22 July, 2020

Cabinet meets to discuss economic recovery./ FCSB Bucharest play OSK Sfântu Gheorghe in Romanian Football Cup final.

Newsroom, 22.07.2020, 13:55

Economy. The cabinet are meeting today for the second time
this week to discuss legislation to support economic recovery. The minister for
European funds has drafted an emergency order on the expansion of the natural
gas network by 2027. The funding, amounting to 1 billion euros, comes from EU
sources. Another proposal discussed today provides for grants to the amount of
1 billion euros for small and medium sized businesses and small entrepreneurs
who were hardest hit during the state of emergency and the state of alert.

Coronavirus Romania. Romania reports record 1,030 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours and 27 new deaths. Number of confirmed cases thus hits 40,100, while the death toll rises to 2,101. Almost 25,000 people have recovered. A law regulating the conditions
for quarantine and isolation came into force on Tuesday, which, according to
the health minister Nelu Tataru, lays down the instruments necessary to be able
to reduce the number of new cases. The minister warned however that the next
two weeks will be difficult, with lots of active cases. Also on Tuesday, the
government added new provisions to its state of alert order to incorporate the
provisions of the new quarantine law.

Coronavirus world. Global coronavirus
infections near 15.1 million, while the death toll nears 620,000. In his
coronavirus press briefing, which he resumed after many weeks of interruption,
US president Donald Trump told Americans that the pandemic may get worse before
it gets better and urged them to wear face coverings where they cannot maintain
physical distance, something he previously opposed. The US saw more than
600,000 new cases for the 8th day in a row. On Tuesday, the World
Health Organisation said it would bring together scientists and experts from
various fields as part of a project to combat disinformation, a relatively new
threat to public health. In another move, a number of British researchers told
the British Parliament that people would have to live with the pandemic for
many years, believing it is unlikely for a possible vaccine to eliminate this
coronavirus definitively.

Deficit. Government deficit grew both in the eurozone and in
the European Union in the first quarter of the year compared with the previous
quarter, because of the lockdown to contain the spread of the pandemic,
according to the latest figures published by Eurostat, the EU’s statistical
office. In the eurozone, the government deficit grew from 0.7% of GDP in the last
quarter of last year to 2.2% in the first quarter of this year. Malta, with
8.5%, Romania, with 7.2%, and Belgium, with 6%, have the highest deficit levels
in the European Union.

Judiciary. The Romanian senators rejected a bill to
dismantle the special department to investigate crimes in the judiciary. The
Save Romania Union, the party who initiated the bill, said the department is
criticised by magistrates, European institutions and various organisations in
the field, while the Social Democratic Party said it guarantees the
independence of the judiciary. The Chamber of Deputies has already rejected the
bill, but the Senate was the decision-making body in this case.

Migrants. Five migrants, namely 2 Turkish and 3 Moroccan nationals, were caught
today as they were trying to cross illegally from Romania into Hungary, near
the western border. The two Turkish citizens were hiding under a truck while
the Moroccan citizens were found as they were trying to cross a field by foot. The
five migrants, all men aged between 20 and 35, said they wanted to reach
western Europe.

Football. The
football sides FCSB from Bucharest and Sepsi OSK from Sfântu Gheorghe will be
playing the Romanian Cup final on neutral ground in Ploiesti this evening.
In the semi-finals, Sepsi defeated CSM Poli Iaşi, while FCSB defeated Dinamo
Bucharest. The domestic championship resumed last month, after being suspended
in March because of the coronavirus outbreak. The current leaders in the
ranking are CSU Craiova followed by the defending champions CFR Cluj. All
football matches in Romania are played without spectators. (CM)