning people having committed sexual offences, exploitation and offences against children. This is a separate record from a persons criminal history, and is an operative identification and surveillance instrument focusing on perpetrators of human trafficking and exploitation and sexual offences. Individuals listed in the Registry are under an obligation to appear regularly before the police, to provide information and to notify the authorities of any travels longer than 15 days. Citizens may obtain their own integrity certificates, valid for 6 months, by submitting an application.

UNEMPLOYMENT The unemployment rate in the EU dropped 0.1 last month compared to April, to 7.3%, but it is over the 6.9% mark reported in May 2020, the Eurostat announced on Thursday. The member states with the lowest unemployment rates, below 4%, are the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Germany, Malta, Poland and Hungary. At the opposite pole are Greece and Spain, with over 15%. With a 5.5% unemployment rate in May, down from 5.7% in April, Romania has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the EU.

WHO Hans Kluge, the head of WHO Europe, Thursday announced during a news conference that the ten weeks of decline in the number of Covid-19 infections in Europe are over. According to the WHO official, a new wave of infections is expected unless citizens and authorities comply with medical rules. Last week the number of new cases rose by 10% driven by increased mixing, travel, gatherings and easing of social restrictions, Kluge said. ‘This is taking place in the context of a rapidly evolving situation. A new variant of concern -the Delta variant and in a region where despite tremendous efforts by member states, millions remain unvaccinated, the WHO official went on to say. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

1 July 2021
June 30, 2021

COMMEMORATION The 2 chambers of the Parliament of Romania are holding a special session today to commemorate for the first time in their history the victims of the Iaşi pogrom of June 1941, ordered by the anti-Semitic authorities of the time, and in which over 13,000 Romanian Jews were killed. Attending the meeting are the president of Romania, Government members, former presidents, foreign diplomats in Bucharest, the head of the Royal House, the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church and other religious leaders, representatives of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Romania, of the Romanian Army, of the Romanian Academy, as well as Pogrom survivors or relatives of the victims. In a message sent on Tuesday, president Klaus Iohannis said unconcealed hatred, appalling violence, absolute disregard for human dignity were just some of the instruments used by the authorities of the time in implementing an abominable plan—that of cleansing the town of Iaşi of the Jewish locals. He emphasised that the Iaşi pogrom is not just a tragedy of Iaşi Jews, following the one of the Jews killed during the far-right rebellion earlier that year, but a tragedy and a responsibility to be carried by the Romanian nation ever since. When public institutions not only fail entirely to meet their natural obligations as to a countrys citizens, but also discriminate against, persecute and kill them mercilessly, then the rule of absolute evil and arbitrariness begins, Klaus Iohannis added.

GOVERNMENT The Government of Romania convenes to discuss 3 draft emergency orders. One of them brings changes to the law regulating police work, another has to do with regulations on sick leaves, and a third one with measures in the public pension system. On Tuesday, the Liberal Florin Cîțus Cabinet faced its first no-confidence motion, initiated by the main opposition party, the Social Democratic Party. The motion was backed by only 201 MPs, 33 less than the number required for the government to be dismissed.

COVID-19 The Government Tuesday passed an emergency order on the COVID digital certificate, which will be required for all citizens who intend to travel in EU countries. The certificate can be downloaded by people having received the vaccine, having recovered from the disease or having tested negative for the coronavirus. The certificate is valid for one year for those who are immunised, and for 180 days since the first positive SARS-CoV-2 test for those who had the disease. Meanwhile, the number of new cases and of Covid-19 related deaths remains low in Romania.

FILM The documentary ‘colectiv’ (“Collective), by Alexander Nanau, received the best feature award at the Gopo Gala devoted to the Romanian film industry. The film covers a journalist investigation into the corruption in the healthcare system, following the fire in the Colectiv night club in Bucharest, which killed scores of young people. “colectiv is the first Romanian film nominated for the Oscars in the best documentary and best foreign language film categories. Alexander Nanau also received a Gopo award for best director. The best leading actor and actress awards went to Mihai Călin and Diana Cavallioti, for their performances in the film ‘5 Minutes’. Actor Costel Constantin and set designer and costume producer Doina Levintza received lifetime achievement awards in the same Gala.

TENNIS Four Romanians are playing today in Wimbledon, the 3rd grand slam of the year. Ana Bogdan (92 WTA), Sorana Cirstea (no. 45) and Patricia Tig (63 WTA) are playing in the first round, whereas Irina Begu (no. 79), is trying to qualify into the 3rd round. We remind you that Romanias best tennis player, Simona Halep, no. 3 in the world and the current trophy holder, is not taking part in this years competition because of an injury. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

30 June 2021
May 11, 2021

COVID-19 According to the latest updates, 620 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Romania in 24 hours, out of 11,000 tests conducted. Most cases occurred in Bucharest. The authorities also announced another 68 COVID-19 related deaths and 962 patients in intensive care. Meanwhile, the vaccine rollout continues, at a record high rate of over 100,000 jabs per day. Measures such as vaccination marathons and drive-through vaccination centres helped increase the number of people immunised every day, and so did the involvement of family physicians. Coordinator Valeriu Gheorghita said on the other hand that there is not enough scientific data to confirm the need for a third vaccine dose to cover possible viral mutations.

