October 22, 2021 UPDATE

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Newsroom, 22.10.2021, 20:00

COVID-19 The interim cabinet Friday introduced new restrictions in Romania, as
the country is struggling with an unprecedented epidemiological crisis. The
measures will take effect on Monday, 25th October, and will be valid
for 30 days. Face covering will be compulsory in all indoor and outdoor public
areas. Access to all central and local public institutions and to the offices
of private businesses will be conditional on the digital COVID certificate. A
ban on outdoor concerts and shows, as well as on private events, including
weddings, conferences and workshops, will also be in place. Shops will only be
open between 5 am and 9 pm, restaurants will be open until 9 pm but will only
admit COVID certificate holders. A night curfew will also be introduced,
between 10 pm and 5 am, for the unvaccinated. Also on Monday, public
and private kindergartens, primary, secondary schools and high schools will
take a 2-week break. On Friday the Strategic Communication Group reported 15,410
new SARS-CoV-2 cases and 357 COVID-related deaths. 1,848 patients are in intensive care.
Over 128,000 people got vaccinated in the last 24 hours.

AID Romania is receiving aid from several European countries, including
Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Hungary and Poland, as well as from the
World Health Organisation. The aid consists in medicines, equipment, tests, and
the transfer of some COVID patients, the head of the Department for Emergency
Situations Raed Arafat announced on Friday.Five Romanian COVID patients, in a critical condition, were taken on
Friday to Austria and Poland, by 2 military aircraft. Other patients have been
transferred to Hungary.

GOVERNMENT In Romania, the interim
defence minister Nicolae Ciucă, designated by president Klaus Iohannis to form a
new government, initiated negotiations over parliamentary support. A first
meeting was held on Friday, with the head of the Democratic Union of Ethnic
Hungarians in Romania, Kelemen Hunor. The latter said his party would stay in
power together with the National Liberal Party, and mentioned that in the
coming days the governing programme and distribution of cabinet seats would be
discussed. Save Romania Union is waiting for an invitation to talks, and will try to persuade the Liberals to go for a
coalition government with majority support in parliament. PSD says it will talk
with Nicolae Ciuca about a parliamentary majority to support the minority
government, and AUR has stated it will not support such a government. The Prime
Minister Designate has called on all political actors to support the new cabinet,
so that Romania can quickly overcome the medical and economic crisis it is
going through.

AUTOMOTIVE Registrations of new hybrid vehicles in the EU accounted for nearly
21% of the Union’s automotive market in the 3rd quarter of the year,
outperforming Diesel vehicle registrations for the first time. According to the
European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, in July-September sales
of petrol-based cars dropped by 35%, while registrations of new diesel cars
more than halved across the EU region. Alternatively-powered vehicles saw a 69%
increase in sales in Central Europe in the same period. In Romania, sales rose
by over 153% compared to 2020.

MOLDOVA The Parliament of the Republic of Moldova Friday
declared a 30-day state of emergency in the country over a natural gas
shortage. The government requested the measure in order to be able to procure
natural gas from alternative sources, given that the Russian supplier Gazprom is
no longer providing sufficient quantities to meet the demand, Radio Chişinău
announced. According to the resolution, until 20th November, a
special procedure will be in place, to speed up the procurement of natural gas.
If necessary, energy consumption will be rationalised, and instruments to
quickly collect payments from consumers will be introduced. According to Radio
Chişinău, negotiations with the Russian energy giant carry on, but in the
meantime the government is discussing with other states as well, including
Ukraine, Romania, and Poland, to purchase natural gas from alternative sources.
Natural gas prices has risen steeply in recent months in international markets,
and some officials accuse Russia of energy blackmail.

EUROPEAN
COUNCIL The European Council president Charles Michel and the head
of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, announced on Friday at the end
of a meeting in Brussels, that the energy topic will be once again on the
agenda of the December meeting of the European Council. In the meantime, the
Commission will conduct an analysis of the EU electricity and natural gas
market and on the carbon transaction market, after several member states blamed
the recent energy price rises on problems in these areas. An emergency meeting of
EU energy ministers was also scheduled for next week. Romania was represented
by president Klaus Iohannis, who emphasised ahead of the meeting the
need to quickly identify
efficient short-term solutions, as the current energy crisis will have serious
effects in all EU countries, with a profound socio-economic impact.

(tr. A.M. Popescu)