April 16, 2021 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 16.04.2021, 20:00

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – Romania has
increased its vaccination rate, with over 80,000 doses being administered on
Thursday for the second day in a row, while the total number of people given at
least one dose exceeded 2.5 million on Friday. Also as of Friday, people will
be able to get the AstraZeneca vaccine without an appointment in the centers
where this jab is available. According to Prime Minister Florin Cîţu, Romania
is expected to hit the 35% mark in early July in terms of the share of the
population that got immunized, which will allow for a gradual relaunch of the
economy. On the other hand, the number of ICU cases among Covid patients is
still high, at almost 1,500, but the overall number of hospital admissions is
decreasing, with almost 13,000 Covid patients currently receiving hospital
treatment. Almost 3,700 new infections were recorded on Friday, as well as 137
new deaths. The incidence rate has dropped to 6 per thousand inhabitants in
Bucharest.

COVID-19 EUROPE –France became the third country in
Europe to pass 100,000 Covid-related deaths after the UK and Italy. France has
30-40,000 new cases and 300 fatalities daily and 30,000 Covid patients are in
hospital, including almost 6,000 in severe condition. Even though the situation
remains complicated, the French authorities have begun discussing relaxation
measures from mid-May. In Italy, Prime Minister Mario Draghi has talked about
the reopening of restaurants and schools starting Monday, April 26. Expressing
a prudent optimism, the Italian Prime Minister said his Government decided to
take a calculated risk and classify regions with a satisfying epidemiological
evolution in the yellow zone, where restrictions are less severe. In Madrid,
the Spanish government has ruled out extending the state of emergency beyond
May 9. Under the current regulations, a nighttime curfew starts at 11 PM while the
number of people in public spaces is limited.

NATO – Romania will
begin withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan from May 1, together with all its
NATO allies. Defense minister Nicolae Ciucă recalled that two decades ago,
Romania made the decision to join the coalition fighting terrorism and its
strategic allies in an international effort to combat an enemy that threatened
citizens’ peace and security. Over these almost 20 years, tens of thousands of
Romanian military carried out various missions in the theatre of operations in
Afghanistan, having a significant contribution to improving the security
situation in the region. Romania lost 27 military in Afghanistan, while more
than 200 were wounded. 649 Romanian military are currently deployed in that
country as part of the Resolute Support mission under the NATO aegis.

SUPPORT –The European Commission has approved a
government 500 million euro support scheme for Romanian companies in the areas
of tourism, accommodation and food services as well as travel agencies hit by
the Covid pandemic. In the form of direct aid, the scheme will cover up to 20%
of losses incurred last year compared with 2019 and will be granted until December
31, 2021 at the latest. Support may benefit over 7,300 firms.

5G – The
government has approved a bill on 5G communications that significantly boosts
internet speed for mobile devices. According to interior minister Lucian Bode,
the bill called for special attention because the new technology can also give
rise to complex threats to national security through access to sensitive
information structures. The US authorities warned that the advance of the
Chinese giant Huawei in this field poses a security risk owing to the
involvement of the Chinese state, so Romania and the US last year signed a
memorandum on the introduction of certain rules for the authorization of 5G
providers. The tender to assign the 5G spectrum in Romania, which was already
postponed twice, may be held in the second part of the year.

DACIA – Sales of Dacia cars in Europe
saw a 67% growth in March, while the car maker’s market share increased from
2.4 to 2.5%, according to a report from the European Automobile Manufacturers’
Association. The statistical data cover the European Union, the UK and the
European Free Trade Association countries, namely Iceland, Liechtenstein,
Norway and Switzerland. The Romanian Dacia manufacturer was taken over by the
Renault group in 1999. Launched in 2004 with the Logan model, Dacia has since
become an important player on the European car market.

HANDBALL – Romania are facing North
Macedonia on Saturday in Bucharest in the first leg of the 2021 World
Championship play-offs in women’s handball. The return match is due to take
place on April 21, in Skopje. Commentators say booking a place should not be a
problem, given that the number of participants grew to 32. The tournament will
be hosted by Spain. Europe has 50% of the available places. Romania is yet to
miss a women’s World Championship, where it has won four medals over the years:
gold in 1962, silver in 1973 and 2005 and bronze in 2015. (C.M. & V.P.)