December 14, 2020
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 14.12.2020, 13:55
CONSULTATIONS. The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, holds consultations today with the political parties that will be represented in Parliament following the December 6 elections, in order to appoint a prime minister. The Social Democratic Party, which came out first in the elections and has already met with the head of state, came with the proposal that doctor Alexandru Rafila take over as prime minister and lead a national union government. The National Liberal Party, which came in second place in the elections, the Save Romania Union – PLUS, ranking third, and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians, the parties that want to form a majority center-right coalition, failed to reach, after two days of negotiations, an agreement regarding a common proposal for prime minister. The Liberals will propose the current finance minister, Florin Cîţu, while the proposal of the Save Romania Union – PLUS Alliance is the co-president of the Alliance, the former technocratic prime minister Dacian Cioloş. The president will also have discussions with the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians, the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians (AUR), a radical-nationalist party joining parliament for the first time, and with representatives of national minorities, other than the Hungarian one.
STATE OF ALERT. In Romania, the state of alert has been extended by one month, starting today. Adding to the decisions taken so far by the Government, a newl one has come into force, regarding the organization and running of the activities of the cable transport operators on ski slopes, which will be open, but the authorities intend to avoid their overcrowding. According to the latest data announced by the Strategic Communication Group, so far, more than 550,000 cases of people infected with the new coronavirus have been confirmed in Romania. Most cases were registered in Bucharest and in the counties of Cluj (northwest) and Iasi (northeast). 1,289 patients infected with the new virus are in intensive care. The total number of Covid-19 related deaths has reached 13,385.
UN. Romania has been and will continue to be an active member involved in the proper functioning of the United Nations, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, said at the celebration of 75 years of the organizations existence and 65 years of Romanias UN membership. The head of diplomacy considers that Romania has demonstrated a genuine and lasting commitment at all levels: maintaining international peace and security, sustainable development and promoting human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The official added that the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the importance of multilateral cooperation in addressing global challenges. In this context, Bogdan Aurescu stressed that there is a need for an “efficient Organization, able to respond adequately to pre-existing challenges to peace, security and human rights, as well as emerging challenges and trends in the context of the current pandemic crisis.”
ONLINE SCHOOL. One in three students in Romania could not attend online classes after school closed due to the pandemic, and the country is among the last in the European Union in terms of implementing digital education, a European Parliament report shows. According to the document, about one million students did not have access to education after school closed, while in developed countries 90% of students had access to distance learning tools. On the other hand, there are specialists who point out that excessive use of technology among young students can have negative effects. They say that the generalization of online education can compromise the entire education system, both through direct consequences on quality and due to the requirements related to ensuring equitable access for all students and teachers to high-performance infrastructure.
INVESTMENTS. In Romania, the Agency for Financing Rural Investments (AFIR) has so far made payments of 7 billion Euros through the National Rural Development Program 2014 – 2020, the degree of absorption on this program exceeding 70%, AFIR announced on Monday. Beneficiaries were farmers, processors, entrepreneurs and local public authorities. The National Rural Development Program 2014 – 2020 provides non-reimbursable funds from the European Union and the government for the economic and social development of the rural area.
BREXIT. The European Unions chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, will present the situation to the 27 member states today, following a weekend of intense talks to reach a post-Brexit trade agreement. The UK and the EU have not yet been able to resolve their differences of opinion, the BBC reports. According to the source, the details of the talks are kept secret for the time being, as negotiators fear that if they reach the press or opposition politicians, the proposals could be sabotaged before they become a reality. The EU wants this agreement, but it protects its single market, while the United Kingdom wants the agreement too, but its priority is to protect the countrys sovereignty after Brexit, the BBC also reports.
HANDBALL. The Romanian womens handball national team meets, today, Hungary, in the main group II of the European Championship in Denmark. The two representatives occupy the last places in the group, without any points, and have no chances to qualify for the semifinals of the competition. The main group II is led by Norway and Croatia, which have both defeated Romania. The Romanian team will play the last game of the group, on Tuesday, with the Netherlands. (M. Ignatescu)
