June 9, 2021

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 09.06.2021, 13:55

Covid-19 Romania. All regions in Romania are in
the so-called green tier, with 140 new Covid cases being reported today. However,
interest in vaccination is decreasing around the country, with fewer than 50,000
people receiving the Covid jab over 24 hours. Doctors are warning that there is
still community transmission of the virus and holiday season may contribute to
the spread of its more contagious mutations.

Certificate. Euro
MPs meeting in a plenary session in Strasbourg gave the green light to the
introduction of the digital Covid certificate, which will come into effect from
1st July. The document will be free of charge and will allow for
easier and safer travel within the European Union, certifying that a person has
been vaccinated against Covid-19, has a recent negative test result or has
recovered from the infection. Holding the certificate will not be a precondition
for free movement, the European Parliament also said.

Pensions. The government is expected to approve a bill
under which persons receiving a state pension cannot also receive a state
salary. The bill allows, however, state employees to work until they are 70
years old, if they wish to do so. Persons fulfilling the retirement conditions,
including those benefitting from occupational pensions or army pensions, will
be able to find employment with public institutions or state companies but will
no longer receive a pension, only a salary. Those who opt for continuing to
work can do so until they turn 70. Labour minister Raluca Turcan explained that
continuing to work after meeting the retirement age is a personal choice, not
an obligation. The government is also discussing today about the start of
procedures to expropriate all privately-owned buildings located on the site on
which a public utility project will be built, namely the suspension bridge over
the Danube River in the Brăila area (in the south-east of Romania).

Visit. Romania is a true friend of the Jewish
people and of Israel in the fight against anti-Semitism, Israel’s president Reuven
Rivlin told Romanian Parliament in Bucharest. He recalled that in January 2020,
when leaders around the world marked in Jerusalem the 75th anniversary of the
liberation of the Nazi concentration camp in Auschwitz-Birkenau, Romanian president
Klaus Iohannis pledged that his country would preserve the memory of the
Holocaust and fight against anti-Semitism, racism and xenophobia. Mr. Rivlin
also said his country cannot accept the attempts to undermine its right to
existence through illicit use of violence and exploitation of international
law. Senate speaker Anca Dragu said Israel is Romania’s closest ally and
strategic partner in the Middle East and the Romanian-Israeli relationship is
based on trust and sustainability, while the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies
Ludovic Orban said the cooperation between the two states is based on mutual
respect and deep friendship. President Reuven Rivlin is on a state visit to
Romania. On Tuesday, he was received by president Klaus Iohannis and had talks
with prime minister Florin Cîţu. Today, the Parliament headquarters are also hosting a meeting of the
Romania-Israel Business Forum.

Opposition. Social
Democrat MPs in opposition today filed a simple no-confidence motion against
the minister for investments and European projects Cristian Ghinea over the
National Recovery and Resilience Plan. According to the leader of the Social
Democratic Party Marcel Ciolacu, unlike Romania, countries like Bulgaria,
Hungary and Poland received money for irrigation under their national plans. Dan
Barna, the co-president of the USR-PLUS Alliance, in ruling coalition, said the
motion is a muscle-flexing exercise because the Social Democrats are the
least entitled to voice discontent. The Social Democrats previously filed
no-confidence motions against former health minister Vlad Voiculescu, economy
minister Claudiu Năsui and agriculture minister Adrian Oros, none of which was
passed.

Football. Romania’s Under-23
national side on Tuesday night defeated Australia 1-nil in a training match
ahead of the Tokyo Olympic Games. On Saturday, they lost nil-1 their friendly
against Mexico. Romania qualified for the Olympics after reaching the
semifinals of the 2019 European Under-21 Championship hosted by Italy and San
Marino. In Japan, Romania will play in Group B together with New Zealand, South
Korea and Honduras. The Olympic Games football tournament begins on 21st
July and ends on 7th August.

Weather. A yellow code alert for severe atmospheric
instability is in place in 22 counties around Romania today, in the south-west,
south, south-east, centre and the Southern and Curvature Carpathians, where
torrential rain, thunderstorms and hail are expected. The amount of
precipitation is expected to pass 30 litres per square metre and even reach 40 in
some areas. Forecasts for Friday also warn of torrential rain and heavy winds,
especially in the hilly and mountainous regions, as well as in the centre and
east of the country. Temperature-wise, the noon reading in Bucharest was 26
degrees Celsius. (CM)