ALERT The state of alert will be extended by another month as of Thursday, the government of Romania decided. Certain restrictions have been lifted, such as the ones concerning participation in religious processions or pilgrimages, while others, including in the hospitality sector, remain in place. Pilot cultural and sports events will be organised, attended by people who have got the vaccine or recovered from COVID in the past 3 months, as well as those who test negative for the disease.

TRAVEL The National Committee on Emergency Situations updated the list of countries with high epidemiological risk for which quarantine is required upon entering Romanian territory. The number of countries in the list went up from 57 to 75. Countries like India, Nepal, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Monaco and the United Arab Emirates are new on the list, joining the Netherlands, France, Germany and Hungary or summer tourist destinations like Greece, Croatia or the Maldives.

EXERCISE The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis and his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda are attending today a multinational military exercise in Galaţi County in the east. The exercise takes place at the Smârdan base, and Poland takes part with the military forces it has deployed to Romania as part of the Allied matched forward presence in the eastern flank through the NATO multinational brigade stationed in Craiova. Justice Sword 21 is a tactical exercise aimed at testing the capacity of participating structures to implement planned actions and measures, as well as Romanias ability to provide support to the military forces and equipment that transit its territory.

ATTACK At least 11 people, mostly children, were killed, and many others wounded by an unknown number of attackers in a school shooting in the Russian town of Kazan, some 725 km east of Moscow. The town is the capital of Tatarstan, an autonomous republic with mostly Muslim population. Russian media quoted by international news agencies speak about one or two teenage shooters. School shootings are uncommon in Russia. A similar incident was reported in 2018, in Crimea, annexed by Russia 4 years before, where a student killed 19 people and killed himself. In September 2004, some 325 people, mostly kids, were also killed after Russian special forces stormed a school in Belsan, North Ossetia, where pro-Chechen mercenaries were keeping over 1,000 hostages.

TENSIONS The EU called for an immediate end to the clashes between Israeli and Palestinians. According to the EU, rocket strikes from Gaza strip against civilians in Israel are unacceptable and fuel escalation. The US also condemned “in the strongest terms the Hamas rocket attacks, calling them “an unacceptable escalation. The UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab also condemned the attacks and called for immediate de-escalation on both sides. Tensions have been reported in the region since the start of the Ramadan, the Muslim fasting and prayer month, with many Palestinians angry over the Israeli police restricting access to some sectors in Jerusalem. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

11 May 2021
Tourist attractions in Harghita County

Harghita is a destination with surprising landscapes and unusual tourist attractions, especially recommended to families with children. We will be talking with Károly Szabó, executive director of the Harghita Intercommunity Development Association, about the Red Lake, one of the most beautiful in Romania, the Praid salt mine, and countless historical sites, all of which make for a delightful destination for either a complete holiday or just a weekend retreat.

Károly Szabó: “Harghita County is a mountainous region with breath-taking landscapes spreading 6,600 square km. Both the scenery and the tourist attractions here are unique in Europe: St. Ann Lake or the Praid Salt Mine, or the equally famous Red Lake, Bicaz Gorges, Tușnad and Borsec spa resorts, or the Corund pottery. Hundreds of thousands of tourists visit these established tourist sites every year. But there are also less well-known places that have been growing quite beautifully in recent years, such as Toplița, Zetea and Ordoheiu Secuiesc.

The spa resort of Tușnad is dubbed “Little Switzerland. Mineral-rich hot springs, the climate and the scenic views are just some of the elements that blend in effective therapeutic programmes for heart conditions, digestive and locomotory problems and endocrine disorders. Here is Attila Pilbath, manager of the Băile Tușnad eco-tourism destination, with more details:

Attila Pilbath: “What I recommend here first and foremost is the landscape and the protected areas, which are the very reason we decided to have Tuşnad certified as an eco-tourism destination. St. Ann Lake is the only volcanic crater lake in south-east Europe. There are countless accommodation and leisure options here, from the outdoor pool up to international standards to the Tinovul Mohoș nature reserve, from insectivorous plant species that only grow here to the large number of bears that can be watched safely from special observation spots.

The Tușnad ski slope is a relatively recent addition to the list; it is 500 m long, equipped with snow cannons and ski lift, and is recommended for beginners.

Our trip around Harghita County continues, with our guide Károly Szabó, executive director of the Harghita Intercommunity Development Association:

Károly Szabó: “Praid salt mine receives over 5-600,000 tourists a year. Imagine an underground cathedral, several hundreds of square km large and 100 m high, where everything from the walls to the ceiling is carved in salt. And in contrast, the Bicaz Gorges and Red Lake offer amazing views, with fast flowing rivers that cross through the mountains. Harghitas population is 82% Hungarian, which makes it a unique place in Romania in terms of traditional customs, cuisine and costumes. The Dârjiu fortified church is a UNESCO-listed site. In turn, Șumuleu Ciuc is very important in religious terms, more than 300,000 and Pope Francis made a point of visiting it in 2019. These are just some of the reasons why the 600 certified accommodation facilities in the region are sometimes not enough to accommodate tourists in high season.

