MEASURES The government in Bucharest on
\nThursday passed an emergency ordinance under which a series of budget
\nexpenditures are being cut. The measures include maintaining the present value
\nof the pension point until 2022, the cancellation of the 30% bonus granted to
\nprefectures for managing the medical crisis and of the holiday gift vouchers. According
\nto Prime Minister Citu, the draft budget for this year designed to achieve 7.16%
\nof the GDP and significant funds for investment is to be passed on Friday. Also
\non Thursday, the Romanian government adopted a draft law on dismantling the
\ncontroversial department for investigating offenses in the country’s legal
\nsystem. This is a pledge made by the ruling coalition and also a recommendation
\nfor the observance of the Verification and Control Mechanism, the minister
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VACCINE Roughly 40 thousand vaccine doses have been
\nadministered in Romania in the past 24 hours, mostly produced by Pfizer,
\nAstraZeneca and Moderna, all three approved by the European Union. Since the
\nvaccination campaign kicked off on December 27th last year, nearly
\none million three hundred thousand doses have been administered to more than
\n750 thousand people. In another development, 3058 new cases of Covid infections
\nhave been reported in the past 24 hours. Since the onset of the pandemic,
\nRomania has confirmed over 771 thousand cases with a death toll exceeding
\n19,600. 936 people are presently being treated in IC units. <\/p>\n
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BRANCUSI A number of events devoted to the
\nConstantin Br\u00e2ncu\u015fi National Day, celebrated every year in Romania on February
\n19, are organised across the country this week, to mark 145 years since the
\ngreat sculptor’s birth. On Friday, the Tinerimea Rom\u00e2n\u0103 National Art Centre
\nwill give a special concert devoted to the occasion, and illustrated with
\nimages of Brancusi’s works on display at the National Museum of Art. Also on
\nFriday, an exhibition entitled Mirrors of Br\u00e2ncu\u015fi opens at the Romanian
\nPeasant Museum. On Saturday, the National Library has an event entitled
\nDialogues at the table of silence: 145 years since the birth of sculptor
\nConstantin Br\u00e2ncu\u015fi. The event is held online, on Zoom platform, and can also
\nbe followed on the Youtube channel of the National Library of Romania. In turn,
\nthe Romanian Cultural Institutes
\nin Bucharest, Brussels, Chi\u015fin\u0103u, Lisbon, London, Madrid and Paris have
\nscheduled online events devoted to the world-famous Romanian artist.<\/p>\n
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DEFENCE The Romanian defence Minister Nicolae
\nCiuc\u0103, taking part in a meeting of NATO defence ministers, pointed out
\nRomania’s commitment to covering defence expenditure. He reaffirmed Bucharest’s
\nsupport for deepening and strengthening NATO’s defence and deterrence
\nposture, in line with medium and
\nlong-term security requirements. NATO’s secretary general Jens Stoltenberg
\nsuggested the Alliance should increase funding for joint defence and deterrence
\nactivities. One of the reasons for suggesting increased NATO funding for
\ndeterrence and defence is that this will incentivise more Allies to provide
\nmore capabilities, especially in the Baltic and Black Sea regions, the NATO
\nchief explained. Jens Stoltenberg also said the Alliance needs to invest more
\nin new technologies, including artificial intelligence and quantum computing.<\/p>\n
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(bill)<\/p>\n
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