May 21, 2021 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

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Newsroom, 21.05.2021, 20:00

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – The number of new cases of
coronavirus infection has been dropping in Romania. Only 484 cases were
reported on Friday, out of 34,000 tests performed in 24 hours. The number of
patients in intensive care has dropped too, down to 636. 49 Covid-related
deaths were reported on Friday. The vaccination campaign continues. More than 4
million people have been vaccinated, 3 million of whom with both doses. In
Bucharest, 36% of the population got at least the first jab.

DIGITAL GREEN CERTIFICATES -The European Parliament and
the EU Member States have reached an agreement on the European digital Covid Certificate,
which aims to facilitate travel in the EU. The so called ‘green certificate’
would allow anyone in the bloc to obtain a digital proof of coronavirus
vaccination status, COVID test results or recovery from an infection. With
regard to the two divergent points regarding the cost of PCR tests and the
waiver of quarantine, it was agreed that the tests would be affordable and that
the European Commission would allocate 100 million Euro to purchase them; as
for quarantine, Member States shall refrain from imposing it on those with a
health certificate, unless such a measure is strictly necessary with regard to
public health. People who have received a single dose of vaccine can also apply
for the certificate, but only if they have been immunized with one of the
anti-COVID vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency: Pfizer, Moderna,
AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson. European Union officials want the
European Covid-19 certificate to become operational next month. It will be
discussed at the EU summit on 24-25 May, and then an agreement will have to be
approved in the European Parliament’s plenary session on 7-10 June.

EUROPEAN COUNCIL – Romania’s president, Klaus
Iohannis, on Monday and Tuesday will attend the special meeting of the European
Council, to be held in Brussels. According to a Presidency release, the head of
state will call for the swift and unitary implementation of the European
Digital Green certificate at EU level. Klaus Iohannis will reiterate the idea
that the certificate should not affect free movement of citizens, which he sees
as a fundamental right. Other topics on the meeting’s agenda concern concerted
EU-wide action to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, combating climate change, and
the EU’s relations with Russia and the UK.

COUNCIL
– Romanian Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, on Friday attended the 131st
meeting of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, held in
videoconference format, on which occasion he pointed out that solving prolonged
conflicts is a priority for Romania. According to a Foreign Ministry release,
talks focused on hot topics on the Council’s agenda, in an attempt to identify
solutions to the main challenges facing the global community. Bogdan Aurescu
reiterated Romania’s firm commitment to streamlining multilateralism and
strengthening strategic resilience based on democratic values and the rule of
law. In his address, the Romanian official underlined the need to build a
common European judicial framework based on the principles of the rule of law,
in order to ensure a sustainable future. Minister Aurescu also expressed
support for any effort designed to deter propaganda favoring extremist ideology
and hate speech, the Foreign Ministry reports.

IMF -
The International Monetary Fund on Friday made a €50-billion proposal to put an
end to the COVID-19 pandemic by vaccinating at least 40% of the world
population by the end of the year and at least 60% by the end of the first half
of 2022, Reuters reports. IMF officials say the move will be tantamount to
injecting $9,000 billion in global economy by 2025, due to the swift resumption
of economic activity. The coronavirus has killed 3.5 million people around the
world, and according to estimates this will generate growth gaps in 2022, the
IMF also says. Also on Friday, the WHO announced that the number of
COVID-related fatalities could be three times bigger than official estimates,
for a number of complex reasons. In other news, France Press news agency writes
that the COVID-19 pandemic is slowing down for the third week in a row, with
the biggest reduction in the number of cases being reported across Europe.

CEASEFIRE – The EU has hailed the cease
of the fire between Israel and Hamas and has committed to supporting efforts to
find a long-term political solution to the conflict. The truce, mediated by
Egypt, came into force on Friday, putting an end to 11 days of heavy fighting.
More than 230 Palestinians, of whom half women and children, have been killed
in Gaza. Also, in Israel, 12 people, including 2 children, have been killed
since the start of the conflict. The US President Joe Biden has stated that the
ceasefire is an opportunity to move forward towards achieving peace (MI &
VP)