March 3, 2020 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 03.03.2020, 20:00
HEARINGS For three days, the ministers proposed to form the government headed by the Liberal PM Designate Florin Citu are being heard by parliaments specialized committees. So far, 3 have received positive opinions and 3 negative. The only change as compared to the Ludovic Orban Government is the proposal for finance minister, namely Lucian Ovidiu Heius, given that the former minister is now the Prime Minister Designate. The leader of the Save Romania Union Dan Barna has stated that the Liberals have not explicitly requested their support. The president of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians Kelemen Hunor says that not decision has been made with regard to how the members will vote. The Social Democratic Party and the Pro-Romania party have stated that their MPs will attend the investiture session but will vote against. The Peoples Movement Party has decided to support the Citu Cabinet. President Klaus Iohannis nominated Citu after the Constitutional Court ruled that the designation of the interim PM Ludovic Orban for the same office from which he had been sacked under a no-confidence motion was unconstitutional.
COVID-19 The fourth case of coronavirus infection in Romania was confirmed on Tuesday. Its a 47 year-old man from Timisoara, western Romania, who traveled by plane next to an infected woman. He has no symptoms and has been hospitalized. Out of the other three, one is healthy now and the other two are stable. Meanwhile, the National Emergency Committee has introduced strict quarantine rules for the people returning home from risk areas. The new coronavirus is now spreading a lot faster outside China than in the source country. Around 92,000 cases have been confirmed in over 70 countries worldwide. Of these, 48,000 patients have recovered and over 3,100 have died. The G7 countries on Tuesday voiced their commitment to use all the necessary instruments, including the fiscal ones, to deal with the threats posed by the spread of the new coronavirus across the world.
VACCINATION The healthcare committee in the Chamber of Deputies unanimously voted the introduction of an amendment making immunization mandatory. The Chamber of Deputies is to cast the decisive vote on the bill. Representatives of the Parents Alliance, of Pro Consumers Association and of the “Informed Decisions” Association protested the current form of the bill, opposing the idea of compulsory vaccination. They believe each citizen must have the right to decide as concerns their own body. On the other hand, an association called “Mothers for Mothers” warns that vaccination saves lives and the body of scientific evidence in this respect goes back over a century.
INTERIOR MINISTRY The interim interior minister Marcel Vela on Tuesday presented the institutions annual report, and said in 2019 the work load of interior ministry staff was higher than in the previous year. Marcel Vela explained that 27 counties and the capital city Bucharest reported over 4% rises in street crime and crimes against persons and property. “The presidential election was well organized, with 30% fewer incidents in the first round and 54.18% fewer incidents in the second round than in 2014,” Marcel Vela added. The National Police Union organized a protest concurrently with the meeting at the ministry headquarters. They demand the implementation of current regulations regarding salaries, and the payment of overdue benefits for the last 3 years.
UNEMPLOYMENT The January unemployment rate in Romania was 3.9%, down 0.1% since December, the National Statistics Institute announced in Tuesday. According to the institution, the estimated number of unemployed people in January was 350,000, which is lower than both the previous month and the corresponding month of 2019. Statistics also indicate that in the first month of the year the unemployment rate among men was 1% higher than among women.
IRAN Irans stockpile of enriched uranium is more than five times the limit fixed under a landmark 2015 deal with world powers, the UN nuclear watchdog said on Tuesday. An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report said Irans stockpile of low-enriched uranium had reached 1,020.9 kilograms, far above the limit of 300 kilograms allowed in the agreement. Even though the one tonne psychological threshold has been exceeded, this amount is still only the tenth part of the stockpile that Teheran had before the enforcement of the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency has called on Iran to fully cooperate, including by providing access to the sites in question. Last year, Iran started breaking many of the deals provisions, after the US left the agreement and reintroduced economic sanctions against Teheran.
ISRAEL The Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu claimed victory in the 3rd election within a year, held on Monday. With 90% of the votes counted, Netanyahus right-wing party Likud secured 35 out of the 120 seats in Parliament, as against 32 for Kahol Lavan, led by his challenger Benny Gantz. None of them however has the required majority to form a government. Netanyahu tried to secure his re-election while facing a corruption trial. In his address, Netanyahu promised to put an end to the Iranian nuclear threat, to build peace with moderate Arab countries, economic reforms, a defense pact with the USA, and also spoke about his proposal to annex settlements in the West Bank.
DACIA The Dacia plant in Mioveni, in southern Romania, owned by the French manufacturer Renault on Tuesday released information about its first 100% electric vehicle. Named Spring, it is part of the mini segment, and it will have 5 doors and 4 seats. The new car will be available as of 2021. Dacia Spring will be dark grey, with fluorescent orange elements and it will resemble an SUV.
