COVID-19 Romanian authorities announced on Monday over 10,000 new SARS-CoV-2 infections and 261 COVID-related deaths in 24 hours. More than 1,700 patients are
\ncurrently in intensive care. As regards vaccination, in Romania, the number of
\npeople that went through a full vaccination plan stands at roughly 5.7 million.
\nThe Romanian interim Interior Minister, Lucian Bode, has announced that 26
\npatients infected with SARS-CoV-2 have been transferred to Hungary and that the
\nsituation these days is rather critical. Meanwhile, 32 medical staff from the
\nneighbouring Republic of Moldova came to Romania on Monday and will treat
\nCOVID-19 patients for 12 days, in a mobile hospital in the village of Le\u0163cani,
\nIa\u015fi County. Romania now has new vaccination targets, after missing the
\nprevious ones because of citizens’ reluctance to the jab.<\/p>\n
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AID Poland and Slovenia announced they are ready to help
\nRomania fight the on-going healthcare crisis. The offers came after president
\nKlaus Iohannis presented the situation in a videoconference ahead of a European
\nCouncil meeting due in Brussels on Thursday and Friday. Attending the
\nconference were the prime ministers of the 2 countries, who voiced their
\nwillingness to help Romania, as well as the president of the European Council,
\nCharles Michel, ho undertook to facilitate EU-level aid. Hit hard by the 4th
\nwave of the pandemic, Romania has already received medical equipment from Poland,
\nItaly and Denmark. <\/p>\n
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GOVERNMENT The relevant parliamentary committees are interviewing
\ntoday the proposed members of PM designate Dacian Ciolo\u015f’s cabinet. Deputies
\nand Senators will discuss with both former ministers in the coalition
\ngovernment comprising the National Liberal Party, Save Romania Union and the
\nDemocratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians, headed by the Liberal Florin C\u00ee\u0163u.
\nStelian Ion is once again nominated for justice minister, Ioana Mih\u0103il\u0103 for
\nhealth minister and C\u0103t\u0103lin Drul\u0103 for transport minister, while former deputy
\nPM Dan Barna is the proposed foreign minister. New names in the cabinet include
\nenvironment activist Mihai Go\u0163iu for environment minister, the former prefect
\nof Bucharest Alin Stoica for interior minister and former fighter pilot Nicu
\nF\u0103lcoi for defence minister. The decision of Save Romania Union (USR) to
\npresent Parliament with a proposed one-party government was made after
\nnegotiations with the former partners failed to lead to the restoration of the
\nright-wing coalition. The Liberals and
\nethnic Hungarian party would not resume cooperation with USR, because the
\nlatter backed a motion of no-confidence against the C\u00ee\u0163u government. The Social
\nDemocrats in opposition are also against a government headed by Ciolo\u015f, whom
\nthey accuse of irresponsibly protracting this political crisis. The Social
\nDemocrats and the nationalist party AUR demand early elections. Ciolo\u015f’s team
\nneeds 234 votes in Parliament, and USR only has 80 MPs. The vote on the
\nproposed government is scheduled for Wednesday.<\/p>\n
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AUTOMOTIVE The Ford production unit in Craiova (south-western Romania) is
\ntemporarily downsizing operations because of a semiconductor shortage. Until
\nThursday the plant will operate in one shift instead of three, both in the
\nvehicle and the engine production divisions. The vehicles for which sale
\ncontracts have already been signed will be a priority, the management announced.
\nEmployees will be paid idle time up to 78% of their base salaries. In turn, the
\nDacia plant in Mioveni, Arge\u0219 County, controlled by the French group Renault, suspended
\nits operations for lack of electronic components on October 8, sending home
\naround 90% of its 14,000 employees at the time. <\/p>\n
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OPINION POLL The Army and the Church rank first in terms of public
\nconfidence in Romania, according to an opinion poll conducted by the Information
\nWarfare analysis and Strategic Communication Laboratory. Specifically, some 87%
\nof the Romanians say they trust the Army, 70% the Church, 67% – the Romanian Intelligence
\nService and the Romanian Academy. Confidence is politicians is low, at some 20%,
\nwith the President, Parliament and Government on the top 3 positions. The main
\nthreats against Romania, according to over 40% of the respondents, are the
\npoliticians’ corruption and incompetence. The main threats facing the EU are an
\neconomic crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic and disagreements between some member
\nstates. the poll was conducted by telephone between October 1 and 10, with a de
\n+\/- 3.1% margin of error.<\/p>\n
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\n
\nMOLDOVA The leader of the Socialists Party in the neighbouring Republic of
\nMoldova, the pro-Russian ex-president Igor Dodon, announced he stepped down as
\na Parliament member and party president. He said he will continue to work as
\npart of the Moldovan-Russian Entrepreneur Union, to strengthen economic
\nrelations with Russia. Dodon explains his role as an opposition leader will be
\nbetter served from outside Parliament. One year ago he lost the presidential
\nelection to pro-European Maia Sandu, whose party, Action and Solidarity, defeated
\nthe Socialists and their allies, the Communists, in July’s early parliamentary
\nelection. (tr. A.M. Popescu)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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