February 4, 2022

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 04.02.2022, 13:50

Covid-19 update. The Romanian government has extended
the state of alert by a further 30 days from 7th February. A number
of measures will remain in place, including the mandatory wearing of face masks
in all indoor and outdoor areas. The government also adopted the rule according
to which the validity of the Covid certificate for entering Romania is nine
months without the booster shot. Otherwise, a negative Covid test result or
proof of recovery from infection are needed. The deadline for filling in the
digital form for entering the country has been extended from 24 to 72 hours.
The pilots of the planes flying to and from Romania and the Romanian citizens
living on the border and working in neighbouring countries no longer have to fill
in this form. On Friday, Romania reported almost 32,000 new Covid cases and
almost 100 new fatalities.

Protest. Trade unions in the metallurgical industry today staged a rally
outside the government building in Bucharest to protest against the fact that
businesses in this sector do not benefit from a cap on energy prices. The
government exempted non-household users who already received state aid from the
cap on electricity and natural gas prices. Trade unions are saying the move is
unfair and are asking the government to cap electricity and natural gas prices
to the level of December 2020 for at least another year. The workers at ALRO
Slatina also staged a protest yesterday, their management having cut production
and sent 1,500 workers on furlough.

B9. We cannot accept the threat of the use of force
or outdated concepts such as that referring to the sphere of influence, said
the Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu on Thursday in Bucharest, speaking
about concerns that Russia’s actions are seeking to undermine the European
security architecture. Aurescu hosted a round of talks held in hybrid format and
attended by the Bucharest Nine foreign ministers of the states on the eastern
flank. The talks were also attended by the French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le
Drian, who was on a trip to Bucharest, and the Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro
Kuleba. Diplomatic actions to defuse the standoff on the Russian-Ukrainian
border have also taken place in other capitals in recent days.

EU sanctions. The European Union has
prepared a robust and comprehensive package of sanctions against Russia if it
continues its aggression against Ukraine, the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen told
the Handeslblatt and Les Echos newspapers, according to Reuters. The sanctions
include limiting Russia’s access to foreign capital and exports controls,
especially on technical goods, von der Leyen explained. The controversial North
Stream 2 gas pipeline is also targeted by the package of sanctions, depending
on Russia’s behavior if it is put into operation, she added. Russia, who
annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014 and supports the separatists
in eastern Ukraine, has massed some 100,000 soldiers near the Ukrainian border,
demanding security guarantees from the West, including that Ukraine would not
be accepted into NATO. The Kremlin accused Washington of ignoring its calls for
easing the tension as the latter said it would deploy an additional 3,000
troops to Poland and Romania, Reuters also notes.

Winter Olympics. The 24th edition of the
Winter Olympic Games got under way in Beijing amid concerns about the Covid
pandemic and a diplomatic boycott from some western countries. Beijing is the
first city to have hosted both the Summer Games, back in 2008, and the Winter
Games. 22 Romanian athletes are taking part in the competitions, in sledding, bobsled, skeleton, cross country skiing,
alpine skiing, ski jumping, biathlon and speed skating. On 17th
January, following a rise in Covid infections and the first confirmed case of
Omicron in Beijing, the organisers announced tickets would not be sold to the
general public and that a limited number of spectators would be admitted based
on invitations. The US, Britain and other allied states launched a diplomatic
boycott of the Games because of China’s human rights situation. Beijing denied,
however, the accusations of human rights violations. (CM)