May 18, 2021
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 18.05.2021, 13:54
Covid-19RO.
Romanian
President Klaus Iohannis has convened a working meeting on the vaccination
campaign against COVID-19. The meeting will be attended by Prime Minister
Florin Cîţu, Deputy Prime Ministers Dan Barna and Kelemen Hunor, other members
of the government, as well as the coordinator of the vaccination campaign,
Valeriu Gheorghiţă and the Secretary of State in the Ministry of Health, Andrei
Baciu. Since the end of December 2020, over 6.8 million doses have been
administered to almost 4 million Romanians, of whom over 2.8 million have also received
the second jab. Tens of thousands of people have been immunized in recent days
in drive-through centers (by car) and through vaccination marathons across the
country. The capital’s Emergency Situations Committee decided today that
preschoolers and pupils will be able to return to class physically, starting
Wednesday, with the observance and application of all protection rules. On the
other hand, the Strategic Communication Group reported today 681 cases of
infection with the new coronavirus out of almost 32 thousand tests performed
nationwide. In the last 24 hours, 91 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 died.
There are now more than 4,600 patients in hospitals, of whom 716 in intensive
care. At this moment, at national level, an incidence higher than 1 per one thousand
inhabitants is registered only in Cluj county – 1.18, and Alba county – 1.14.
Certificate. Romania is ready to introduce the green vaccination
certificate that will be used at European level, the spokesperson for the
Special Telecommunications Service, Cătălin Chirca said on Radio Romania. STS is already working on an IT system with
two components: a portal wherefrom citizens will download their green
certificate for free and an application that will allow the verification of
issued certificates. Adina Vălean, the European Commissioner for Transport, has
explained that, currently, there are 18 member countries that have scheduled
tests of their solutions and the connection that their databases will establish
with the European information exchange platform. Romania is scheduled for May
21 to take its interoperability test. The green vaccination certificate, which
will contain a QR code, will facilitate free movement in the EU during the
COVID-19 pandemic. It will certify that a person has been vaccinated against
coronavirus or, as the case may be, that he or she has recently had a negative
test result or that he or she has been infected with the virus.
Economy. In the first quarter of this year, Romanian economy was
the most dynamic in the European Union, with a growth of the Gross Domestic
Product of 2.8% compared to the last quarter of 2020, according to preliminary
data published on Tuesday by Eurostat. Next come Cyprus (2%), Hungary (1.9%)
and Lithuania (1.8%). Earlier, the National Institute of Statistics had too announced
this growth, above estimates, of the Romanian economy in the first quarter of
2021. Prime Minister Florin Cîţu wrote on Facebook that it’s the fastest
economic recovery in history, in response to the biggest crisis in the last
hundred years. He also wrote that the Government is preparing new measures to
make Romania’s post-pandemic economy stronger and more competitive. For this
year, the authorities estimate an economic growth of about 4.3%, after a
decline of 3.9% in 2020.
Conflict. EU foreign ministers are discussing today, via
videoconference, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Greek Foreign Minister
Nikos Dendias is in the Middle East, in a bid to mediate the talks. The head of
the Greek diplomacy is the first European dignitary of this level to visit
Israel, the Palestinian territories, Jordan and Egypt in an effort to help ease
the tension. On Monday, US President Joe Biden voiced support for a ceasefire
agreement after a week of fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants. He
said that during a telephone conversation with the Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu. According to a White House statement, the United States is
working with Egypt and other partners to put an end hostilities. Earlier, the
US blocked a UN Security Council statement on the cessation of violence for the
third time. Washington, Israel’s main ally, explained after previous refusals
to adopt a statement that such a document would be counterproductive to the conflict
mediation efforts. Egypt, the region’s main mediator, has vowed to coordinate
efforts with France to achieve a ceasefire. The latest toll of clashes between
Israel and the Islamist group Hamas indicates more than 200 dead and more than
1,000 wounded in Gaza and 10 dead and 300 wounded in Israel.
Eurovision. The 65th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest starts
today, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, in a small format. The representative of
Romania, Roxen, with the song ‘Amnesia’, will be the 13th artist to go on
stage, in the first semifinal. Ten competitors will qualify for the final,
which will take place on Saturday. Ten other artists will qualify, on Thursday,
from the second semifinal. The 20 finalists will be joined, in the final act,
by the representatives of the host country and of the Big Five – France,
Germany, Italy, Spain and Great Britain. Romania’s best performances in this
competition have been: twice the third place (Luminiţa Anghel & Sistem -
Kiev, 2005; Paula Seling and Ovi – Oslo, 2010) and once the fourth place (Mihai
Trăistariu – Athens, 2006). (MI)
