January 27, 2021 UPDATE

Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 27.01.2021, 19:57

BUDGET The budget deficit target for Romania in 2021 remains 7%, the country’s
Prime Minister Florin Citu said upon the government meeting on Wednesday. He
underlined that it is important that the trust of the European Commission, the
foreign investors and rating agencies be maintained. According to him the
budget lays the foundation for a strong economy in the coming period 2021-2024.
Furthermore, the survey on this budget is a little bit different, because we
begin the first part of a multi-annual budget, Citu went on to say. The
opposition Social-Democrats on Wednesday night presented their own draft budget
adding there are enough resources for investment, pay and pension rises as well
as for increased child benefits. On Tuesday, the PSD leadership held talks with
representatives of the most important trade union federations in Romania.

VACCINE Romania’s vaccination campaign is in full swing with more than 570
thousand people being immunized so far against the novel Coronavirus. The
country’s Health Minister Vlad Voiculescu said that Romania is presently facing
a shortage of the vaccine and pledged that sanctions would be applied to some vaccination centers, after many citizens from outside
the risk categories, had been immunized. Last week, Romania got only half of
the vaccine doses initially established, 117 thousand less. In the case of
further delayed supplies, authorities are to resort to worst-case scenario
strategies and ban immunisation for certain categories. The goal of the first
stage in the immunization campaign, targeting the medical personnel, has been
met 90%, campaign coordinator Valeriu Gheorghita says. Over 31 hundred new
infections and 77 Covid-related fatalities were reported on Wednesday. Since
the outbreak, over 718 thousand cases have been reported in Romania and more
than 18 thousand fatalities. 1,025 patients are being treated in IC units.

HOLOCAUST Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, on Wednesday conveyed a message
marking the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. President Iohannis said
remembrance doesn’t just bring back the pain, but also serves to educate us to
steer clear of inherent traps generated by oblivion. Europe is currently
facing waves of extremism, populism and anti-Semitism, the President argues,
and over the last 20 years Romania has developed a series of policies and
instruments to combat such phenomena. In this context, the President urged the
Government to swiftly adopt the national strategy on the prevention and
combating of anti-Semitism, xenophobia, radicalization and hate speech. A brief
ceremony honoring the victims of the Holocaust was observed in Bucharest on
Wednesday. Various events were also staged in other cities across the country.

RELATIONS Romania’s Foreign Affairs Minister Bogdan Aurescu on Wednesday sent a
letter of congratulations to his US counterpart, Antony Blinken, who took over
his mandate as US Secretary of State after being confirmed in office by the US
Congress. According to the Romanian Foreign Affairs Ministry, Bogdan Aurescu
expressed Bucharest’s readiness to continue the expansion of the Strategic
Partnership with the United States, a key pillar of Romania’s foreign affairs
and security policy. The Romanian Minister said Romania remains a trusted ally
and a close partner of the United States, expressing confidence that, over the
term in office of Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the two countries will
continue close coordination and ensure the security and prosperity of their
citizens, as well as to promote regional stability, including in the Black Sea
region. Moreover, Minister Aurescu argued in favor of a strengthened US
military presence in Romania, underlying the development of a reliable and
sustainable deterrence capability in the Black Sea region, an area of strategic
importance to trans-Atlantic security. At the same time, Bogdan Aurescu pointed
out one of Romania’s priorities is the continuous development of economic
cooperation with the United States. Also on this occasion, Minister Aurescu
extended an invitation to Secretary of State Blinken to visit Romania.

(bill)