Those who seek excitement and adventure can try the 2 summer bobsleigh installations, one in Borsec and the other one in Lunca de Sus. This and many other attractions are featured in a mobile app and on a website called “Visit Harghita.

Károly Szabó: “The brand we are using to promote the region is “Visit Harghita. Our website visitharghita.com lists all the places we believe worth visiting, and also a large number of traditional craftsmen such as pottery makers and blacksmiths. We also recommend here dishes that are only cooked in Harghita, such as the “Kurtos Kalacs, a special kind of cake that has become a worldwide known brand. Harghita County is a quiet region, which is particularly attractive for families, but it also takes pride in large-scale events, such as Tusványos Festival, which has tens of thousands of participants.

The Harghita Intercommunity Development Association is founded by local communities, and is working on a lot of projects:

Károly Szabó: “As many as 45 town halls and local authorities are affiliated to our association, and all of them support tourism. In spite of this atypical period we have been through, we launched an initiative called “family friendly, under which we have certified 52 accommodation units and restaurants as being suitable for families. Another project we are working on is the 1,400-km long pilgrim route Via Maria, which starts from Austria and reaches Șumuleu Ciuc, and which we are planning to extend. We also started working with local guides, who had a difficult year in 2020. Our website visitharghita.com now includes as many as 96 programmes offered by local guides, with photos, prices, and phone numbers, so there is plenty to choose from.

That was Károly Szabó, executive director of the Harghita Intercommunity Development Association, wrapping up this weeks instalment of Travellers Guide. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

4 March 2021
European coordination on the freedom of movement

Convened in an online summit, the leaders of EU member states, including the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis have called this week for keeping in place firm anti-Covid-19 measures and for stepping up vaccine rollout, so as to prevent the spread of new variants.

Amid the threats posed by the British and South-African strains, national vaccination programmes are affected by delays in vaccine supplies. This is why the European Commission is seeking, among other things, a larger number of doses in the second quarter, increased deliveries from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna, and approval of the Johnson&Johnson vaccine.

The EC president Ursula von der Leyen voiced optimism that by the end of this summer 70% of the EU citizens, i.e. 225 million people, will have been vaccinated.

Meanwhile, at the EU summit, the European leaders agreed that for the time being non-essential travel should remain restricted, but that the free movement of goods and services in the single market must be ensured, including by means of green corridors.

Originally, the 27 had promised proportionate and non-discriminatory restrictions. But the emergence of the new variants changed the situation, prompting some 10 countries to introduce additional conditions for border crossing. In this weeks top-level EU meeting, however, the Commission requested 6 of them, including Germany and Belgium, to provide explanations for the measures that the EU finds disproportionate.

At the same time, European leaders failed to overcome disagreements over a future vaccine passport. On the one hand, scientific uncertainties still linger, said the EC president, Ursula von der Leyen, who said the vaccines have not yet been proven to prevent transmission. On the other hand, as the French president Emmanuel Macron pointed out, such a document should not give special rights to those who get the vaccine, particularly since their number is still rather low.

There are however countries like Greece and Cyprus, whose economies rely heavily on tourism, which plead for a vaccination passport ahead of the forthcoming summer season.

Eventually, the 27 member states tasked the Commission to draft technical criteria for the issue of vaccination passports, a mission expected to take at least 3 months to complete. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

26 February 2021
Mandatory isolation on entering Romania

A new list of countries
with a high epidemiological risk will be applying from 15th February
to all arrivals in Romania, after the list was updated last week by the
National Committee for Emergency Situations with a view to preventing the
further spread of the coronavirus pandemic. The list of countries in the
so-called amber zone includes Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the UK, Serbia,
Spain, Hungary and the Republic of Moldova, with arrivals from these countries
being asked to isolate when entering Romania. Countries like South Africa, Brazil,
the Czech Republic, Switzerland, the US, Lebanon, Portugal, the Netherlands, Qatar
and Sweden are also on the list. The quarantine rules for those arriving from
these countries were also established.

On entering the country,
travellers arriving from countries with a high epidemiological risk and who
produce a negative RT-PCR Covid test taken within the last 72 hours will be
asked to isolate for ten days at home or other stated address. Children aged 3 and
under arriving in Romania with these persons will be in isolation for a similar
amount of time, but are exempt from the presentation of a negative test result.
Travellers arriving from the countries in the amber zone who do not produce a
negative test will be asked to isolate at home or other stated address for a
period of 14 days, with the exception of arrivals from the UK, who are obliged
to present a negative test taken in the last 72 hours and isolate for 14 days.

Exempt from quarantine are
the cross-border workers entering Romania from Hungary, Bulgaria, Serbia, Ukraine
and the Republic of Moldova, as well as the Romanian citizens working for companies
based in these countries. Also exempt are Romanian athletes working in other
countries and who are returning to Romania to take part in the national team and
represent Romania in international sports competitions, as well as film crews
working in Romania based on a contract or other documents justifying the need
of their presence in this country.

