December 3, 2020 UPDATE
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 03.12.2020, 20:00
Vaccination. The
Country’s Supreme Defence Council on Thursday approved Romania’s national strategy
for vaccination against Covid-19. President Klaus Iohannis, who chaired the
meeting, said it was very likely Romania will receive a first batch of around 1
million doses at the beginning of next year. He said all types of vaccine in
the process of being authorised at the moment are safe, efficient and in
keeping with the highest European standards. The president also said that
vaccination intent is very high among the healthcare staff. The national
vaccination strategy was earlier approved by the government.
Coronavirus update. More than 7,600 new
coronavirus cases were reported in Romania on Thursday, taking the total number
of infections to more than 492,000. Thursday saw the highest number of daily
fatalities, 211, while over 1,250 patients are in intensive care. Prime
minister Ludovic Orban said each day, the number of people recovering from
Covid is now higher than that of people getting sick. He visited, in Bucharest,
the first private hospital to join the Covid support network. The hospital will
have 30 intensive care beds and 30 beds equipped with oxygen supply systems.
OSCE. The
Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu attended on Thursday the 27th
meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council organised in video conference format by
Albania. He emphasised the essential role played by the Organisation in solving
protracted conflicts in the Black Sea region which continue to pose a challenge
to European stability and security. Minister Aurescu spoke of Romania’s support
for solving the conflict in the break-away region of Transnistria, in the
Republic of Moldova, within a 5+2 format, based on respect for the republic’s
sovereignty and territorial integrity and without harming its European path. He
also mentioned other priority issues for Romania, such as the conflict in Ukraine
and in Nagorno-Karabakh and voiced concern about the constantly deteriorating
situation in Belarus, calling for a halt to the authorities’ human rights
abuses.
Magistrates. The Superior Council of Magistracy
met on Thursday to elect a new leadership and make public its activity report
for this year. Judge Bogdan Mateescu, who was elected president, gave
assurances that jusitice, while independent, is not divorced from
accountability. President Klaus Iohannis, who attended the meeting, said no one
is above the law and that justice must work at full capacity to fulfil its
noble mission. The Superior Council of Magistracy has 19 members: nine judges
and five prosecutors elected by magistrates and validated by the Senate, two
representatives of civil society elected by the Senate and three rightful
members: the justice minister, the president of the High Court of Cassation and
Justice and the prosecutor general of Romania. Members are elected for 6 years
and their mandate cannot be extended.
EU. The European Commission has called on member
states to appoint their delegated prosecutors as soon as possible to allow the
European Public Prosecutor’s Office to become operational on 1 March 2021. The
European Prosecutor’s Office is headed by Romania’s former chief of the
National Anticorruption Directorate Laura Codruţa Kovesi and will investigate crimes
against the EU budget, such as fraud. Five of the 27 EU member states will not
be participating in the European Prosecutor’s Office, namely Hungary, Poland,
Ireland, Sweden and Denmark.
Football.
Romania and Georgia will co-host the 2023 European Under-21 Football Championship,
UEFA announced on Thursday. 16 national sides will be participating, with the
matches being played on four stadiums in each of the two countries. The opening
match will be hosted by Romania and the final by Georgia. Romania thus become
the first country in Europe to host two under-21 championships, having already hosted
one in 1998. (CM)
