May 26, 2020

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 26.05.2020, 13:55

The headlines:

The number of coronavirus infections in Romania has
exceeded 18.400. Meanwhile Interior Minister Marcel Vela is facing a motion
vote in the Senate today. Bogdan Aurescu met his Hungarian counterpart in
Bucharest today. And the General Affairs Council is today convening in a
videoconference – representing Romania is State Secretary with the Foreign
Ministry, Iulia Matei.

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – Today marks three
months since the first COVID-19 case was confirmed in Romania. Earlier the
Group for Strategic Communication announced the death toll has risen to 1,210.
Over 18.400 cases have been confirmed across the country. 11.800 people have
recovered. 90.7% of victims were suffering from at least one other medical
condition, the National Institute for Public Health reports. Last week the
largest numbers of infections were reported in Bucharest and in Suceava, Neamt,
Botosani and Arad counties. One in six people infected with coronavirus is a
medical professional. Broken down in terms of age, nearly 77% of victims are 60
and above. Over half are men. Meanwhile 3.067 Romanians living abroad have
tested positive for SARS CoV-2, mostly in Italy, Spain, Germany, Great Britain
and France, of whom 106 have died.

COVID-19 WORLDWIDE – The total number of
COVID-19 infections is close to 5.6 million globally, with some 350.000 victims
reported so far. Brazil is now the second-most affected country in the world,
with over 374.000 infections, after the United States, where over 1.6 million
people have been infected with the virus. On the other hand, many countries
continue to ease lockdown restrictions. Beaches have reopened in Spain and the
United States, so have night clubs in Iceland. Japan has lifted the state of
emergency. Mosques in Iran are open as of yesterday. Also yesterday people in
Greece can now eat in taverns and restaurants. Many voices fear these measures
could generate a second wave of the epidemic, and Italy has actually
reintroduced certain restrictions.

MOTION – The Senate is today
debating and voting a simple motion the Social-Democrat opposition has filed
against Liberal Interior Minister Marcel Vela. The Social-Democrats criticize
Vela for the military decrees issued under the state of emergency, claiming
they generated a series of restrictions that were subsequently cancelled. Each
article to have been repealed is official proof of the incompetence and lack of
coherence in managing the coronavirus pandemic, the document also reads.
Minister Vela says the motion will present him with an opportunity to recap his
achievements during the six months in office. Parliament has recently voted two
motions, against Finance Minister Florin Citu and against Agriculture Minister
Adrian Oros. Another motion targeting Education Minister Monica Anisie was
debated yesterday, with the vote scheduled for Wednesday in the Chamber of
Deputies. The Minister is criticized for her subpar management during the
health crisis.

DEFENSE – The country’s Supreme Defense Council will convene in a
videoconference presided by President Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday. High on the
agenda is the National Defense Strategy for 2020-2024, available army forces
that can be posted for external missions and operations in 2021 as well as the
modernization program for the Romanian army by 2026 and beyond. The Council
will also look into hot topics in the field of national security, the
Presidency reports.

VIDEOCONFERENCE
– State Secretary for European Affairs with the Romanian Foreign Ministry,
Iulia Matei, is today taking part in the informal meeting of the EU General
Affairs Council, held as a videoconference. According to the Foreign Ministry,
the top point on today’s meeting is the EU response to the COVID-19 pandemic,
which is a coordinated approach to eliminating restrictions and re-launching
the economy. Also today the European Commission will notify Member States
regarding ongoing progress in drafting the annual report on the rule of law
across the Union.

MEETING – Romania wants a positive relation with Hungary and a
return to a real strategic partnership with this country, Foreign Minister
Bogdan Aurescu said after meeting his Hungarian counterpart, Peter Szijjarto.
Aurescu says the diplomatic relation needs to restore trust and mutual respect,
calling for restraint and a judicious approach to bilateral relations, which
have been marked by the negative effects of the coronavirus crisis. Romania
wants to consolidate bilateral relations, identify projects of mutual gain,
consolidate sectorial cooperation in the fields of infrastructure and energy
and continue dialogue over the rights of national minorities in the two
countries, the Romanian Minister went on to say.

FLIGHTS -
The national passenger airliner TAROM is today resuming its flights operated to
Italy, with return trips to Rome and Milan. The flights will be operated under
special circumstances, observing regulations under the state of alert.
According to TAROM, Italian citizens, seasonal workers and people working in
the field of transport will be able to travel to Italy. Returning to Romania
will be only Romanian nationals willing to come home.

(Translated by V.
Palcu)