November 10, 2021

Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 10.11.2021, 13:55

CORONAVIRUS – The number of new Covid infections continues to go down in Romania. Around 6,300 new cases and 405 related fatalities have been reported in the last 24 hours, the Group for Strategic Communication announced on Wednesday. More than 6.6 million people in the country have been fully vaccinated. According to the head of the National Committee for Vaccination, military doctor Valeriu Gheorghita, the capital Bucharest has a vaccination rate of over 63% of the eligible population aged over 12. According to Gheorghita, if the current vaccination pace is maintained, Romania will have over 50% of its citizens immunized by year-end, which, in his opinion is still insufficient. In the next two days, the pharmaceutical company Pfizer/BioNTech will deliver to Romania another 1.25 million vaccine doses.

INFLATION – The annual inflation rate in Romania went up to 7.9% in October 2021 from 6.3% in September, the National Institute for Statistics (INS) announced on Wednesday. According to INS, electricity, gas, fuel and cooking oil had the highest price increases and October is the month when no product became cheaper as compared to the same month of the previous year. The National Bank of Romania (BNR) decided on Monday to increase the benchmark rate from 1.5% to 1.75% per year and also the interest rate at which commercial banks can take out loans from the Central Bank from 2% to 2.5% per year, in an attempt to keep inflation in check.

DIPLOMACY – Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu who travelled to Washington DC to strengthen his countrys cooperation with the United States in the field of security, presented Romanias stand on the Black Sea region. During a public discussion within the Atlantic Council, Aurescu emphasized the old conflicts in the region which have remained unsolved. More cohesion is needed as regards NATOs Eastern flank, Bogdan Aurescu said. On Monday, Minister Aurescu asked the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken for an enhanced American presence in the region and in Romania.

POLITICS – The National Liberal Party (PNL) and the Social Democratic Party (PSD), no long ago fierce political rivals, continue negotiations with a view to forming the Government and a parliamentary majority. Representatives of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) and of national minorities other than the Hungarian one, also take part in negotiations. After a first round of talks on Tuesday, discussions now focus on sectors, today being discussed economy-finance, justice, defense, home and foreign affairs, development, European funds, transport, agriculture, environment and energy. After setting a joint governing programme, talks will focus on the cabinet makeup. PSD, that won the parliamentary elections a year ago, want the number of ministries they receive to reflect their presence in Parliament, while PNL are not willing to give up the prime minister position which they currently hold. The Save Romania Union (USR), the Liberals coalition partners until September, have announced, after the latter decided to form the cabinet with the Social Democrats, that they go in Opposition. USR, who criticize the new coalition, left the Government and then supported a no confidence vote in Parliament, initiated by PSD, ousting the minority government made up of PNL and UDMR. Two previous attempts to form a new cabinet have failed.

MIGRANTS– Poland has deployed more soldiers to reinforce the border with Belarus, in order to prevent migrants from forcing their way into the country. On Tuesday, Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko asked that people should be allowed to cross Poland, saying that they want to reach Germany to live there. According to a European Commission representative, cited by Reuters, around 2 thousand migrants coming mostly from the Middle East are currently at the border between Belarus and Poland, in almost freezing temperatures, in an attempt to enter the EU. The EU accuses Belarus of encouraging the migrants to try to illegally cross the frontier in revenge for earlier sanctions imposed on Minsk over human rights abuses, and prepares to impose new sanctions, Reuters reports. President Lukashenko has denied the accusations. (EE)