February 25, 2020 UPDATE
No coronavirus cases in Romania so far
Newsroom, 25.02.2020, 19:53
GOVERNMENT — Ludovic Orban resigned his position as PM designate on Tuesday evening, as the deadline by which Parliament should have endorsed or not his new cabinet was exceeded. The announcement was made by President Klaus Iohannis, who blamed the Social Democrats for this situation. The head of state also said he accepted Orban’s resignation to avoid an institutional blockage and announced he would summon political parties for consultations on Wednesday afternoon. On Monday the Constitutional Court ruled that the nomination of the dismissed PM, Ludovic Orban, for the formation of a new government, was unconstitutional. The National Liberal Party accuses the Court of political bias and does not give up the idea of having Ludovic Orban designated as the new Prime-Minister. The Social Democratic Party has stated it wants to stay in the opposition and will not make a proposal for PM. The Save Romania Union has its own candidate, while the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians, the Peoples Movement Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats are waiting for a new proposal to be made by president Klaus Iohannis.
BREXIT – The EU General Affairs Council in Brussels on Tuesday adopted the negotiating mandate for the task of reaching a deal with Britain, on future ties. The document will be the basis for the negotiations, to be carried out by Michel Barnier. The Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu voiced Romania’s support for the mandate and highlighted the need for a comprehensive and ambitious accord with the UK, which should allow for a close cooperation in a variety of sectors. In London, UK ministers have agreed on the governments mandate for the negotiations. Also on Tuesday, the European Commission presented the methodology aimed at rendering the enlargement process more efficient.
WHO – The number of coronavirus infections around the world has exceeded 80,000, and the impact of the outbreak is growing. The World Health Organization has stated the world must be ready for a possible pandemic. The Organization also warns about the propagation of fear, given that at the moment we cannot speak of an uncontrolled spread of the virus. Against a downward trend in China, now worrying are the situations in Iran and Italy, where the number of confirmed cases of infection and deaths is growing. In northern Italy, 11 localities declared red zone areas are guarded by the police and the gendarmerie. The first two cases of infection were confirmed on Tuesday in Austria, one of the patients having come from the neighboring Italy. Croatia has also confirmed a first case, in Zagreb. The European Commission has announced the allocation of an additional 232 million Euros to fight the start of the coronavirus outbreak in the EU.
CORONAVIRUS – There is no confirmed case of coronavirus infection on Romanian soil, although the number of suspicions is on the rise. The interim health minister Victor Costache has stated that there are some 1000 people isolated in their homes. He has also stated that there are some 4000 quarantine seats if cases are reported. Also, the authorities are working against the clock to ensure anti-epidemic medicine inventories and also other prevention materials. In turn, the head of state, Klaus Iohannis, has warned that Romania must be ready, in case things turn bad. That is why on Wednesday he will convene the countrys Supreme Defense Council. As there are some 300,000 Romanians living in northern Italy, the European country most affected by the coronavirus outbreak, all people travelling from Italy to Romania will automatically be placed under a 14-day quarantine. We recall that twfgo Romanians who tested positive onboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship are now hospitalized in Tokyo.
DEFENSE – Romanias president Klaus Iohannis said on Tuesday, when the Defense Ministry presented its 2019 report that the ministry would have to focus on strengthening Romanias strategic profile within NATO and the EU, on accelerating the development of the armys operational capability and on starting and running equipping programs. The head of state said that the membership to NATO and the EU and the Strategic Partnership with the US are the main strategic pillars of Romanias foreign and security policy. He has congratulated the Romanian military for their professionalism and competence. Romanian soldiers are part of many operations and missions under NATO and EU aegis, including Resolute Support in Afghanistan or NATO KFOR.
SOCIAL MEDIA – Half of the companies based in the EU used in 2019 at least one type of social media, according to data published on Tuesday by Eurostat. Companies in Romania rank last at this chapter, as only 33% have stated they used at least one form of social media. Other members states where the use of social media is less popular among companies are Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary, Latvia and Slovakia. At the opposite pole, the use of social media by companies is extremely popular in Malta, Denmark, the Netherlands, Cyprus, Sweden, Belgium, Ireland and Finland. As compared to 2004, the percentage of companies using social media has increased in all the EU member states.
TRANSMITTER – The BD 300-1 transmitter in Tiganesti, which broadcasts RRIs programs, is broken, Radiocom has announced. Works are underway to render functional the spare BD300-3 transmitter. In the meantime, you can listen to our shows on the second shortwave frequency indicated on our website www.rri.ro, for each show. The following programs in English are affected: 4 a.m. UTC to the US, 6.30 a.m. UTC to Australia, 12 a.m.UTC to Africa, 6 p.m. UTC to Great Britain, 9.30 p.m. UTC to the US and 11 p.m. UTC to Japan.
(Translated by Elena Enache)
