16 March, 2021 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 16.03.2021, 20:00

Covid-19RO. More than 6,100 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Romania in the last 24 hours, a record for the last months, and also 133 deaths according to data transmitted on Tuesday by the Strategic Communication Group. The number of infections nationwide is close to 869,000, and the number of deaths is 21,700. There are over 1,200 people in Intensive Care. In another move, th national immunization campaign against COVID 19 continues in Romania. Since the beginning of the campaign, on December 27, almost 1.5 million people have been vaccinated, mostly with Pfizer-BioNTech, but also with Moderna and AstraZeneca. The third stage of vaccination against COVID-19, which addresses the general population, began on Monday. For the time being, vaccinations are taking place in Romanian localities where the incidence of COVID-19 cases is higher than 4.5 per one thousand inhabitants. The rest of the population can subscribe to waiting lists on the electronic platform. So far, almost 490,000 people have signed up on waiting lists to be notified when there are available spots. We recall the state of alert imposed in the pandemic context has been extended in Romania by another 30 days, as of March14. All restrictions imposed so far remain in place but the nighttime curfew now starts at 10 p.m. instead of 11 p.m. as before.

Pandemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday convened its group of vaccine experts to study health risks posed by the vaccine manufactured by AstraZeneca, WHO director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said. The WHO on Monday announced its consultative group examined the reports on the anti-COVID-19 vaccine produced by AstraZeneca and found no evidence that the vaccine could result in blood clots. Numerous countries have suspended the administration of this vaccine as a precaution after numerous side effects have been reported. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) also announced it would hold a special meeting on Thursday to discuss this topic, saying that the benefits of the AstraZeneca vaccine outweigh the risks.

Automotive. The sale of new cars went down in Romania by nearly 40% in the first two months of 2021, compared to the same period of 2020, data published by the Association of Car Manufacturers and Importers shows. The share of cars running on gas dropped by 5%, reaching 60% of the total number of cars on the market. Diesel cars have a share of 26%. Electric and hybrid cars account for 13% of the total number of cars, which is double the number of cars reported last year. In terms of ownership, most cars were purchased by businesses in the first two months of this year, accounting for two thirds of total car sales.

Inflation. The growth of electricity tariffs, in the context of the liberalization of this market, and the rise of fuel prices, as a result of the increase in international oil quotas, have decisively influenced the upward trend of inflation in Romania at the beginning of this year, shows Tuesdays National Bank report. According to the report, the annual inflation rate will maintain this growth trend until the end of 2021, up to an estimated level of 3.4%. Subsequently, it would gradually decrease to below 3% by the end of next year. The public health crisis is still an important source of risks, partially mitigated by the development of vaccines, but also of uncertainties related to fiscal policies and the evolution of the labor market – the NBR report also shows. Regarding external risks, the Central Bank emphasizes the prospect of future quotas for raw materials.

Motion. The Romanian Senate rejected on Tuesday the simple motion filed by the Social-Democratic Party in opposition against Economy Minister, Claudiu Năsui, with 72 votes against and 55 in favour. The Social-Democrats accuse the USR Minister for failing to present any strategy to support the Romanian industry, for postponing the implementation of state assistance to the hospitality sector, slashing holiday vouchers and blocking payments under the Start-Up Nation programme. In turn, Claudiu Năsui has rejected all accusation and stated that the motion is linked with the publication of all contracts signed by the Economy Ministry in previous years and that disclosures wil continue.

Dismissal. Prime Minister Florin Cîţu fired on Tuesday the president of the Association of Former Political Prisoners and Victims of the Romanian Dictatorship, Octav Bjoza, from the position of undersecretary of state, considering that he had an approach incompatible with the status of senior government official when tackling the dimensions of the Holocaust. The Prime Minister claims that Octav Bjoza tries to mystify history by putting the communism in Romania on the shoulders of the Jewish community and that the demand for rights from the state for the descendants of war criminals, Nazis or fascists is an insult to those who suffered because of the horrors of communism and the Holocaust. A statement from the Executive reads that Romania remains firmly committed to condemning the Holocaust and any form of ethnic, social or religious stigmatization. The Liberal vice-president (in the ruling coalition) Florin Roman considers, however, that the dismissal of Octav Bjoza is an error and should be revoked. In 2015, Octav Bjoza was decorated by President Klaus Iohannis with the highest distinction of the Romanian state, the National Order of the Star of Romania in the rank of knight.

NATO. Last year, Romania spent about 4.4 billion euros, accounting for 2.07% of the GDP, on defense, according to a report released by NATO on Tuesday. According to the report, almost a quarter of the total expenditures went on equipment, and over half of Romanias defense budget was spent on personnel. 11 Member States currently allocate at least 2% of the GDP to defense. However, the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, acknowledged that some allied states have exceeded this threshold due to the drop in their GDPs, against the background of the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic. All NATO member states pledged in 2014 to increase defense spending to 2% of the GDP by 2024.

Tennis. Romanian tennis player Simona Halep (no. 3 WTA) has confirmed her participation in the tennis tournament in Miami, to take place over March 23 – April 3. Halep grabbed her best results in Miami in 2015 and 2019, when she reached the semi-finals. The defending champion is Ashleigh Barty of Australia, who won the tournament in 2019, since last years tournament was cancelled due to the pandemic. Taking part will be all players in the WTA Top 10. Representing Romania in the main draw will also be Patricia Ţig, Sorana Cîrstea and Irina Begu.(MI)