COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – The number of new cases of
\ncoronavirus infection has been dropping in Romania. Only 484 cases were
\nreported on Friday, out of 34,000 tests performed in 24 hours. The number of
\npatients in intensive care has dropped too, down to 636. 49 Covid-related
\ndeaths were reported on Friday. The vaccination campaign continues. More than 4
\nmillion people have been vaccinated, 3 million of whom with both doses. In
\nBucharest, 36% of the population got at least the first jab.<\/p>\n
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DIGITAL GREEN CERTIFICATES -The European Parliament and
\nthe EU Member States have reached an agreement on the European digital Covid Certificate,
\nwhich aims to facilitate travel in the EU. The so called ‘green certificate’
\nwould allow anyone in the bloc to obtain a digital proof of coronavirus
\nvaccination status, COVID test results or recovery from an infection. With
\nregard to the two divergent points regarding the cost of PCR tests and the
\nwaiver of quarantine, it was agreed that the tests would be affordable and that
\nthe European Commission would allocate 100 million Euro to purchase them; as
\nfor quarantine, Member States shall refrain from imposing it on those with a
\nhealth certificate, unless such a measure is strictly necessary with regard to
\npublic health. People who have received a single dose of vaccine can also apply
\nfor the certificate, but only if they have been immunized with one of the
\nanti-COVID vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency: Pfizer, Moderna,
\nAstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson. European Union officials want the
\nEuropean Covid-19 certificate to become operational next month. It will be
\ndiscussed at the EU summit on 24-25 May, and then an agreement will have to be
\napproved in the European Parliament’s plenary session on 7-10 June.<\/p>\n
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EUROPEAN COUNCIL – Romania’s president, Klaus
\nIohannis, on Monday and Tuesday will attend the special meeting of the European
\nCouncil, to be held in Brussels. According to a Presidency release, the head of
\nstate will call for the swift and unitary implementation of the European
\nDigital Green certificate at EU level. Klaus Iohannis will reiterate the idea
\nthat the certificate should not affect free movement of citizens, which he sees
\nas a fundamental right. Other topics on the meeting’s agenda concern concerted
\nEU-wide action to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, combating climate change, and
\nthe EU’s relations with Russia and the UK. <\/p>\n
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COUNCIL
\n– Romanian Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, on Friday attended the 131st
\nmeeting of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, held in
\nvideoconference format, on which occasion he pointed out that solving prolonged
\nconflicts is a priority for Romania. According to a Foreign Ministry release,
\ntalks focused on hot topics on the Council’s agenda, in an attempt to identify
\nsolutions to the main challenges facing the global community. Bogdan Aurescu
\nreiterated Romania’s firm commitment to streamlining multilateralism and
\nstrengthening strategic resilience based on democratic values and the rule of
\nlaw. In his address, the Romanian official underlined the need to build a
\ncommon European judicial framework based on the principles of the rule of law,
\nin order to ensure a sustainable future. Minister Aurescu also expressed
\nsupport for any effort designed to deter propaganda favoring extremist ideology
\nand hate speech, the Foreign Ministry reports. <\/p>\n
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IMF -
\nThe International Monetary Fund on Friday made a \u20ac50-billion proposal to put an
\nend to the COVID-19 pandemic by vaccinating at least 40% of the world
\npopulation by the end of the year and at least 60% by the end of the first half
\nof 2022, Reuters reports. IMF officials say the move will be tantamount to
\ninjecting $9,000 billion in global economy by 2025, due to the swift resumption
\nof economic activity. The coronavirus has killed 3.5 million people around the
\nworld, and according to estimates this will generate growth gaps in 2022, the
\nIMF also says. Also on Friday, the WHO announced that the number of
\nCOVID-related fatalities could be three times bigger than official estimates,
\nfor a number of complex reasons. In other news, France Press news agency writes
\nthat the COVID-19 pandemic is slowing down for the third week in a row, with
\nthe biggest reduction in the number of cases being reported across Europe. <\/p>\n
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CEASEFIRE – The EU has hailed the cease
\nof the fire between Israel and Hamas and has committed to supporting efforts to
\nfind a long-term political solution to the conflict. The truce, mediated by
\nEgypt, came into force on Friday, putting an end to 11 days of heavy fighting.
\nMore than 230 Palestinians, of whom half women and children, have been killed
\nin Gaza. Also, in Israel, 12 people, including 2 children, have been killed
\nsince the start of the conflict. The US President Joe Biden has stated that the
\nceasefire is an opportunity to move forward towards achieving peace (MI &
\nVP) <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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