Vaccination – ups and
\ndowns<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
For weeks, the number of
\nCOVID-19 infections in Romania has been decreasing by the day. In equal measure,
\nthe authorities are speaking about the possibility of a fourth wave of the
\npandemic starting this autumn, which is why vaccination remains the best
\npre-emptive measure. People’s interest to get vaccination is below expectations,
\nwhich has led to Romania having a surplus of vaccines right now. Accordingly,
\nBucharest has asked that the delivery of anti-COVID doses from the European Commission
\nto be halted. Some immunization centers will temporarily close while others
\nwill see their working hours reduced. The Government adopted an emergency
\ndecree whereby it charges the Health Ministry to sign contracts on behalf of the
\nRomanian state with other countries for the reselling of vaccines that can no
\nlonger be used at home. At the same time, since immunization has been largely
\nunsuccessful in rural areas, central and local authorities are coming up with
\nways to boost vaccination, with initiatives such as The town vaccinates the
\nvillage. In Romania, under 5 million people have so far got immunized with one
\nor both of the anti-COVID jabs. <\/p>\n
\n
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\n
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Manslaughter<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Romanian magistrates this
\nweek decided to place under house arrest two employees of the Victor Babe\u015f Infectious Disease Hospital
\nin Bucharest, a hospital employee and the head of the Technical Service, both facing
\nmanslaughter charges. In April this year, three patients being treated for COVID-19
\nin a mobile unit located in the courtyard of the hospital died. According to
\npreliminary reports, the tragedy occurred after a sudden rise in pressure in
\nthe oxygen tanks, which cut off oxygen supply to the eight patients inside. The
\nincident is not isolated. In November 2020, a fire broke out at the ICU ward at
\nthe Piatra Neam\u021b Emergency County Hospital. Another fire burned down an a COVID
\nwar at the Matei Bal\u0219 Hospital in Bucharest. Multiple people were
\nkilled in both fires. So far, no one has been held accountable. <\/p>\n
\n
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\n
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Ombudsman gets sacked <\/p>\n
\n
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On Wednesday, the Romanian Parliament removed Renate Weber
\nfrom the position of Ombudsman. Ruling coalition parties claim Weber overstepped
\nher prerogatives and breached the Constitution. PNL, USR-PLUS and UDMR accuse
\nmadame Weber of having served the interests of those who appointed her, namely
\nthe Social-Democrats in opposition. USR MP Andrei Lupu:<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
I am absolutely confident that you are a competent
\nperson, but lately your activity has shown a major flaw: you have been carrying
\nout your duties selfishly, serving the interest of yourself and the people who appointed
\nyou. <\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The Social-Democratic Party in Opposition, who did not
\ntake part in the vote, accuse, however, the power for wanting to nominate an
\nOmbudsman that would meekly comply with the Government’s decrees. Senator Titus
\nCorl\u0103\u0163ean:<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
You want the string of abusive emergency decrees to no
\nlonger be challenged by the Ombudsman. You don’t want people to say that the Government’s
\nmeasures restricting fundamental rights and liberties are unconstitutional, and
\nprefer to work with institutions that generally fall in line. <\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The Social-Democrats have appealed Renate Weber’s
\ndismissal at the Constitutional Court. On Thursday, the Court also decided that
\nthe appointment of interim presidents of the public radio and television broadcasters
\nis unconstitutional. <\/p>\n
\n
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\n
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NATO Summit in Brussels <\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Russia and China are the top concerns for NATO,
\nalongside cyber threats, terrorism and the rise of totalitarian regimes. Monday’s
\nsummit in Brussels concluded with a declaration whereby NATO allies have drawn
\na number of security red lines. From Romania’s perspective, president Klaus
\nIohannis expressed satisfaction that the Alliance continues to consolidate its
\neastern flank, also reiterating that NATO’s anti-ballistic missile shield
\nhosted by Romania is purely defensive: <\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
We have no intention of attacking anyone with this
\nshield. We are very determined to defend our countries, which is why we
\naccepted the deployment of elements of this shield in Romania as well.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Also in Brussels, leaders of NATO member states
\ndecided to launch the process of devising a new Alliance strategy. Finally,
\nKlaus Iohannis extended an invitation to US president Joe Biden to visit
\nRomania. <\/p>\n
\n
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\n
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EURO 2020 kicks off in Bucharest <\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Romania’s largest stadium, National Arena in Bucharest,
\nhosted matches in the EURO 2020 championship. Matches were played with 25%
\ncrowd attendance. On Sunday, Austria defeated North Macedonia 3-1 in Group C.
\nEarlier this week, Ukraine defeated North Macedonia 2-1. On Monday, on June 21,
\nNational Arena will be hosting the match pitting Ukraine against Austria, also
\nin Group C. On June 28, a round of 16 match will be played in Bucharest.
\nRomania failed to qualify to the 2020 edition of the European Football
\nChampionship. (VP)<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A roundup of the week’s top stories<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":109,"featured_media":124789,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[40944],"tags":[42304],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-124823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-week-in-review","tag-the-week-in-review"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n