April 28, 2021

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 28.04.2021, 13:55

Covid-19RO. Over 2,200 new cases of COVID-19 infection
were reported in Romania on Wednesday. The number of hospitalized patients is around
10,000. Of these, more than 1,300 are in intensive care. The total toll, since
the beginning of the pandemic in February last year, has exceeded 1,050,000 cases
of infection and 27,800 deaths. The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, has once
again called on the population to get vaccinated, stating that this is the only
way to end the pandemic. In the coming days, new vaccination centers will be
opened in Romania. On Thursday, the first drive-through center will be opened
in Bucharest, where people will be able to get the jab without prior
appointment. Moreover, between May 7-9, a marathon of anti-Covid vaccination
will be organized in the Capital. Currently, about a thousand vaccination
centers are active, with a capacity of over 120,000 immunized people / day. So
far, about 3.1 million Romanians have been vaccinated.

Holiday. Before the May 1st mini-holiday, which this
year coincides with the Orthodox Easter holiday, Prime Minister Florin Cîţu
calls on the population to keep observing anti-coronavirus sanitary rules, even
if Romania is now on a descending slope of the third wave of the pandemic. He has
urged the prefects and the police to take all measures to ensure compliance
with the health rules in place. In the Romanian resorts on the Black Sea, over
30 thousand tourists are expected during the mini-holiday of May 1 and Easter.
About 100 hotels will be opened, many of them already occupied at 70% capacity,
the maximum allowed by the authorities. Tourists are not allowed to party on
the beach, and wearing a mask is mandatory.

Pandemic. Italy, which is home to the largest
community of Romanians in the Diaspora, has started a gradual relaxation of restrictions,
with 50% presence in schools, high schools and colleges, and with terraces,
cinemas, theaters and museums allowed to open. As of May 15th, citizens
will have access to swimming pools, from June to gyms, and from July to
congresses and trade fairs. The Netherlands too is today taking a big step
towards returning to normal, after four months of strict lockdown, with
restrictions set to be lifted in several districts in the country. Citizens
will be able to move during the night, shops and restaurant terraces will be
reopened only under certain conditions, and the Dutch will be able to receive
at most two visitors at home, compared to one so far. In Portugal, the state of
emergency declared in November to curb the spread of Covid-19 will end on
Friday. Around the world, according to worldometers, since the beginning of the
pandemic, more than a year ago, some 149 million people have been infected with
the new coronavirus. 3.1 million have died and more than 127 million have been
declared cured.

Government. Two projects for
the repair and modernization of the Romanian railways are on the agenda of the
executive in Bucharest, today. Also, a loan is to be approved that will help reform the
health-care system. An emergency ordinance to protect Romanian workers abroad
and to combat more effectively illegal employment is another topic on the
Government’s agenda. This normative act also aims to prevent and reduce the
possible effects caused by the existence of situations of force majeure or
health crisis.

Visit. The Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Bogdan Aurescu, is paying a working visit today to the Hungarian city of Gyula,
where an important Romanian community lives. According to the MFA, Minister
Aurescu has a meeting with representatives of the Romanian minority in Hungary,
for discussions related to the protection and promotion of their ethnic,
linguistic, cultural and religious identity rights. Bogdan Aurescu will also
hold consultations with his counterpart Péter Szijjártó and important documents
will be signed for the development of bilateral relations. The two officials will
discuss, among other things, rendering the Romanian-Hungarian Chamber of
Commerce in Budapest operational and the establishment of two new border
crossing points. The meeting between Bogdan Aurescu and Péter Szijjártó takes
place against the background of the completion of some important joint projects
already agreed on the occasion of the visit to Bucharest, in February, of the
Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Recovery Plan. France submits its economic recovery plan
after the pandemic in Brussels today – a decisive step in order to receive 40
billion euros in European aid. The European Commission has two months to
evaluate member countries’ plans, and the first money could be accessed this
summer, after approval by the Council and the European Parliament and national
parliaments. In order to be validated by the European Commission, as in the
case of other member countries, the National Recovery and Resilience Plan must
meet several conditions, namely, to include commitments for long-term reforms, earmark
37% of the funds for ecological transition, and 20% for digitization. Romania
will submit its NRRP on May 31. In recent days, there has been an internal
political dispute, the opposition Social Democratic Party claiming that the
European Executive has rejected Romania’s draft plan. According to the Liberal
Prime Minister, Florin Cîţu, at this moment, the plan is being negotiated, and
the final form has not been established yet.

Post-Brexit. The European Parliament is expected to
ratify the post-Brexit trade agreement between the EU and the UK, after MEPs
debated and voted it on Tuesday. They explained that the document, although not
perfect, is the best option to mitigate, if not all, at least the worst effects
of the British withdrawal from the Union and to ensure the integrity of the
single market. The document sets out preferential regimes, inter alia, for
trade in goods and services, digital trade, intellectual property, public
procurement, aviation and road transport, energy and fishing. (MI)