The National Committee for
Emergency Situations also decided that businesses in the field of international
transport, passenger air and road transport conducting services to Romania from
areas with a high epidemiological risk, including the UK, are obliged to
prevent the boarding of persons who do not produce a negative Covid test result
from the last 72 hours or proof of vaccination, including the second dose, received
at least ten days prior to departure. Also allowed on board are persons who can
demonstrate they were infected with Covid-19 within the last 90 days of
departure, but not within the last 14 days. (CM)

15 February 2021
February 4, 2021

Romania pandemic. Romania saw
2,688 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, with total infections now nearing
740,000. The death toll is 18,675. More than 620,000 people have received the Covid vaccine in this country
so far. The coordinator of the mass vaccination campaign Valeriu Gheorghiță said last night
that Romania will probably use the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine only in people
under 55, something seen in other European countries as well. An official
decision in this respect will be taken this week after talks with experts,
given that this month Romania is to receive a delivery of 800,000 doses of
Oxford-Astra Zeneca vaccine. Gheorghiță also announced the opening of a further
180 vaccination centres from 15th February.

World Cancer Day. The Covid-19 pandemic has had
a catastrophic impact on cancer care, Hans Kluge, the World Health
Organisation’s regional director for Europe said in a statement on World Cancer
Day. One in three countries in the 53 members of the World Health Organisation
in the European Region (including a few from Central Asia) disrupted cancer
services fully or partially because of the pandemic and travel restrictions.
Some countries were faced with a shortage of cancer medication and many have
seen a significant drop in number of cancers diagnosed, even in the richest
nations, Kluge also said. Cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases are
responsible for more than 80% of deaths in the European Region.

Schools. Pupils and teachers will wear face
masks, pupils will maintain a distance of 1 metre within each other in class
and access of visitors banned – are some of the measures proposed by the
education ministry for the reopening of schools as of 8th February. The
proposals were discussed today with school inspectors from around the country
and is next to be approved by the health ministry. The education and health
ministries are expected to publish a joint order on the sanitary norms for the
reopening of schools beginning in the second semester. Next Monday, 2.4 out of
3 million pupils will return to school for in-person learning.

Restrictions. The government
is working on legislation to allow for the temporary suspension of the activity
of firms that do not comply with the norms to prevent and combat the spread of
Covid-19. Prime minister Florin Cîţu said the measure is needed because there
are many firms that do not respect the restrictions in place during the state of
alert. He said fines will not go up because it has been found that they are not
effective.

Travel. Following talks on
Wednesday night between the Romanian and Mexican foreign ministers, the Mexican
authorities have remedied the situation of the Romanian citizens blocked on
Cancun airport. According to a statement from the Romanian foreign ministry,
Mexican foreign minister Marcelo
Ebrard Casaubó conveyed his counterpart Bogdan Aurescu his government’s regrets
for the negative impact caused by the actions of the Mexican authorities. All
Romanian nationals have now been allowed access to Mexican territory with the
exception of five persons who were bared from entering the country and will
return to Romania. The Mexican authorities admitted that any possible security
red flags that may affect the right of foreign citizens to enter Mexico must be
based on individual, non-discriminatory assessments. 114 Romanian tourists were
reportedly held by the Mexican authorities on Cancun airport, without any
explanation. The Romanian foreign ministry has repeated its advise for Romanian
citizens to show prudence when deciding to travel for tourist purposes,
especially to destinations affected by the Covid pandemic.

Defence. The charge d’affaires of the US embassy
in Bucharest David Muniz and the commander of the 31st Fighter Wing
at Aviano Jason E. Bailey are today visiting an air base in Câmpia Turzii, in north-western Romania.
According to a Romanian defence ministry statement, talks will be looking at
issues of mutual interest related to the contribution and role of the Romanian
and American air forces as part of NATO efforts of reassurance on its eastern
flank and bilateral cooperation within the Romania-US strategic partnership. A
detachment of MQ-9 Reaper aircraft and some 90 US air force personnel have been
deployed to Câmpia Turzii for the next three months. They will carry out
intelligence, surveillance and research missions in support of NATO operations,
while the Romanian air forces will provide, through the air base in Câmpia
Turzii, the necessary technical, operational and logistical support. (CM)

4 February 2021
February 1, 2021 UPDATE

Fire. Another
patient died from among those transferred after a fire on Friday at the Matei
Balş Institute in Bucharest. The health ministry said the patient was suffering
from a severe form of Covid-19 and had many underlying conditions. A team of
prosecutors, forensic investigators and experts continues investigations at the site of the
fire. According to judicial sources, interviews are conducted with medical
staff and relatives of the 8 victims. Inquiries are also looking into the
hospital’s fire safety system, electrical installations and security management.
The opposition Social Democratic Party says it will table a simple motion of no-confidence
against health minister Vlad Voiculescu next week.

