May 31, 2021 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 31.05.2021, 20:18
Measures. A new set of restrictions is lifted in Romania as of June 1st. Private parties with a limited number of attendants are allowed again, as well as sporting events, also in enclosed spaces. Clubs, nightclubs, as well as indoor playgrounds and pools will also reopen. The number of participants can exceed the maximum allowed if all participants are vaccinated. Outdoor cultural events are also permitted with a maximum of 1,000 participants, provided the incidence rate is below 3 per thousand inhabitants. Face masks can also be eliminated in workplaces with a maximum of 5 employees allowed in each office, if they have been vaccinated.
Covid-19RO. The largest batch of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine – 1.1 million doses – arrived in Romania on Monday. The vaccine may now be administered to children aged 12-15, after the European Medicines Agency endorsed the vaccine as safe for this age bracket. Since the start of the vaccination campaign at the end of 2020, over 4.3 million people have been vaccinated in Romania against COVID-19, of whom more than three quarters with both doses. Last weekend saw new vaccination marathons across the country. Meanwhile, the number of COVID-19 infections has been dropping. All counties are reporting an incidence rate below 1 per one thousand inhabitants in the last 14 days. On Monday, the Group for Strategic Communication announced the lowest number of infections reported in the last 24 hours since the start of the pandemic: 153. Also, another 36 related fatalities were reported. 425 people are still in intensive care.
E-ARC. The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, stated on Monday, in Bucharest, during the inauguration ceremony of the headquarters of the Euro-Atlantic Center for Resilience (E-ARC), that this is an absolutely necessary tool and expressed his conviction that it will bring added value in the current geo-political context. The centers activity will focus on specific areas, including the response to emerging and disruptive technologies, but also communications or transport, and Romania wants to involve not only the best specialists in the country, but also experts from EU and NATO member states, as well as from partner countries in the region. The inauguration ceremony was attended by the Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, the Deputy Secretary General of NATO, Mircea Geoana, and the Vice President of the European Commission for Interinstitutional Relations and Foresight, Maros Sefcovic.
Visit. European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic stated on Monday that he was very impressed with Romanias activity in terms of resilience against vulnerabilities. In a speech at the 2021 Atlantic-Black Sea Security Forum, hosted by the Aspen Institute in Romania, Maros Sefcovic stressed that the European Union and NATO need to be better prepared, at a time in which we move away from multilateralism towards a multipolar world, in which great powers are in competition. Maros Sefcovic participated, together Mircea Geoana and Bogdan Aurescu, in the panel “Responding to Challenges – NATO and the EU in a Post-Pandemic World.”
NATO. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has responded with the greatest ability to adapt, in the context in which it is currently facing the most challenging security environment in a generation. The statement was made on Monday by the Deputy Secretary General of NATO, the Romanian Mircea Geoana, whose agenda includes a visit to the command of the Multinational Division Southeast, which participates in the NATO exercise Steadfast Defender 21. Mircea Geoana stressed that this exercise “has been planned for a long time, it is not directed against anyone and it is strictly defensive”. Approximately 4,000 soldiers and over 600 vehicles and aircraft from 12 NATO states participate in Romania in Noble Jump 2021, the Rapid Reaction stage of the allied exercise Steadfast Defender 21, which is currently taking place in over 20 allied countries or NATO partners. This stage began on May 19, when, according to the scenario of the exercise, NATO alerted the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force to travel from Turkey to Romania, through Bulgaria.
NRRP. Romanias National Recovery and Resilience Plan was officially submitted to the European Commission on Monday, as announced by Cristian Ghinea, the Minister of Investments and European Projects. 30 separate documents for each of the Plans sections were uploaded to the Commissions digital platform. After the Commission rejected the first draft submitted by the Romanian Government, the revised Plan will be made public on June 2, Romania being one the few countries at EU level to do this, Minister Ghinea explained. Liberal Prime Minister Florin Cîţu has stated that the document has already been presented in Parliaments specialized committees, and experts from the Social-Democratic Party in opposition saw the final draft. The Social-Democratic leader Marcel Ciolacu has voiced disappointment that the plan hasnt been discussed in detail and claimed the reforms and funds allotted to SMEs are unknown. Romania will receive nearly 30 million Euro under its National Recovery and Resilience Plan.
EPPO. The European Public Prosecutors Office (EPPO), the EUs new anti-fraud prosecution body, starts its activity on June 1, under the leadership of former head of the Romanian Anticorruption Directorate (DNA), Laura Codruţa Kövesi. According to estimates, corruption, embezzlement and fraud are causing losses of some €500 million every year to the EU budget. Starting June 1, European prosecutors will take action against criminal activities of this kind and will make sure no funds are wasted due to corruption and fraud, European Commissioner for Values and Transparency, Věra Jourová, has said. Responsible for identifying and investigating corruption cases, EPPO will have an annual budget of €45 million. (MI)
