June 25, 2021 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news.
Newsroom, 25.06.2021, 20:01
SUMMIT — EU leaders discussed on Friday, on the last day of the summit in Brussels, about post-pandemic economic recovery and the management of the sanitary crisis. President Klaus Iohannis hailed the efforts deployed at EU level for the joint purchase of vaccines. He also talked about the improvement of the epidemiological situation and pleaded for a prudent and balanced approach in the future. Iohannis emphasised the importance of strengthening the capacity to respond to other potential crises by consolidating the EU’s resilience and mentioned Romania’s initiative to set up the Euro-Atlantic Centre for Resilience, by inviting countries to participate with experts. Previously, the European leaders ruled out the possibility of a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin as long as Moscow did not change its stance. “The European Council expects the Russian leadership to demonstrate a more constructive engagement and political commitment and stop actions against the EU and its member states, as well as against third countries,” the leaders wrote in their conclusions. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who, alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, supported the idea of a high-level meeting with Putin, said EU leaders were not brave enough to back the proposal of a summit with the Russian President. Leaders of countries in the east of the EU said that a summit with Putin without previous conditionalities would convey a very bad signal.
CORONAVIRUS – The Romanian government has further eased coronavirus restrictions from 1st July. More people will be allowed to attend private events, clubs, restaurants and cafes will be able to stay open until later, sports competitions can be held at a maximum 50% capacity and hotels and guesthouses can have 100% occupancy. 65 new Covid cases, from over 30,000 tests, were reported in Romania on Friday, as well as 7 fatalities recorded in the last 24 hours. 121 Covid patients are in intensive care. So far, over 4.6 Romanians have received at least one dose of the Covid vaccine, accounting for 25% of the countrys eligible population.
HEALTH – Romanias health insurance system will change from 1st July. Under an emergency order clarifying the application of individual contributions to the medical system, the so-called co-payment, patients will be able to seek treatment in private hospitals, with some of the costs being covered by the state. Each person insured will receive a cost estimate from the clinic where they seek treatment which will be valid for five working days and during which patients will be able to look for other treatment offers. The new provisions will apply to continuous hospitalisation, in particular as a result of surgery, and from next year, also to outpatient care and medical tests.
EDUCATION – The number of pupils and students in the national education system in Romania in the 2020-2021 school year dropped by 31,600 compared with the previous period, now standing at almost 3.5 million. Romania has one teacher for every 15 pupils and students, according to data published on Friday by the National Institute for Statistics. Over the analysed period, 45.5% of the countrys school-age children were in primary and secondary education, 17.8% in high school and 15% in nursery and pre-school education. 73% of Romanias pupils and students studied in the urban area. (EE)
