April 28, 2020

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 28.04.2020, 13:55

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA – Romanian
authorities have released a new military decree, the tenth since the state of
emergency was declared on March 16. The document eases mobility restrictions
for people aged 65 and above, who will be able to move around between 7-11 AM
and 7-10 PM. Previously the elderly were allowed to leave their homes only two
hours every day, between 11 AM and 1 PM. Interior Minister Marcel Vela said
inbound and outgoing flights for 13 countries continue to be banned until May
15. In another development, schools, nursery schools and universities in
Romania will remain closed until the end of the academic year. Classes will
continue to unfold online until June 12, when the school year will officially
close. Only 8th and 12th graders will go to schools in
early June to sit their final exams. Over 11.600 infections are reported in
Romania. Over 3.400 people have recovered and 650 have died. Over 1.900
Romanian citizens living abroad have tested positive for COVID-19, most of whom
in Italy, and 87 have died.

COVID-19 IN THE WORLD – Over 3 million people worldwide have been infected with the
coronavirus and over 210,000 people have died to the virus. Of these, over a
quarter, 56,000, were reported in the United States, where 90,000 people are
infected. More and more states are starting to ease restrictions. Plans to this
end are underway in New York, by far the most affected city, where activities
might resume gradually starting May 15. President Donald Trump has backed this
planned relaxation, despite the authorities’ plea for increased testing as an
additional safety measure. In Europe, Italy, the country with the highest
number of deaths, will lift part of the restrictions starting May 4. Prime
Minister Giuseppe Conte warned this doesn’t mean things will return to normal.
Italy has reached the tenth week since the start of the epidemic and the 8th
since restrictions are in place. France too is making plans to allow citizens
to leave home isolation. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe is today presenting a
national strategy in this respect in Parliament.

SME INVEST -
The website where people can submit loan applications for SMEs is functional as
of today. The application was originally launched on April 17, but traffic on
the website was blocked. SME Invest is the biggest government-sponsored loan
program addressing Small and Medium-sized Enterprises. Online applications can
be submitted until the end of the year or until the 3 billion euros fund is
depleted. 22 banks have enrolled in the SME Invest program, granting loans or
open-end loans for investments worth over 2 million euros, which the state will
subsidize up to a maximum of 80%.

EU – European Union Interior Ministers are today holding a
videoconference to discuss current developments and responses to the COVID-19
pandemic. The EU officials are discussing measures to improve cross-border
traffic in order to ensure the functionality of the single market and the free
movement of goods. The meeting will also tackle the relaxation or elimination
of customs checks in the future in a coordinated manner. Finally, Interior
Ministers will also look at ways to prevent the coronavirus from spreading,
especially by using tracking applications. The videoconference will also
include a briefing on the current situation and challenges in the field of
migration.

TRILATERAL MEETING – Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu is today attending a trilateral
videoconference Romania-Poland-Turkey, alongside his Polish and Turkish
counterparts, Jacek Czaputowicz and Mevlut Cavusoglu,
the Foreign Ministry reports. The three ministers will discuss NATO priorities
in the current global context, including allied efforts to manage the pandemic,
based on the latest conclusions of the NATO summit of Foreign Ministers on
April 2. During the videoconference the three officials will exchange views on
the developments in the eastern and southern vicinity and NATO’s role in the
region, with a focus on measures to consolidate NATO’s deterrence and defense
capabilities as well as the Alliance’s assistance to partner states. The
Romania-Poland-Turkey trilateral consultation format was launched in 2012 upon
Romania’s proposal.

(Translated
by V. Palcu)