June 1, 2021

Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 01.06.2021, 13:55

NATO The head of the Romanian diplomacy
Bogdan Aurescu is today participating in the online special meeting of the
foreign ministers in the NATO member countries. High on the meeting’s agenda
are the preparations for the upcoming NATO summit on June 14th. According
to a communiqué issued by the Foreign Ministry in Bucharest, the ministers are
going to also have talks over the NATO 2030 decisions package, which are to be
endorsed in the upcoming summit. Also high on the agenda are the latest
developments in the security environment, the threats posed by Russia and the
future of NATO-Afghanistan relation. Minister Aurescu is expected to highlight
Romania’s objectives related to the upcoming summit, reiterating Bucharest’s
pledges for the outcome of the NATO 2030 reflection process as well as for the
adoption of a new strategic concept for the alliance. The Romanian minister
will also be pleading for strengthening the alliance’s deterrence and defence
posture on the entire eastern flank, given the latest developments in the
region. Aurescu will also brief participants on the inauguration in Bucharest
on Monday of the Euroatlantic Resilience Center, Romania’s concrete strategic
contribution to consolidating the resilience of NATO, its allies as well as of
the EU, its members and partners.

DAY Theatre performances, concerts,
creative workshops and guided tours are being staged on the International
Children’s Day Romania celebrates today. Several public institutions in
Bucharest are hosting a series of events for the little ones. At the Cotroceni
Palace in Bucharest, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis has inaugurated an
exhibition entitled ‘Fantastic Childhood’, created by several artists around
the country to celebrate the purity and sincerity of childhood and art.
Children are today able to visit the palace, the halls where Parliament stages
its sessions, the presidential office, the press room and the hall of fame. The
Romanian gendarmerie has planned several demonstrative events involving its dog
units and mounted patrols. The Bucharest police are also staging a series of
educational events on detective activities. Theatre performances, concerts and
various shops are also being staged for the children of asylum seekers in
Romania, most of them coming from countries like Afghanistan, Somalia, Syria
and Iraq.

RELAXATION New relaxation measures against
the background of a contained Covid-19 pandemic are to come into effect today
in Romania. Outdoor cultural and entertaining activities can be attended by 1,000
people depending on the infection rate in their region. Participants must be
fully vaccinated at least 10 days before the event or produce a negative rapid
or PCR test. Private events, like weddings and other festive activities can be
attended by 70 people at the most. Indoor activities are limited to 50 people
while various facilities staging sporting events are allowed to function at 25%
of their capacity. Gyms and swimming pools can now function at 70% of their
capacity but the number of participants is not limited if all of them are
vaccinated. Accommodation facilities in seaside resorts are allowed to function
at 85% of their capacity. Indoor mask mandates have been lifted for those
vaccinated in offices with five workers at the most.

EPPO The EU Public Prosecutor’s Office EPPO
headed by Laura Codruta Kovesi the former chief of Romania’s Anticorruption
Directorate, is starting activity today. The new body is to deal with community
fund frauds and recover money from fraudsters. EPPO prosecutors are expected to
investigate roughly three thousand files a year. According to estimates by the
European Chief Prosecutor, corruption, embezzlement and various types of fraud
are causing annual losses to the EU budget of 500 million euros. The new
European institution has an annual budget of 45 million euros. Five EU members
aren’t participating in the EPPO.

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