January 10, 2022
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 10.01.2023, 13:54
Covid. The first cases of infection with the new strain of the coronavirus, called Kraken, have been confirmed in Romania. Specialists say that, although the number of cases of COVID-19 is on the rise again, there are no problems managing them, including those that require hospitalization, and the new variants of SARS-CoV-2 do not generate concerns about the severity of the disease. On the other hand, there have also been cases of double infection, with flu and Covid, and a 74-year-old woman diagnosed with Flurona, a term used by specialists to describe simultaneous infection with the two viruses, has died.
Visit. The Romanian Minister of Defense, Angel Tîlvăr, accompanied by the Chief of Staff, General Daniel Petrescu, is on a formal visit to Poland today. The program includes bilateral meetings with the Polish Minister of Defense, Mariusz Blaszczak, with representatives of the leadership of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, as well as with the soldiers of the Romanian air defense detachment Sky Guardians from the NATO Battle Group, deployed in Bemowo Piskie Training Area. According to the Ministry of Defense, the visit of the Romanian officials to Poland is proof of the excellent cooperation between the two countries, both bilaterally and within NATO. On Monday, Angel Tîlvăr and General Daniel Petrescu met with the Romanian soldiers stationed in the NATO military base in Pristina, Kosovo, who participate in the NATO KFOR operation. The officials from Bucharest also discussed the security situation in the region with the KFOR commander, Major General Angelo Michele Ristuccia (Italy).
Meeting. Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă had a meeting in Bucharest with the ambassadors to Romania of the Czech Republic, Halka Kaiserova, and Slovakia, Karol Mistrik, which was also attended by the representative of the Czech and Slovak minority in the Romanian Parliament, Adrian Miroslav Merka. During the discussions, aspects regarding the separation of the representation of the Czech and Slovak minorities in Romania into two distinct entities, with their own operating statutes, were examined. The importance of going through the appropriate procedural steps quickly to ensure an effective separation, which would allow the timely re-accreditation of the two distinct forms of representation and their participation in the next local and parliamentary elections, was emphasized. The meeting was a good opportunity to review the status of Romanias bilateral relations with the two countries, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The parties appreciated the excellent level of bilateral dialogue and emphasized the importance of boosting economic cooperation.
Interest. The National Bank of Romania might increase the reference interest rate again today, in the first board meeting this year. Financial analysts expect the key interest rate to reach 7%, from the current 6.75%. It is the highest level of the key interest rate in 13 years. A higher key interest rate would automatically lead to an increase in loan rates in lei. Increasing interest rates is the main means by which the National Bank acts to keep inflation under control, after a year with record price increases.
Deficit. Romania recorded, in the first 11 months of last year, a record trade balance deficit: the difference between imports and exports exceeded 31 billion euros, according to official statistical data. Romanias international trade continues to be dominated by exchanges with the member states of the European Union, which hold over 72% of the total in the case of exports and approximately 70 percent in terms of imports. More on this after the news.
Research. The year 2022 was the most satisfactory for most Romanians (54%) compared to 2020 (24%) and 2021 (22%), years strongly marked by the restrictions caused by the pandemic, according to data from a Reveal Marketing Research study . According to the research, with the regaining of more freedoms, Romanians became more relaxed and optimistic in 2022. Regarding the expectations for the new year, Romanians are the most optimistic about the improvement of their personal financial situation compared to 2022 (43%). At the opposite pole, the level of pessimism reaches the highest values with regard to the direction taken by the country starting this year, the improvement of the countrys economic situation and the reduction of the level of corruption being perceived as difficult or even impossible objectives to achieve by 46%, respectively 67 % of respondents. Regarding the professional sphere, 23% of Romanians want to change their job in 2023, and 50% want to keep their current job. The study was conducted online between December 28, 2022 and January 1, 2023 on a sample of 1,005 respondents, and the maximum sampling error is +/-3.1% at a 95% confidence level. (MI)
