August 4, 2021 UPDATE

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Newsroom, 04.08.2021, 19:59

Covid-19 Romania ▪ The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday stated that the COVID-19 pandemic could not be defeated by discrimination, by restrictive measures, but through vaccination, by raising public awareness, because immunization inhibits the development of the disease. According to Klaus Iohannis, the drop in the number of SARS-CoV-2 cases was possible due to vaccination, and Romanians must understand that, unless they continue to get vaccinated, there is a risk of a fourth pandemic wave, as it has already happened in other European states. In another move, the Education Minister, Sorin Câmpeanu, has stated that school will start on September 13 with pupils physically attending classes. He ruled out mandatory vaccination for the education staff, but encouraged them to get vaccinated. Minister Câmpeanu has stated that, this month, information campaigns on the importance of vaccination for the education staff will be run again, to help increase the level of immunization by the start of the new school year. The number of new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in 24 hours continues to rise. 271 new cases were reported on Wednesday in Romania, out of almost 30 thousand tests. The number of coronavirus patients in hospitals continues to increase. Of the 456 hospitalized people, 67 are in intensive care.

Recovery ▪ Portugal, Luxembourg and Belgium are the first states to receive money under the National Recovery and Resilience Plans. This is a down-payment for amounts promised under the EUs post-pandemic recovery fund, totaling 800 billion Euros. According to a statement, this month, the European Commission will make payments to other member countries as well. All states, except the Netherlands and Bulgaria, have submitted their recovery plans to the European Commission for approval. Romania has not yet received the green light to benefit from the European money. Recently, the German publication Die Welt has written that Romanias plan is regarded with skepticism, and the Commission will decide on it by the end of September. The Romanian Prime Minister Florin Cîţu has stated, though, that 95% of the Plan was negotiated with the European Union.

Fire ▪ New vegetation fires are breaking out in the north of the Mediterranean, despite the efforts made by firefighters, who have been battling the flames for more than a week. Greece, Turkey, Albania, Bulgaria and Italy are on the list of countries where fire has so far destroyed thousands of hectares of forest and vegetation. Hundreds of people have been evacuated almost daily. In Turkey, where 8 people have been killed by the fire, emergency services have managed to contain hundreds of fires, but new outbreaks are caused by the hot wind. In Greece, the fire reached a neighborhood on the outskirts of Athens, destroying many houses. The country is facing the worst heat wave in decades. The EU has sent planes, helicopters and firefighters to help these countries fight the fires.

Moldova ▪ In the Republic of Moldova (an ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian-speaking population), the future pro-European government is to be invested, on Friday, by the Parliament dominated by the Action and Solidarity Party (PAS), founded by President Maia Sandu. Last week, she nominated Natalia Gavriliţă for the position of prime minister, after being proposed by PAS, which, with 63 out of 101 deputy seats, has a comfortable majority in the Moldovan Parliament. The new Cabinet will have 13 ministries. Its immediate priorities include the efficient management of the health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the reform of the judiciary and the fight against corruption, the increase of the populations income and the resumption of external financing.

Attack ▪ The representatives of Great Britain, Romania and Liberia have informed the UN Security Council that it is “very likely” that the Iranian forces have used one or more drones to carry out a deadly attack on an oil tanker off the coast of Oman last week. “This act must be condemned by the international community,” the representatives of the three countries said in a letter to the council, which was obtained by Reuters. On Wednesday, Romania, the United Kingdom and the United States reiterated the “deliberate nature” of the attack on the Mercer Street ship, attributed to the Islamic Republic of Iran on the basis of available information, and warned that the incident was a “clear violation of international law.” The permanent missions of the three countries to NATO have agreed on a joint approach at NATO level, in this case. Two crew members, a Romanian and a Briton, died in the July 29 attack. The EU and NATO have strongly condemned the drone attack off the coast of Oman on an Israeli-operated oil tanker, and Washington has promised a “collective response” along with its allies against Iran. Also Wednesday, Israel accused that the head of the drone command of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and the commander of the air force is behind the attack, according to the daily Haaretz, quoted by Agerpres. (LS)