23 July 2020, UPDATE

A roundup of the main stories in Romania today.

Newsroom, 23.07.2020, 20:00

NATO. The
Cincu Training Centre in central Romania on Thursday hosted a ceremony devoted
to the establishment of NATO’s Headquarters Multinational Division South-East. President
Klaus Iohannis, who attended the event, emphasised how important it is for
Romania to be part of NATO, both for its own security and to contribute to the
security of its partners and allies. The NATO Headquarters Multinational
Division South-East was set up by Parliament decision and is based in the Sibiu
Garrison and together with the Headquarters Multinational Brigade South-East
based in Craiova, in southern Romania, and the Headquarters Multinational
Division based in Bucharest, forms part of Romania’s substantial contribution
to the consolidation of credible NATO deterrence and defence posts on its
eastern flank. According to army reserve general Alexandru Grumaz, with the
establishment of the latest division, the entire NATO flank in south-eastern
Europe will be coordinated from Romania, from Sibiu.

Coronavirus Romania. The authorities
are warning about the healthcare situation amid rising number of new
coronavirus infections in recent days in Romania. The National Public Health
Institute is urging people to observe basic protection rules, including wearing
proper face covering and maintaining physical distancing, as well as respecting
strict hand hygiene. A record new 1.112 coronavirus cases were confirmed on Thursday.
More than 40,000 cases have so far been reported in Romania since the beginning
of the outbreak five months ago. Over 5,500 people are currently in hospital,
nearly 300 of them in intensive care. 25 new deaths were also reported, death
toll thus hitting 2,126.

Economy. Accessing
European funds was the key topic of Wednesday night’s Government meeting in
Bucharest, which focused on legislation facilitating the country’s economic
recovery. The Cabinet also discussed options to grant non-reimbursable loans to
small and medium-sized businesses and small entrepreneurs, both for investments
and working capital. Funds will also be granted to limited liability companies
without employees, to self-employed professionals, cultural NGOs and to family
physicians treating coronavirus patients. Another bill concerns the provision
of funds for SMEs to lease equipment and tools. The 80 billion euros earmarked
by the EU for Romania will be spent for national reconstruction, president
Klaus Iohannis said prior to the Cabinet meeting, after a discussion with prime
minister Ludovic Orban. The money will come from two sources, the EU’s
2021-2027 multiannual budget and the post-coronavirus recovery fund. The first
source will cover ongoing projects, and the money will be accessed under a
national plan which is essentially ready, said the president. The EU economic
recovery plan provides access to 34 billion euros for Romania, especially in
non-reimbursable funds and also in low-interest loans.

EU Parliament. The
European Parliament warned in a resolution adopted on Thursday that it would
not vote the accord of EU leaders on the EU multiannual budget unless they
improve it, criticising in particular the cuts in the budgets of certain areas,
the France Presse news agency reports. The EU Parliament is to vote on the EU’s
new 7-year budget by the end of the year. After a marathon summit, EU leaders
on Tuesday night agreed on a European recovery fund worth 750 billion euros and
the 2021-2027 budget worth 1,074 billion euros. While most EU leaders described
the accords as historic, MEPs from a number of political groups criticised
especially the budget cuts in areas such as healthcare, education, defence and
research and development, as well as the lack of a clear link between access to
the funds and the rule of law.

Football. The
Bucharest-based club FCSB on Wednesday evening won the Romanian Football Cup,
after defeating Sepsi OSK Sfântu Gheorghe 1-nil. FCSB thus booked their place
in the Europa League qualifiers, alongside another Romanian team, FC Botosani.
The national football championship is also drawing to an end, after being
suspended in March over the coronavirus pandemic and resumed last month. 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)