September 22, 2021

Click here for a roundup of local and world news

Newsroom, 22.09.2021, 13:55

INVESTIGATION
Romanian anti-corruption prosecutors are looking into the procurement of
anti-Covid vaccines, amid suspicions of abuse of office and obtaining undue
benefits. Nobody is officially under charges as yet. The incumbent finance
minister Dan Vîlceanu says he has no information regarding the procurement of
anti-Covid vaccine outside the mechanism created by the European Commission and
for prices negotiated at EU level. The former health minister Vlad Voiculescu
claims however that based on the decision of PM Florin Cîțu, Romania ordered
too many doses and was subsequently forced to sell or donate some of them. W

COVID-19 7,045 new COVID-19 cases out of 54,000
tests were reported in Romania on Wednesday. This is the highest daily figure
this year. Also, 130 Covid patients died in the past 24 hours, and over 1,000
people are in intensive care. The capital city Bucharest and 3 counties in
Romania are in the red zone after reporting infection rates of over 3 per
thousand. In places with infection rates between 3 and 6 per thousand,
participation in indoor events is conditional on the green certificate. The
Romanian Physicians College calls on citizens to understand the impact and
consequences that the novel coronavirus infection may have, and urges the
authorities to find fair and immediately applicable solutions to contain the
disease. The college also warned that a high infection rate means increased
pressure on hospitals, and supports the opinion of scientists around the world
who say vaccination is one of the most efficient and readily accessible
instruments to fight this pandemic.

UN
While in New York, the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis addressed
the heads of state and government of the over 100 countries attending the annual
meeting of the UN General Assembly. In his speech, the Romanian official
emphasized the importance of an international order based on rules. Klaus
Iohannis is also scheduled to take part in a global summit aimed at
coordinating the international response to the pandemic, organized by the US
president Joe Biden, and in a meeting with representatives of Jewish
organisations in the US.

GOVERNMENT The Romanian government may pass today a
programme entitled Caring for children. The short-term goal of the programme
is to ensure psychological and emotional protection for children during the
pandemic and post-pandemic period, and the long-term goal is related to a
mechanism to protect children from physical, sexual and emotional violence both
within families, society and online. The Cabinet is also discussing today the
reorganisation of the Prime Minister’s control corps.

INSURANCE At the request of the City Insurance
shareholders, Romanian prosecutors will investigate the management of this
insurance company. The shareholders filed a criminal complaint with the
Directorate Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism, and accuse the City
Insurance employees in Romania of forming an organised crime group, fraud and
embezzlement. Other criminal complaints, filed by the Financial Supervising
Authority right before requesting the bankruptcy of City Insurance, may lead to
investigations by the National Anti-Corruption Directorate. Meanwhile, the
Government may pass today an emergency order stepping up the payment of car
insurance claims before the company is declared bankrupt.

DIPLOMACY The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan
Aurescu is hosting today in New York the 10th ministerial conference
of the Community of Democracies, on the side-lines of the UN General Assembly.
The conference brings together foreign ministers and other top-level officials
of CoD member states and civil society representatives, to discuss the current
challenges and opportunities facing democracy. The event is titled Democracy
and resilience: shared goals.ˮ

FESTIVAL The 25th George Enescu International Music Festival
continues in Romania. This edition brought together a total of 3,500 Romanian and foreign musicians, performing in
Bucharest, Sibiu, Iaşi, Timişoara and Constanţa. Radio Romania is a co-producer
of the festival, alongside the Romanian Television Corporation. (tr. A.M. Popescu)