February 26, 2021 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 26.02.2021, 20:00

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – Starting
on Friday, the incidence rate of infections with the new coronavirus in Romania
will be calculated according to different rules, in the sense that outbreaks
will be introduced in the final analysis. Authorities say that the new rules
are in line with the international standards and other countries are doing the
same. According to the head of the Department for Emergency Situations, Raed
Arafat, a slight increase in the incidence of COVID-19 cases is expected as a
result of the new approach. The new outbreaks that will be introduced in the
calculation of COVID-19 cases are reported mainly in hospitals and care
centers. In another development, some 3,700 new cases of people infected with
SARS-CoV-2 were reported within 24 hours after performing about 36 thousand
tests nationwide. In total, since the onset of the pandemic in Romania, almost
795 thousand cases have been registered. 90% of the Covid-19 patients have been
cured. The total number of deaths has exceeded 20,200. Friday marked one year
since the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Romania. The first death from
coronavirus was officially reported in the country on March 22 last year.

COVID-19 IN THE WORLD –Worldwide the number of cases of
Sars-Cov -2 infection has exceeded 113 million, and that of deaths 2.5 million.
According to worldometers.info, more than 89 million infected people have been
cured. Meanwhile, European countries have opted for voluntary vaccination
against Covid-19, although some of them, such as France, the United Kingdom or
Hungary, are examining potential certificates or passports to prove
it, international news agencies report. In Germany, coronavirus vaccination is
voluntary and the government has stressed that there are no plans to make it
mandatory. Vaccination is not mandatory in France either. However, the
government has launched an online consultation to find out citizens’ views on
the possibility of implementing a vaccination certificate and whether it should
be mandatory or optional. In the United Kingdom, which was the first country in
the world to launch a mass vaccination program against Covid-19, immunization
is widely accepted by the population. The vaccination plan in Italy is also
voluntary and started with the highest risk groups. For its part, the Austrian
Government insists that vaccination is and will be voluntary and that it has
not yet been decided, for example, whether it can be a condition for carrying
out an activity. The World Health Organization insists that the cure for the
pandemic is to speed up immunization, and the available vaccines promise an
effectiveness of about 90%. In another development, the European Medicines
Agency on Friday announced the antibody cocktail development by Regeneron can
be used in treating COVID patients. The United States adopted the product last
year for emergencies, President Donald Trump being one of the patients treated
with Regeneron.

BUDGET – The
Romanian Parliament’s budget-finance committees continued, on Friday, the
debates on the 2021 budget bill. The budgets of the main ministries have been
voted in the form proposed by the Government. None of the amendments tabled by
the opposition has been adopted. According to the calendar established by the
joint Permanent Bureaus, the joint sitting of the Chamber of Deputies and the
Senate on the state and social security budgets is scheduled for Monday. The
bill will get the final vote on Tuesday. The budget is based on a deficit
target of 7.16% of the GDP, and an economic growth rate of 4.31%.

SUMMIT –The EU heads of state and government,
including the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, on Friday attended a
virtual summit on security and defense. Referring to vaccination certificates,
President Iohannis said they can be used for medical purposes. EU leaders have
called for coordinated action to combat COVID-19 in Europe, but couldn’t solve
their disagreements over a possible vaccination passport. The Romanian
president hailed the European Commission’s efforts to deal with the pandemic,
both in terms of purchasing and distributing vaccines, as well as ensuring the
functioning of the single market. On the other hand, participants have
reiterated the EU’s firm commitment to cooperate closely with NATO and
strengthen partnerships with the UN and key regional partners. President
Iohannis pointed out Romania supports the implementation of the Union’s
initiatives in the field of healthcare and defense, at the same time ensuring
complementarity with NATO, which remains the foundation of collective defense
for allied states. Klaus Iohannis expressed his firm support for consolidating
political dialogue and for development the strategic partnership between the EU
and NATO, arguing the trans-Atlantic ties are key to EU security.

POSEIDON 21 – Some 700 soldiers, 13 military
ships, 9 aircraft, a pyrotechnic intervention vehicle and a remote-controlled
underwater robot will be deployed during the exercise ‘Poseidon 21’ organized
by the Romanian Naval Forces between February 26 and March 6. It is the first
multinational exercise in the Black Sea this year, and involves the
participation of forces and equipment from Bulgaria, France, Greece, Romania,
Spain, USA and Turkey. ‘Poseidon 21’ is an exercise with a high degree of
complexity, included in the NATO Training Program proposed by Romania at the
NATO Summit in Warsaw, in 2016, to strengthen security measures on the European
south-eastern flank, as well as to ensure a continuous presence in the Black
Sea region.

FORD – Due to the problems related to
the supply of semiconductors that affect a large part of the world car
industry, the Ford factory in Craiova (southwestern Romania) has suspended for
eight days the production of vehicles and engines. Production would resume on
March 10. The factory representatives have state that, in the eight days off
work, the employees will be paid according to the agreements concluded between
the company and the unions and taking into account the legislation in force.
This month, the Dacia factory, owned by the French group Renault, also stopped
production for five days in Mioveni (southern Romania). The crisis in the
automotive industry is expected to last a few more months and could lead to a
world production of over a million smaller cars this year. (M.I. & V.P.)