April 6, 2021 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news.

Newsroom, 06.04.2021, 20:00

IMF – The International Monetary Fund has improved significantly its forecast for the Romanian economy, to a 6% advance this year and a 4.8% advance next year, which is more than the European average. In Europe only Spain will be ahead of Romania in this respect, according to the World Economic Outlook published on Tuesday by the IMF. At the end of March, the World Bank also improved its estimates on Romania’s economic evolution, to a 4.3% advance this year. The Bucharest authorities have built the national budget for 2021 on a projected 4.31% growth of the economy. According to the IMF, the country’s current account deficit will decrease slightly this year, to 5% of the GDP.

ECONOMY – Prime minister Florin Cîţu had talks on Tuesday with representatives of the hospitality industry in Romania, one of the sectors worst hit by the coronavirus pandemic. The government wants all Romanians to be able to travel around the country, whether they have the vaccine or not, with the vaccine passport to be used only for international travel. Hoteliers pledge to provide free rapid Covid tests for guests who have not had the vaccine or the virus. The meeting came one day after the prime minister announced the creation of an inter-ministerial committee to look at a possible easing of restrictions from 1st June, which would allow for a gradual return to normality.

CORONAVIRUS – Romania saw more than 5,200 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday and 196 related deaths, with most new infections being recorded in Bucharest. Over 14,000 Covid patients are receiving hospital treatment, including almost 1,466 in intensive care. Many hospitals are running out of beds, struggling with a large number of more severe cases. The coordinator of the immunization campaign, Valeriu Gheorghita, said that starting on Tuesday the number of units supplied with Moderna vaccine will reach 86 while another 144 new vaccination facilities will be opened for Pfizer as of next week. Also, on April 20 vaccination through mobile centers will be available. Since the start of the mass vaccination campaign in December, 2.1 million people have been given the Covid vaccine in Romania, with 1.2 million having also had the second dose.

JUSTICE – France views as premature the elimination of the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism in Romanias case as long as the goals established have not yet been met, writes an information report from the French Senate on the rule of law in the European Union. The document notes that the latest written report of the European Commission warned that reforms slowed down in Romania in 2017 and that the situation in the first months of 2019 was a reason for concern. The report of the French Senate also notes that the Commission later welcomed the wish of the Romanian government to review its approach, but that progress cannot be established based solely on political commitments. Set up in 2007, when Romania joined the European Union, the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism is designed to flag possible malfunctions in the area of justice and propose solutions.

MEDALS — Romanian athlete Loredana Toma won three gold medals on Tuesday in the 64 kilogram category and the European Weightlifting Championships in Moscow. Loredana compelled recognition in the snatch style with 114 kilograms, a new European record. She also won gold in the clean&jerk with 130 kilograms and in all lifts with 244 kilograms. Romania won 6 gold medals in Moscow, the other three being won by Monica Suneta Csengeri in the 49 kg category. Romania also has 4 silver medals and one bronze.

HOTLINE – A hotline providing psychological counseling for Romanians affected by the pandemic, including medical workers, is available as of Tuesday, the healthcare ministry has announced. People affected by the pandemic, healthcare workers under constant stress and anyone struggling to cope with the pandemic can now call the hotline (at 021 9081), from Monday to Saturday between 12 pm and 8 pm. 40 psychotherapists have volunteered for the service via Cloud Voice. (EE)