October 27, 2021

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 27.10.2021, 13:55

Covid-19. The epidemiological situation remains serious in Romania, which today reported almost 15,000 cases and 512 deaths, including 4 recorded earlier. 1,861 Covid patients are in intensive care, including 44 children. More and more Romanians are deciding to get the Covid vaccine, the number of fully jabbed people now passing six million. The coordinator of the mass vaccination campaign Valeriu Gheorghiţă said that if the current pace is maintained, 70% of Romania’s population over the age of 12 may receive the vaccine by the end of the year.

Acquisition. The Romanian company Romgaz reached an agreement with the American giant ExxonMobil for the acquisition of the latter’s stake in a Black Sea offshore block. The transaction is expected to be finalised in the first quarter of next year. ExxonMobil and OMV Petrom currently hold equal shares in the deep-sea Black Sea block where reserves of up to 84 billion cubic metres of natural gas are believed to be found.

Politics. The prime minister designate Nicolae Ciucă called for a truce among political leaders to overcome the current political crisis. He wants the Social Democratic Party, the largest opposition party, and the Save Romania Union, formerly in the ruling coalition, to support for a limited period a minority government formed by the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania. The Social Democrats are making their support conditional on the new government’s committing to implement ten measures they propose, while the Save Romania Union says it is not in favour of a minority government, but that it is willing to go back in government alongside the Liberals and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians, to recreate a coalition that has parliamentary majority.

Visit. Egypt is one of Romania’s traditional allies in the Middle East and Africa and an important economic and sectoral partner, said Romanian president Klaus Iohannis in Cairo, in a joint press conference together with his counterpart Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. Romania and Egypt are celebrating 115 years of diplomatic relations, a period characterised by mutual trust and respect, Iohannis also said. He emphasised that business people from Egypt and Romania must be encouraged to start joint projects, both at a bileteral level and on third markets. The two heads of state agreed to identify new ways to boost cooperation in crucial areas such as defence, energy, agriculture, transport, IT&C, cyber security, education, research and innovation.

Green pass. The Senate’s legal and health committees agreed to make all access to public institutions conditional on holding the Covid certificate, including for employees. The same would apply to private businesses where more than 50 employees are working at the same time. The report will today reach the Senate, the first Chamber to discuss it. The bill, which was initiated by the parties in government, the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians, was criticised by the Alliance for the Union of Romanians, whose MPs say it is violating the Constitution. The Social Democrats have also criticised the bill, saying they are rejecting the proposal to withhold pay for 30 days for employees who do not produce a Covid pass.

Visas. The US is considering adding four countries to its Visa Waiver program, including Romania. We have four candidates in the pipeline: Israel, Cyprus, Bulgaria and Romania, said the Secretary for Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, adding We’re very, very focused on the program. In September, the US added Croatia on the visa waiver list, which allows its citizens to travel to the US without a visa for a period of 90 days. 40 countries are currently part of this program. Recently, Romanian ambassador to the US Andrei Muraru said he was convinced that Romanians would be able to travel to US visa-free by the end of 2024.

Tennis. Romanian players Simona Halep and Gabriela Ruse are facing each other today in the first round of the Transylvania Open under way in Cluj Napoca, western Romania. Yesterday, the British-Romanian-Chinese player Emma Răducanu won in Cluj her first match since becoming the US Open champion. She defeated Slovenia’s Polona Hercog to reach the second round. Also yesterday, Irina Bara defeated Irina Begu in an all-Romanian match, while another Romanian player, Jaqueline Cristian, defeated Slovenia’s Kaja Juvan. (CM)