COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – Romanian
\nauthorities have released a new military decree, the tenth since the state of
\nemergency was declared on March 16. The document eases mobility restrictions
\nfor people aged 65 and above, who will be able to move around between 7-11 AM
\nand 7-10 PM. Previously the elderly were allowed to leave their homes only two
\nhours every day, between 11 AM and 1 PM. Interior Minister Marcel Vela said
\ninbound and outgoing flights for 13 countries continue to be banned until May
\n15. In another development, schools, nursery schools and universities in
\nRomania will remain closed until the end of the academic year. Classes will
\ncontinue to unfold online until June 12, when the school year will officially
\nclose. Only 8th and 12th graders will go to schools in
\nearly June to sit their final exams. Over 11.600 infections are reported in
\nRomania. Over 3.400 people have recovered and 650 have died. Over 1.900
\nRomanian citizens living abroad have tested positive for COVID-19, most of whom
\nin Italy, and 87 have died.<\/p>\n
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COVID-19 IN THE WORLD – Over 3 million people worldwide have been infected with the
\ncoronavirus and over 210,000 people have died to the virus. Of these, over a
\nquarter, 56,000, were reported in the United States, where 90,000 people are
\ninfected. More and more states are starting to ease restrictions. Plans to this
\nend are underway in New York, by far the most affected city, where activities
\nmight resume gradually starting May 15. President Donald Trump has backed this
\nplanned relaxation, despite the authorities’ plea for increased testing as an
\nadditional safety measure. In Europe, Italy, the country with the highest
\nnumber of deaths, will lift part of the restrictions starting May 4. Prime
\nMinister Giuseppe Conte warned this doesn’t mean things will return to normal.
\nItaly has reached the tenth week since the start of the epidemic and the 8th
\nsince restrictions are in place. France too is making plans to allow citizens
\nto leave home isolation. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe is today presenting a
\nnational strategy in this respect in Parliament. <\/p>\n
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SME INVEST -
\nThe website where people can submit loan applications for SMEs is functional as
\nof today. The application was originally launched on April 17, but traffic on
\nthe website was blocked. SME Invest is the biggest government-sponsored loan
\nprogram addressing Small and Medium-sized Enterprises. Online applications can
\nbe submitted until the end of the year or until the 3 billion euros fund is
\ndepleted. 22 banks have enrolled in the SME Invest program, granting loans or
\nopen-end loans for investments worth over 2 million euros, which the state will
\nsubsidize up to a maximum of 80%. <\/p>\n
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EU – European Union Interior Ministers are today holding a
\nvideoconference to discuss current developments and responses to the COVID-19
\npandemic. The EU officials are discussing measures to improve cross-border
\ntraffic in order to ensure the functionality of the single market and the free
\nmovement of goods. The meeting will also tackle the relaxation or elimination
\nof customs checks in the future in a coordinated manner. Finally, Interior
\nMinisters will also look at ways to prevent the coronavirus from spreading,
\nespecially by using tracking applications. The videoconference will also
\ninclude a briefing on the current situation and challenges in the field of
\nmigration. <\/p>\n
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TRILATERAL MEETING – Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu is today attending a trilateral
\nvideoconference Romania-Poland-Turkey, alongside his Polish and Turkish
\ncounterparts, Jacek Czaputowicz and Mevlut Cavusoglu,
\nthe Foreign Ministry reports. The three ministers will discuss NATO priorities
\nin the current global context, including allied efforts to manage the pandemic,
\nbased on the latest conclusions of the NATO summit of Foreign Ministers on
\nApril 2. During the videoconference the three officials will exchange views on
\nthe developments in the eastern and southern vicinity and NATO’s role in the
\nregion, with a focus on measures to consolidate NATO’s deterrence and defense
\ncapabilities as well as the Alliance’s assistance to partner states. The
\nRomania-Poland-Turkey trilateral consultation format was launched in 2012 upon
\nRomania’s proposal. <\/p>\n
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(Translated
\nby V. Palcu)<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A roundup of domestic and international news<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":113,"featured_media":75903,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[34043,35374,35490,35491,35488,35492,35489],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-104299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsflash","tag-academic-year","tag-covid-19","tag-eu-interior-ministers","tag-foreign-minister-bogdan-aurescu","tag-mobility-restrictions","tag-romania-poland-turkey-trilateral-meeting","tag-sme-invest"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n