October 26, 2021 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 26.10.2021, 20:00

COVID-19 – The epidemiological
situation remains complicated in Romania, as more than 16,700 new cases and 523
new fatalities, including 12 recorded earlier, were reported in the last 24
hours, according to official data published on Tuesday. Also, 1,867 Covid
patients are in intensive care. These are the second highest daily figures for
new infections and fatalities since the start of the pandemic, with the highest
being recorded on October 19. Amid this dramatic situation, an increasing
number of people are getting the Covid vaccine. More than 111,000 people
received their first jab in the last 24 hours, which is a record high. The
total number of fully jabbed people in this country has exceeded 6 million.

TREATMENT – The European
Commission established a portfolio of ten potential therapeutics for Covid-19.
These will become available across the European Union as fast as possible,
provided their safety and effectiveness are confirmed by the European Medicines
Agency. The list of ten is divided into three categories of treatments: antiviral
monoclonal antibodies that are most effective in the earliest stages of
infection; oral antivirals for use as quickly as possible after the infection;
and immunomodulators to treat hospitalized patients. According to the EU
Commissioner for Health Stella Kyriakides, four joint procurement
contracts for different Covid-19 treatments have already been signed.

VISIT – Romanian president
Klaus Iohannis will be travelling to Egypt on Wednesday on an official visit at
the invitation of his counterpart Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. The visit comes
against the backdrop of very good bilateral dialogue in recent years and the
anniversary of 115 years of diplomatic relations between Romania and Egypt. The
two presidents are expected to discuss concrete ways to boost political and
diplomatic dialogue and cooperation at all levels, including economic, by
stimulating trade exchanges and investments. Talks will also look at
international issues, with emphasis on the latest political and security
developments in the Middle East and the mediation efforts in certain areas of
interest to both parties. Iohannis is also due to meet the speaker of the
Egyptian Parliament’s Chamber of Representatives, Hanafy Ali El-Gebaly, and the
speaker of the Senate, Abdel-Wahab Abdel-Razeq.

GOVERNMENT – Prime Minister
designate Nicolae Ciucă on Tuesday published an open letter addressed
to parliamentary parties, offering a political truce in return for their
support of a minority government made up of the National Liberal Party and the
Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania. The Prime Minister says
Romania is in a difficult epidemiological and political situation, and two
consecutive attempts at forming a Cabinet have failed in the last three weeks. The
Social Democrats made their support conditional on the new government’s
committing to implement ten urgent measures in the healthcare and economic
sectors. The Save Romania Union is not in favour of a minority government and
is proposing instead the restoration of the ruling coalition it used to be part
of from last December until September this year, when it withdrew from
government over a conflict with prime minister Florin Citu. Citu went on
to lose a confidence vote in Parliament. Nicolae Ciucă has until the end of the
week to propose a new government and programme. Meanwhile, former Prime
Minister and Chamber of Deputies Speaker, Ludovic Orban, resigned from the
group of Liberals in the Chamber of Deputies, and announced he is now an
unaffiliated MP. In a speech before Parliament, Orban referred to what he has
termed an artificial political crisis, saying the main ruling party was torn
to pieces against the backdrop of the health and economic crisis. Citizens
were left without a fully-fledged government and the country is adrift, Orban
went on to say. We recall Orban lost the leadership of PNL to the outgoing
Prime Minister, Florin Cîţu.

DEFICIT – Romania’s budget
deficit hit 3.77% of GDP in the first 9 months of the year, down 2.6% compared
with the similar period last year. Budget revenues grew by 18.7% in the first
nine months of this year, more than over the same period last year, according
to the finance ministry. Consolidated budget expenditure went up by 6.7%
compared with the same period in 2020.

TENNIS – Two Romanian
players, Irina Begu and Irina Bara, played each other on Tuesday Transylvania
Open, a WTA 250 tennis tournament hosted by the western Romanian city of Cluj
Napoca and worth over 235,000 dollars in prize money. Another Romanian player,
Jaqueline Cristian, on Tuesday won against Slovenia’s Kaja Juvan, 3-6, 7-6, 7-6. On Monday,
Ana Bogdan defeated Serbia’s Ivana Jorovic to reach the second round. Another
two Romanian players, Alexandra Ignatik and Andreea Prisăcariu, were eliminated
in the first round. (CM & VP)