Vaccine. A new
batch of Covid-19 vaccine produced by Pfizer and BioNTech, the largest so far,
arrived in Romania on Monday. The delivery schedule is much delayed, as in all
European countries, but the manufacturing company has given assurances that,
from the middle of this month, the number of delivered doses will increase. Monday
also saw the start of the rollout of the Moderna vaccine. So far, almost 600,000
people have been vaccinated in Romania. The total number of coronavirus infections
passed 730,000 on Monday. Some 18,400 people have died. About 1,000 patients
are receiving intensive care treatment.

Travel. The 27 EU
member states have agreed to tighten border restrictions for non-EU arrivals,
who, among others, must present a negative Covid test result conducted within
the last 72 hours. This measure will also apply to essential travel, such as
for family or business emergencies. Non-essential travel is largely banned,
with exceptions for EU citizens and their families. Many countries, such as
France and the Netherlands, already require testing before departure. Mandatory
isolation and additional testing on arrival will also be requested for arrivals
from regions where the new coronavirus variants have been identified.

Parliament. The
new Parliament following December’s elections began its first session on Monday.
The priority is the adoption of this year’s budget bill. The representatives of
the governing coalition formed by the National Liberal Party, the Save Romania
Union and PLUS Alliance and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in
Romania want to initiate large-scale reforms in the field of salaries,
pensions, education and healthcare. Opposition parties say they will promote
the initiatives they talked about during the election campaign and that they
will bring more amendments to the government’s bills.

Unemployment. At 4.9%, Romania has one of the
lowest unemployment rates in the European Union, according to a report by
Eurostat, the European statistics office. The highest unemployment rates in the
EU are in Spain, with 16.2%, followed by Lithuania and Italy, while the Czech
Republic, Poland, the Netherlands, Malta, Germany, Slovenia, Bulgaria and
Romania have the lowest rates. In December, the unemployment rate remained at
7.5% at EU level and at 8.3% in the eurozone.

Film. Romanian filmmaker Adina Pintilie, the
winner of the 2018 Golden Bear Trophy with her film Touch Me Not will sit on
the jury of the 71st edition of the Berlin Film Festival alongside
other Golden Bear winners. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the festival
will take place in two stages. The titles selected in the different sections of
the festival will first be presented to film professionals and the media during
a so-called industry event between 1st and 5th March,
before being shown to the public during a summer special in June.

Tennis.
The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, world number two, has qualified for
the eighth finals of the Gippsland Trophy tournament in Melbourne, worth more
than 565,000 dollars in prize money. She defeated Russia’s Anastasia Potapova in
straight sets to win her first match this year. On Tuesday, the second Romanian
player in this competition, Irina Begu, will be playing Aliaksandra Sasnovich
of Belarus in the second round. (CM)

1 February 2021
January 23, 2021

COVID-19 – A 73-year-old woman from Romania died on Friday, on the same day when she was vaccinated against Covid-19. The National Vaccination Committee pointed out that the person had multiple chronic diseases and that her death was not caused by the vaccine. The national vaccination campaign in Romania has entered its second stage, when the elderly and the people with chronic diseases are going to be vaccinated. Other categories included in the 2nd vaccination stage are: the employees of key sectors, seafarers, members of the diplomatic missions, athletes participating in international competitions as well as the homeless and the disabled. In the first stage, vaccination was for the healthcare personnel. The Prime Minister Florin Cîţu said Saturday that the authorities maintain the objective of having at least 1.2 million Romanians vaccinated with both doses by the end of March and 10.4 million by the end of September. The Prime Minister also stressed the importance of continuing to observe anti-coronavirus protection rules everywhere and at all times. Despite the recommendation of the Romania Health Ministry, restrictions generated by Covid-19 will be partially lifted in Bucharest as of Monday – the Municipal Committee for Emergency Situations announced. Theaters, cinemas, restaurants, bars, cafes and gambling halls will be able to operate, but at a capacity of maximum 30%. Official data made public on Saturday show that 2,719 new COVID-19 cases have been identified in Romania following 26.700 tests made. Another 94 people have died from COVID-19. So far, more than 709 thousand cases have been reported in Romania, and about 90% of the patients have recovered.

Travel – All persons reaching the US by air will be required to present, upon boarding, a negative SARS-CoV-2 test or a document attesting that they have been infected but have recovered. The negative test should be made 72 hours (3 days), at the most, prior to reaching the USA – the Romanian Foreign Ministry announced. The measure, which will apply to all people over the age of 2, including to US citizens, permanent residents and citizens transiting the US, will take effect on January 26. In another move, people in risk areas, including Romania, who travel to the Netherlands by air or sea, should present, starting on Saturday, a rapid test for the new coronavirus, made no later than four hours before departure. France will also require, as of Sunday at midnight, a negative PCR Covid-19 test that needs to be taken with a maximum of 72 hours before the trip. Exempted from the rule are road transporters and cross-border workers.

Brussels – The European Ombudsman, quoted by Reuters, has announced the launch of an investigation into the way in which the European Commission is managing the contracts for the purchase of the Covid-19 vaccines concluded with pharmaceutical companies on behalf of the EU member states. The EU has spent about 2.5 billion Euros for down payments to buy about 2.3 billion doses of vaccine from six companies that have Covid-19 vaccines approved or in the experimental phase. The prices, delivery deadlines and other important clauses in the contracts are kept secret, the European Commission claiming that confidentiality is essential to obtain the best possible contractual conditions. However, the Ombudsmans inquiry concerns the EC’s refusal to provide public access to those documents. EU states have complained about insufficient vaccine deliveries and uncertain timelines.

