March, 2, 2021

Vaccinations near 1 million in Romania./ Former presidents daughter gets prison sentence in corruption case./Budget bill put to vote in Parliament.

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Newsroom, 02.03.2021, 13:55

Vaccination. Almost 950,000 people
have been given the Covid vaccine in Romania, the majority with the
Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, but the Moderna and
AstraZeneca vaccines are also used. State secretary in the health ministry
Andrei Baciu explained that all vaccines approved for use in Romania are
efficient against all Covid variants discovered in this country. He believes a
70% herd immunity can be achieved at the beginning of autumn and that’s when
restrictions may be eased. The coordinator of the mass vaccination campaign, army
doctor Valeriu Gheorghiţă, said the general population will be able to make an
appointment for vaccination from the middle of the month, with actual
vaccination as part of phase three due to begin in April. On the other hand,
specialists are warning that Romania is on the verge of the third wave of the
Covid pandemic and are calling on the population to comply with the
restrictions in place and continue to observe the three basic rules: wear
facemasks, wash hands and maintain physical distance. Total coronavirus infections
surpassed 808,000 in Romania, as almost 4,000 new cases were recorded today. The
death toll is 20,509, after 106 new fatalities were recorded. More than 1,000
Covid patients are in intensive care.

Vaccine passport.
The European Commission will this month present a proposal on the creation of a
digital vaccination passport for the European Union which would allow Europeans
to travel more freely during the summer holidays. The Commission president
Ursula von der Leyen announced this legislative proposal in an address to the
German Conservatives and provided some additional information on Twitter. The so-called
digital green pass would show that the person carrying it has been given the
Covid vaccine and will contain the result of Covid tests for persons who have
not yet had the vaccine, as well as information about the recovery of persons
who have had the virus. Globally, coronavirus infections surpassed 115 million,
while the death toll passed 2.5 million since the beginning of the outbreak one
year ago.

Corruption. Ioana Băsescu, the daughter of
Romania’s former president Traian Băsescu, was sentenced to 5 years in prison
for abetting embezzlement and money laundering as part of a court case looking
into the funding of Traian Băsescu’s presidential election campaign in 2009,
when he won a second term. The ruling is not final and can appealed. As part of
the same case, the former government minister Elena Udrea was convicted to 8 years
in prison for abetting bribery and money laundering. Udrea has a previous
conviction and is also under investigation in other corruption cases.

Budget. Parliament
is today voting on this year’s state budget and social security budget bills. The
budget and finance committees gave the green light to the two bills in the versions
proposed by the government, passing none of the 3,500 amendments filed by the opposition,
who are accusing the government of drafting an austerity budget. The government
instead describes it as fostering development and reform, with finance minister
Alexandru Nazare saying the state budget is aimed at economic recovery and does
not provide for any tax rises or salary cuts in the public sector. This year, the
deficit level cannot surpass 7.16% of GDP and staff expenditure 9.8%. The
budget is calculated based on a 4.31% economic growth rate.

Film. The 71st Berlin International Film
Festival began on Monday in an online-only format because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Divided into two stages, this year’s edition also includes viewings for the
general public to be held in June. The Romanian film-maker Radu Jude, whose
film Aferim! won the Silver Bear
trophy in 2015, returns to the competition section with a film that looks into
the relations between the individual and society when the leaked sex video of a
school teacher goes viral on the Internet, turning her life upside down. (CM)