January 26, 2022 UPDATE
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Newsroom, 26.01.2022, 19:21
Covid-19 — More than 34,000 new Covid-19 cases have been registered in Romania in the last 24 hours, along with 94 deaths – the Strategic Communication Group informed on Wednesday. This is an absolute record of infections since the beginning of the pandemic in Romania. Compared to the previous day, the number of Covid-19 cases nationwide almost doubled on Wednesday. About 700 patients are in ICUs. Vaccination for children between 5 and 11 started in Romania on Wednesday, but the interest is quite low, just as for the rest of the eligible population. The first amounts of Molnupiravir – an antiviral drug that is given to ‘high risk’ patients infected with the novel coronavirus, in assessment centers or hospitals – could reach the country by the end of the week, the health minister Alexandru Rafila said. He estimated that its use would have a favorable impact on reducing the pressure on intensive care units and reducing the number of deaths.
Ukraine — Romania has more than 600 km of common border with Ukraine and we must make sure that we are prepared for any possible scenario, said Wednesday Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis fresh from a Supreme Defense Council meeting convened in the context of the tense security situation in the region. He underlined that the current crisis created by Russia is not just about Ukraine, but about the security of the entire Euro-Atlantic area. That is why, Klaus Iohannis went on to say, at this moment it is important that at NATO and EU level we should show unity and solidarity. A complete analysis of the security situation in the area was made, including from the point of view of the military, economic and energy impact, and also from the perspective of uncontrolled migration. “Russia’s recent actions, through the proposals made in December, are trying to unacceptably change the parameters of the European security architecture,” the Romanian president pointed out. He also said that diplomatic dialogue must play a key role in deescalating the current situation and that it should continue.
Visit – The French Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, pays a visit to Bucharest to meet with President Klaus Iohannis, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca and her Romanian counterpart Vasile Dîncu. The talks will focus on deepening defense relations between the two countries within the Strategic Partnership, including on arms cooperation. The French Minister will also discuss the Sahel missions, the priorities of the French Presidency of the Council of the EU, and the regional situation in Eastern Europe. We remind you that France has expressed its readiness to consolidate its presence in Romania within the NATO missions.
OECD – The decision of the OECD Council to open accession negotiations with Romania is a chance for a new stage of reforms in favor of the citizen and for aligning the society with the consolidated democracies model, the PM Nicolae Ciuca said at the OECD Inter-ministerial Committee meeting on Wednesday. Its role is to coordinate the negotiations for Romanias admission into the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Todays meeting is a signal that we are serious in relation with the preparation for Romania’s OECD accession, so that we can be together with the developed countries, which hold more than 70% of the global production and trade and 90% of the worlds foreign direct investment, PM Ciuca underlined. The OECD has decided to launch accession negotiations with six candidate countries, including Romania. The OECD Council communiqué mentions the progress that Romania, alongside Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Croatia and Peru, has made since launching the applications for membership. The organization will prepare individual roadmaps for all these countries, provided that the six states confirm their adherence to the values, vision and priorities of the organization.
Rome — Italian MPs have failed to designate a new president of the Republic even after a third round of voting on Wednesday. In the first three rounds a candidate must obtain two-thirds of the votes to be elected. Starting with the fourth round, which will be held on Thursday, a simple majority is enough. Many MPs submitted blank ballots on Wednesday. However, many have indicated the current head of state, Sergio Mattarella, although he had announced that he would not accept a second term, writes Reuters agency. The current prime minister, Mario Draghi, has great chances to be designated president. (LS)