Expo — The Commissioner of the Romanian Section for Expo 2020 Dubai, Ferdinand Nagy, paid a working visit to the United Arab Emirates between January 17-21. He met with Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the chairman of the Expo Dubai 2020 Steering Committee. During the talks, the two stressed the importance of bilateral relations, in the context of the Strategic Economic Partnership concluded in 2018. The Romanian official also had a meeting with Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation, both expressing confidence that Romanias presence at Expo 2020 Dubai will attract both the interest of visitors and of the business environment. Romania will participate in the World Exhibition with a national pavilion entitled New Nature. Expo 2020 Dubai will have the theme Connecting Minds, Creating the Future and will take place between October 1, 2021 – March 31, 2022.

Chisinau – The president of the Committee for International Relations of the Federation Council, the upper chamber of the Russian parliament, Konstantin Kosaciov, virulently criticized the recent decision of the Constitutional Court in Chisinau, which declared unconstitutional the law that gave the Russian language a special status in Moldova, an ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian-speaking population. Konstantin Kosaciov considers similar the Moldovan Constitutional Court’s decision and Ukraines decision of 16 January, which introduced the Ukrainian language to the countrys service sector, calling the decisions attacks on the Russian language. The Russian senator makes a link between the two measures and Republic of Moldova’s and Ukraine’s aspirations for European integration. In his opinion Russophobia becomes a systemic element of European policy, encouraged by the European Union in Russias neighborhood. The Romanian Ambassador to Chisinau, Daniel Ioniţă, on the contrary, has appreciated as correct and normal the decision of the Constitutional Court, this being an additional proof that the Romanian language must be known by all the citizens living on the territory of the Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova. (tr. L.Simion)

23 January 2021
EU and the freedom of movement during pandemic

As
part of efforts to contain the spread of the virus that has already caused over
2.1 million deaths globally and of its even more contagious mutated variants, European
Union leaders called for non-essential travel between countries to be limited, describing
the situation as very serious. The talks held by the 27 EU leaders in
videoconference format highlighted the common wish of the bloc’s countries to
coordinate among themselves while ensuring the functioning of the single market
and the transport of goods. They also looked at the situation of cross-border
workers, as part of efforts to prevent situations like those seen last spring
when the lack of harmonised decisions led to significant disruptions.

The
president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said EU is increasingly
worried about the different mutations of the virus. Citing the recommendations
of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, she said all
non-essential travel should be strongly discouraged. She also spoke about a new
definition of risk zones to include territories from a number of member states
where health measures should be coordinated. The virus doesn’t know about
borders, von der Leyen explained:

You
can have an area where there is, on both sides, in two member states close to
each other, the same epidemiological situation, but if in one half of this zone
you do a strong lockdown and in the other half of this zone you keep shops open,
you will have immediately movement of people to the other side to do shopping,
for example. That’s pushing forward the spread of the virus and the dissemination
of the virus. So, it is smart to look at homogeneous areas and there have
targeted measures that the member states then can in coordination apply to make
sure that we contain the spread of the virus as much as possible and on the other
hand keep the flow in the single market as much as possible open.

Travellers
from high-risk epidemiological zones may be subject to obligatory testing and
quarantine. As for countries from outside the EU, additional security measures
are proposed for essential travel to Europe, such as testing before departure,
von der Leyen also said. On the eve of the summit, EU leaders also reached an
agreement on the mutual recognition of the results of tests, both PCR and rapid
antigen tests. The community bloc also aims to increase by at least 15% the
verification of positive Covid tests to detect possible mutations. Additionally,
member states stood for stepping up vaccination campaigns while ensuring
constant and predictable vaccine deliveries, aiming to vaccinate 70% of the
bloc’s adult population by summer. (CM)

22 January 2021
January 19, 2021 UPDATE

Vaccination campaign – The second stage of the national vaccination campaign against Covid-19 is currently under way in Romania. Valeriu Gheorghiță, the campaign coordinator, announced on Tuesday, in a press conference, that Romania has contracted sufficient vaccine doses, and starting with the second quarter of the tear, the number of delivered doses will increase significantly. He added that 299 vaccination centers were opened across the country in the second stage of the campaign. Over 233 thousand Romanians have so far been vaccinated against COVID-19 since the start of the campaign, on December 27, and over 800 common and minor side effects have been registered. The second stage targets people over 65, people with chronic diseases and employees in key areas. About 6 million Romanians have the right to be vaccinated in this stage. Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, more than 697,000 cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed in the country and more than 630,000 patients have recovered, according to the Strategic Communication Group. Most new cases of COVID-19 are registered in Bucharest. The total number of Covid-19-associated deaths is 17,369. 1,050 patients are currently in ICUs.

