December 10, 2021

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 10.12.2021, 13:55

COVID-19 -
Romania on Friday reported 931 new cases of COVID-19 infection and 97 related
fatalities, of which 25 were reported prior to the reference period.
Vaccination is also on a downward trend, with a little over 42,000 doses of
anti-COVID-19 serum having been administered the previous day. Since the start
of the vaccination campaign on December 27, 2020, nearly 7.6 million people
have completed the full vaccination scheme. The state of alert was extended
Thursday by another 30 days, although the Government has lifted a number of
restrictions, in light of signs of the pandemic slowing down.

REGULATIONS
– Starting today all people arriving in Romania from non-EU countries must
present a negative PCR test for COVID-19 no older than 48 hours. People who haven’t
taken the vaccine or who didn’t have the disease, but have a negative test,
will enter quarantine for 10 days. Unless they do so, they will stay in
quarantine for 14 days. Rules differ in the case of people from EU countries,
who need to have the green certificate attesting vaccination or that they had
the disease in the last 180 days. They can equally present a negative PCR test
no older than 72 hours. The rules apply for Romanian and foreign citizens
alike.

GOVERNMENT -
The Government convened today in its second session this week. High on the
agenda is an emergency decree on the implementation of Romania’s National
Recovery and Resilience Plan. Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă has repeatedly
warned the Government needs to adopt the law immediately. At the same time, the
government is discussing an emergency decree on the digitization of financial
statements. Under the new law, starting next year financial statements might be
submitted in electronic format as well, bearing the electronic signature. The
decree stipulates that starting January 1, 2023, statements will be submitted
in digital format only. The government is also expected to discuss a number of
measures aimed at safeguarding the rights of people with mental, psychological
or social disabilities.

DEFICIT -
Romania’s trade deficit stood at 19.2 billion Euro in the first 10 months of
the year, up by 4.3 billion Euro compared to the same period in 2020, the
National Statistics Institute reports. Exports stood at 61 billion Euro in the
reference period, while imports stood at 80 billion Euro. On the other hand,
net investment went up by 6.1% in the first nine months of the year compared to
2020. The highest increase was reported in investment in constructions and
machinery, including means of transport.

NATO -
President Klaus Iohannis has called for an increased military presence on
NATO’s eastern flank in order to respond to Russia’s challenges. The Romanian
president and other European leaders consulted with US President, Joe Biden, in
the Bucharest 9 format. The White House leader briefed European presidents
regarding his recent talk with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.
President Biden promised NATO members in Europe to supplement the Alliance’s
military capacity and reiterated the US’s firm commitment to collective
defense, stipulated in Article 5 in the Treaty.

FORUM – NATO
Deputy Secretary General, Mircea Geoană, on Friday said on the sidelines of Bucharest
Forum 2021, that the Black Sea region is seeing increased geopolitical
competition, and that NATO and its partners are taking measures to boost deterrence,
defense and resilience. On the other hand, Mircea Geoană congratulated Romania
for having been selected to host the European Center for Cybersecurity, which
in addition to hosting the Euro-Atlantic Resilience Center will help turn
Romania into a competitive and innovative economy and society.

SPORTS -
Romania’s football champions, CFR Cluj, defeated FK Jablonec of the Czech
Republic on Thursday, 2-0, in the last match in Group D of Europa Conference
League. This was the only win for Cluj in the group phase, the CFR ranking 4th
in the group tables with 5 points. AZ Alkmaar of the Netherlands won the group,
followed by FC Randers of Denmark. In men’s handball, Dinamo Bucharest defeated
HC Motor Zaproje of Ukraine 33-29 at home in Group B in Champions League.
Dinamo is currently ranked 7th in the group tables. (VP)