July 20, 2020
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Newsroom, 20.07.2020, 13:55
SUMMIT The EU leaders convened in Brussels to carry on negotiations on a post-crisis economic recovery plan, in one of the largest EU summits in 2 decades. According to European sources, a new plan will be presented to the 27 delegations, proposing 390-billion euro subsidies. This is a substantial decrease from the 500 billion euro stipulated in the original plan of the European Commission and rejected by the Netherlands, Austria, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. The initial plan was worth a total 750 billion euro, with 250 billion euro in loans and 500 billion in subsidies. Attending the summit, the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis said intensive talks are held within the European Council with respect to the conditions for granting the amounts, with some Member States pleading for more relaxed conditions and others for strict control by the Council or the Commission. He also added that many states agreed to make the allotment of funds conditional on compliance with the rule of law. Klaus Iohannis said that the rule of law is not a problem in Romania and he is not against such conditions.
AIR FORCES Ceremonies have been held today, in a low-key form in keeping with the coronavirus containment measures, to celebrate the Day of the Romanian Aviation and Air Forces. PM Ludovic Orban attended an event in Bucharest, where he thanked all professionals in the field for their work, courage and professionalism. 15 military aircraft flew over the Air Heroes Monument in Bucharest, where a religious service was also held.
COVID-19 Romania reports a total of over 38,100 COVID-19 cases, with 681 new infections confirmed in the last 24 hours, the Strategic Communication Group announced today. The total number of deaths caused by SARS CoV-2 has reached 2,038. Nearly 22,700 patients have recovered, accounting for 60% of the total number. Abroad, 5,215 Romanian nationals have tested positive for the virus, with the death toll standing at 122. The health minister Nelu Tătaru said he was concerned with peoples disregard for health protection measures at the seaside and in the mountain resorts where many Romanians are on holiday. He does not rule out reducing the working hours of outdoor restaurants and bars, which are highly popular in Romania at this time of the year.
PARLIAMENT The Parliament of Romania is working this week as well in a special session. The agenda of the Senate includes a citizen initiative under which convicted criminals are no longer allowed to hold public office. The bill has already been endorsed by the Chamber of Deputies, but has been pending on Parliaments agenda for over a year.
CRISIS In Bulgaria, the COVID-19 crisis overlaps a political crisis, with Parliament scheduled to discuss today an anti-corruption motion initiated by the Socialist Party and backed by the ethnic Turkish party. The vote will most likely be held on Wednesday. Meanwhile, anti-corruption protesters are set for a new week of rallies, demanding the resignation of PM Boiko Borisov and of prosecutor general Ivan Gheshev, whom they see as working with the organised crime networks in Bulgaria.
PANDEMIC The total number of coronavirus infections worldwide passes 14.6 million, with the death toll in excess of 600,000, according to worldometers.info. The US and Brazil remain the worst hit countries, and the global daily rate of new cases is still on the rise. The scientific coordinator of the World Health Organisation (OMS), Soumya Swaminathan, said researches into the coronavirus genome started in January and great progress has been made so far. The WHO is currently testing over 20 vaccines, and the chances of all of them failing are rather slim, Soumya Swaminathan added. She explained that a vaccine might be available as of early next year, with hopes for mass production and distribution in mid-2021. Oxford Universitys coronavirus vaccine, which is apparently already being slated for production by a pharmaceutical company, is in the most advanced stage in Europe. Amind growing tensions between the UK and Russia, the British foreign secretary Dominic Raab accused Russia of attempting to steal information used by the coronavirus vaccine researchers, while the Russian Ambassador to London, Andrei Kelin, dismissed the accusations.
(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)
