June 8, 2021 UPDATE

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 08.06.2021, 20:00

Pandemic. Romania is in top 15 in
Europe and top 28 in the world in terms of percentage of population fully
vaccinated against Covid-19, said the state secretary in the health ministry
Andrei Baciu. He said Romania received over 14,700,000 vaccine doses and has
administered over 8 million, accounting for some 56% of the total. So far, some
4 million Romanians are fully vaccinated. One week after the start of the
campaign to vaccinate 12-to-15-year-olds, 8,500 teenagers have been given the
Pfizer vaccine, which was authorised by the European Union for use in this age group.
In another move, some 200 new Covid cases were recorded on Tuesday in this
country from 30,000 tests. 277 related fatalities were also recorded, of which
256 date from 2020 and earlier this year, but were only now recorded in the
data base at the request of the health ministry following further checks.
31,155 people infected with Covid-19 have died in Romania since the beginning
of the pandemic. 295 Covid patients are currently in intensive care.

Justice. The European Commission
says it will continue to monitor developments in the judicial area in Romania
through the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism in the field of justice
reform and the fight against corruption. The Commission notes the current
positive trend and hails the fact that renewed impetus was given this year to
reform and reverse the backtracking of the 2017-2019 period under the former
Social Democrat administration. In a report published on Tuesday, Brussels also
recalls a judgement of the EU Court of Justice from 18th May which
stipulates that the establishment of the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism
is obligatory for Romania in all its elements and that the Romanian authorities
must appropriately take into account the recommendations made.

Visit. Romania and
Israel have privileged ties, of a strategic nature, said president Klaus
Iohannis on Tuesday. In a press conference held jointly with his Israeli
counterpart Reuven
Rivlin, Iohannis also said that Romania, which can serve as a model with regard
to initiatives to combat anti-Semitism, believes that both the Israelis and the
Palestinians have a right to live in peace and security. President Reuven
recalled that Romania was the only country in the former communist bloc not to break
off diplomatic ties with Israel. The talks between the two presidents focused
on ways to develop and deepen bilateral relations in all areas of mutual
interest and came as the two countries are celebrating, on 11th
June, 73 years of uninterrupted diplomatic ties. On Wednesday, president Reuven
will address Romanian Parliament and will have talks with the speakers of the
two chambers, Anca Dragu for the Senate and Ludovic Orban for the Chamber of
Deputies. The Romania-Israel Economic Forum will also be held on Wednesday.

Film. The latest production from
Romanian film maker Radu Muntean called Integralded has been selected in the
Directors’ Fortnight section of the Cannes Festival, which is held in July,
while Andrei Epure’s short film Intercom 15 will be shown in
the Critics’ Week. The jury of this latter section is chaired this year by
Romanian director Cristian Mungiu, who won the Palme d’Or trophy in Cannes in
2007 for 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, as well as Best Screenplay in 2012 for
Behind the Hills and Best Director for Graduation in 2016.

Tennis. The Romanian-Argentinian pair Irina Begu
and Nadia Podoroska are playing against the Croatian-American pair Petra Martic and Shelby Rogers on
Wednesday in the doubles quarterfinals at
Roland Garros. In the men’s doubles, the Romanian-German pair Horia Tecău and Kevin
Krawietz lost to the all Colombian pair Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah
in the round of last 16 on Tuesday. Tecău and
Krawietz also lost two finals this year, in Rotterdam and Barcelona. (CM)