COVID-19 Little over 4,000 new
\nSARS-CoV-2 infection cases were reported on Wednesday in Romania, along with 62
\nrelated deaths, one of which from a previous date, according to the
\nauthorities. Since the start of the pandemic 2 years ago, nearly 2.8
\nmillion people have caught the disease in the country, and some 65,000 died. At
\nmidnight on Tuesday, Romania lifted all COVID-related restrictions. Face
\ncovering is no longer compulsory, and access to public areas is no longer
\nconditional on the digital certificate. <\/p>\n
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POLL More than 3-quarters of Romanians (75.2%) believe Russia is
\nthe main party responsible for the war in Ukraine, and only 4.6% point to
\nUkraine, according to an INSCOP MONITOR opinion poll. Close to 8% of the
\nrespondents believe the West to be guilty for the conflict. Also, 79.2% of the
\nrespondents agree with the sanctions imposed by the EU and the US against
\nRussia, with only 14.1% against them. The number of Romanians who believe their
\ncountry is heading in the right direction has gone up from 19.9% in February to
\n35.9%. According to INSCOP, this is because Russia’s aggression reminded people
\nof the importance of Romania’s NATO and EU membership and of what this
\nsecurity and development umbrella means for the country. Moreover, we have
\nall seen infinite proof of kindness and exceptional mobilisation among people
\nto support the refugees, which might have had a positive influence on how
\nRomanians see their own country today, the organisation explains. <\/p>\n
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VISIT Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, will receive the US
\nVice President, Kamala Harris in Bucharest on Friday. According to the
\nPresidency, Allied measures to strengthen NATO’s deterrence and defence posture
\non the eastern flank will be discussed, including the prospect of further
\nincreasing the US and allied military presence in Romania. They will also
\naddress the coordination of the transatlantic community concerning new
\nsanctions against Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine. The presence
\nof Vice President Kamala Harris in Romania reconfirms the solidity of the
\nbilateral Strategic Partnership, the Romanian Presidency also says.<\/p>\n
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SANCTIONS 14 business people in key sectors of Russian economy and 146 members
\nof the Federation Council (the upper chamber of Russia’s parliament) have been
\nadded to the list of people who can no longer travel to the EU and whose assets
\nin Europe are frozen. The European black list, put together in 2014 when Russia
\nannexed Crimea, now comprises a total of 862 individuals and 53 organisations. Member
\ncountries have also decided to ban the export of maritime navigation and radio
\ncommunication technology to Russia, after having already targeted the aviation
\nsector. They also decided to restrict Swift services to 3 Belarusian bank. Furthermore,
\nthe EU prohibits transactions involving assets of Belarus’s central bank,
\nand are drastically restricting the access of Belarus to European financial
\nmarkets for amounts of over EUR 100,000. The measures were approved by EU member
\nstates in Brussels and will take effect after publication in the Official
\nJournal. They are designed to prevent Russia from bypassing the sanctions
\nagainst its own financial and banking sector. The EU accuses Belarus of being
\ncomplicit in Russia’s invasion in Ukraine.<\/p>\n
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REFUGEES Nearly 320,000 Ukrainian citizens have entered Romania
\nsince the onset of the Russian invasion until Tuesday at midnight, the Romanian
\nBorder Police announced. Of these, about 235,000 have already left Romania. On
\nTuesday, the inflow of Ukrainian refugees declined slightly. Both the Romanian
\nauthorities and civil society have mobilised quickly and efficiently to provide
\naccommodation, food, clothing and medicines to those fleeing the Russian
\ninvasion. The Romanians’ efforts have been praised by international political leaders
\nand Western media. (A.M.P., L.S.)<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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