Travel conditions — The persons who have received the second dose of Covid-19 vaccine at least 10 days before coming to Romanian will no longer be quarantined, the National Committee for Emergency Situations announced. The Committee established the same conditions for those who were in direct contact with a COVID-19 positive person more than 10 days after being vaccinated with the second dose. Also, people confirmed with SARS-CoV-2 might end the quarantine period on the 10th day if they take a test and the result is negative. Children traveling with vaccinated parents to countries with a high incidence of COVID-19 will be quarantined for ten days upon returning to Romania, as they can risk spreading the disease, said Florentina Furtunescu, a representative of the National Public Health Institute. In another development, the list of states with an epidemiological risk has been updated. Thus, no country is in the red zone, and the yellow zone includes 48 countries, among which the UK, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, France and Germany.

Statistics – The National Strategy and Forecast Committee has revised slightly downwards Romanias economic growth in 2021 from 4.5%, as estimated last autumn, to 4.3%. The Committee also forecasts private consumption rate of only 3.7%, as against 4.6% as estimated in the autumn, and a trade deficit of minus 21.4 billion Euros, slightly higher than the autumn forecast. The average exchange rate this year is going to be 4.89 lei per 1 Euro, as compared to the autumn estimate. The end-of-the-year inflation is forecast at 2.2%, slightly lower than the previous estimate of 2.5%.

Brussels — The President of the Republic of Moldova, pro-Western Maia Sandu, said that she managed to unblock the dialogue with the European Union, affected by the policy of her pro-Russian predecessor, Igor Dodon. Maia Sandu met on Monday and Tuesday, during her official visit to Brussels, with the most important European leaders, emphasizing that the EU is the main partner of the Republic of Moldova in the fight against corruption, in reforming institutions and in strengthening the rule of law, according to Radio Chisinau. Maia Sandu had a meeting with the President of the European Parliament David Sassoli, during which they tackled the political developments in Chisinau and the reforms on the European agenda of Rep. Moldova. The Moldovan President also met with the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who assured her that she could count on the Unions support in the reform process and in the anti-corruption fight. During the meeting with the Vice President of the European Commission, Josep Borrell, the two officials agreed on re-establishing the complex political dialogue between Chisinau and Brussels and discussed ways to have a more active cooperation on regional security.

Ambassador — The US Ambassador to Bucharest, Adrian Zuckerman, on Tuesday met with the Romanian Prime Minister Florin Cîţu, at the end of the American diplomats mandate. Adrian Zuckerman was accompanied by the deputy head of the Diplomatic Mission, David Muniz, who will become “Chargé dAffaires” after the ambassador’s departure, on January 20, shows a press release of the US Embassy in Bucharest. The talks of the three officials focused on the progress reported in the past year in the bilateral relationship and on the continuation of cooperation on numerous projects, including the one on the Cernavoda nuclear power plant (in southeastern Romania). The Romanian prime minister thanked Ambassador Zuckerman for his involvement in the bilateral relationship, adding that he was looking forward to working with David Muniz. The latter assured PM Cîțu that the Romanian-American relationship would remain close under the Biden Administration and expressed his interest in further strengthening the Strategic Partnership. (tr. L.Simion)

19 January 2021
Seeing the world by train: accounts by Romanian travellers

One of the greatest inventions of mankind is the railway, and the changes it brought about in modern world have been outstanding. Even after other means of transportation were discovered, railway remained the favourite way to travel for many, and, improved from one generation to the next, it still has a great future ahead of it.

In Romania, railroads were first built after the union of Moldavia and Wallachia in 1859 and entailed a radical change in the way the world was perceived. Romanians started to travel increasingly longer distances and to write about what they saw.

Historian Radu Mârza is a professor with Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj, and author of a book entitled “Romanian travellers looking out the train window: a tentative cultural history (1830-1930). We asked Radu Mârza what would Romanian travellers see out the train windows?

“They would see lots of things. At first sight, they seem to be very interested in landscapes. But after I went through a lot of sources, I reached the conclusion that their primary interest is not so much the landscape, but the people. They look out the window at the people outside, the people in railway stations, and, not least, the people travelling alongside them on trains. They would take an interest in the places they visit, but the concept of a natural landscape, which was the starting point of my research, only catches the Romanian travellers attention later on, around the turn of the 20th century. For instance, A. D. Xenopol wrote beautiful pages about the Semmering railroad in Austria, or about his crossing the Alps by train. I could also mention Mihail Sadoveanu, who travelled to the Netherlands in the 1920s and was interested not so much in nature, but in the human presence: from the people working their gardens to the very modern image of the Dutch towns where railroads cross roads and canals. He was interested in the Dutch plants, electricity networks, railway stations.

What railroads brought about was mobility: the movement of commodities, of businesses, and, above all, of people.

“Mobility grew spectacularly compared to previous times and previous means of transportation. For example, the train journey from Bucharest to Karlsbad, Karlovy Vary in todays Czech Republic, would take around 72 hours in the 1920s, as compared to a week or two on the road in pre-railway times. So mobility simply exploded. And obviously this increased mobility helped people travel longer distances, more easily and comfortably. The railway car is at the same time a place of interaction and non-interaction. People can engage in a dialogue, in an interaction with their fellow passengers, but there are also travellers who are unwilling to interact, who just want to be left alone. Sadoveanu has a paragraph about how much he longed to be left alone, while the great novelist Liviu Rebreanu also tells us about the insistence with which another train passenger asked him to engage in conversation.

But trains can also be dark places, places of crimes and even murder. We asked Radu Mârza whether Romanian travellers talk about this side as well:

“I havent seen accounts of this kind, but I do remember a story by George Bariț, about a very interesting experience during his travels in Germany in 1852. He says in the Magdeburg railway station, where the train arrived at night, he was amazed to see 4 tracks going to 4 different directions, which was absolutely astonishing for him. And one of the funny things he noticed written on the walls of the station was a warning saying, ‘Beware of pickpockets!

Railroads connected not only people, but also provinces, countries and continents. Radu Mârza told us that this connection was not only political in nature:

“In the Old Kingdom of Romania, this was quite evident, and 19th Century travellers say that themselves. They understand that the railway is a means of connecting the country, not necessarily for political or sentimental reasons, but for the purpose of mobility and communication. And while in the West, in the beginning there were some reservations and criticism concerning trains, this was not the case in our part of the world. This is confirmed by the number of passengers, the number of tickets sold, which is quite relevant because it proves that from the very beginning the Romanian public welcomed train traveling with open arms.

Romanians discovered the world from the train window and enjoyed it greatly. And the world, in turn, became smaller, more familiar, and more welcoming. (translated by: A.M. Popescu)

4 January 2021
16 July, 2020

Quarantine. The Romanian Senate is debating
a bill regulating the conditions for quarantine and isolation. Prime minister
Ludovic Orban also plans to attend the debates. After days of negotiations and
delays, the senators in the legal committee eventually passed an amended
version of the bill late last night. The bill says that people who plan to
challenge the quarantine or isolation measure in court will be kept under
medical supervision and that the decision of the court of first instance in
this case is enforceable. Also, asymptomatic people confirmed to carry the
Covid-19 virus will be kept under medical supervision in hospital for 48 hours,
followed by isolation at home or another residential address for a further 14
days. Minors are to be isolated at the home of their family or legal guardians
or another address and it’s up to their families to check them into hospital.
The bill also stipulates that the medical staff cannot be posted for more than
30 days. The bill was initiated by the government after the Constitutional
Court ruled that isolation at home, quarantine and hospitalisation cannot be
imposed based on ministerial order as has been the case so far, even if the
persons in question are infected with the novel coronavirus. The Court ruled
instead that the restrictive measures must be based on a law that clearly
regulates them.

Economy. The pace of
world economic activity begins to pick up again after unprecedented decline
this year caused by the coronavirus pandemic, but a second major wave of
infections could cause further disruption, warned on Thursday the director
general of the International Monetary Fund Kristalina Georgieva. She said the impact
of the measures to keep the pandemic in check and limit its economic
consequences led to an increase in the already high level of debt, but that it
is too early to start withdrawing the safety nets, as they are still needed.
The fiscal package worth 11,000 billion dollars adopted by the G20 and other
states, as well as the significant injections of liquidities by central banks
have helped stabilise world economy, but the danger is still there, warns Georgieva.
Last month, the International Monetary Fund again revised downwards its world
economic forecast for 2020, estimating a 4.9% contraction and a recovery level
below expectations next year.

Coronavirus toll.
Coronavirus infections pass 35,000 in Romania, with 777 new cases reported
today. More than 24,000 people have recovered and 1,971 have died. On
Wednesday, the government extended the state of alert for a further 30 days
amid a growing number of new infections. Globally, confirmed
coronavirus cases pass 13,4 million, with reported deaths nearing 580,000.
Brazil, Mexico and the US have seen the highest number of new deaths, while the
US saw a new record level of new cases. The US is currently the worst hit country
in the world, with at least 55,000 new cases a day. Elsewhere, India, Spain,
Portugal and Venezuela have reintroduced local restrictions after a spike in
the number of new cases.

Travel. Austria bans
direct regular flights from Romania and nine other states, such as Bulgaria,
the Republic of Moldova, states in the Western Balkans and Egypt, which are
considered states with a high coronavirus risk. The Romanian airliner Tarom has
also suspended flights to and from Austria until the end of the month. Certain
flights are not subject to the ban, such as flights carrying goods or those
conducted for medical reasons or for repatriation of persons and transport of
care staff and seasonal workers. 20
European countries, mostly in the EU, have imposed restrictions for travellers
from Romania. Greece requires a negative Covid-19 test when entering the
country on road. Since Wednesday, travellers to Hungary from Romania will be
tested for Covid-19 when crossing the border.

EU. Romanian president
Klaus Iohannis is attending a special meeting of the European Council on Friday
and Saturday in Brussels. Talks will focus on the EU multinannual budget for
the 2021-2027 period and the European plan for economic recovery. Iohannis is
expected to call for more significant funds for the cohesion policy and the
common agricultural policy and for additional funds for rural development.

16 July 2020