January 13, 2022

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Newsroom, 13.01.2022, 13:55

COVID-19 Nearly 10,000 new SARS-CoV-2 infections were reported for
the last 24 hours in Romania, along with 36 related deaths, the authorities
announced on Thursday. The incidence rate is on the rise around the country,
including in the capital Bucharest, where it passed 3 cases per 1,000
inhabitants, the city now being in the red tier. This means that restaurants,
cinemas, gyms and other venues can open at 30% capacity. Also, schools where
the vaccine uptake among staff is under 60% will switch to online teaching.
Some 1.8 million COVID-19 cases have been reported in Romania since the
start of the pandemic, and around 60,000 COVID patients died. Amid anti-vaccine
feelings fuelled by certain media outlets, politicians and opinion leaders,
Romania has the second-lowest vaccination rate in the EU.

PROTEST Public education staff are today picketing the headquarters of the
government and of the Social Democratic Party and National Liberal Party in
power. Trade unions in the sector are unhappy
with the government’s failure to increase wages as stipulated by the 2017
Salary Law. The protest is organised by the 3 major trade union federations in
the sector, which argue that the teachers’ net pay raise of only 13 euro per
month as of January 1 triggered overwhelming discontent among employees. The 3
federations are currently holding a poll to decide whether to go on strike over
the matter.

MEETING Europe’s security architecture is being
discussed today by the EU foreign and defence ministers, convening in a meeting
in Brest organised by the French presidency of the EU Council. EU defence
ministers will focus on the situation in Ukraine and the threat posed by
Russia’s military build-up on the Ukrainian border. Another topic on the agenda
is the Strategic Compass project, a roadmap for the Union’s security and
defence by 2030, which stipulates the deployment of 5,000 troops in crisis
situations by 2025. The talks in Brest will be followed by an
informal 2-day meeting of the EU foreign ministers, attended by the High Representative of the European Union
for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borell. Romania
is represented by Bogdan Aurescu. The agenda includes the security developments
in the Eastern Neighbourhood, the EU-China relations and the developments in Mali.
Bogdan Aurescu will present Romania’s assessment of the current security
situation and will reiterate the importance of preserving the unity of the EU
and of maintaining firm and credible deterrence measures concerning Russia.

OSCE The Permanent Council of the OSCE convenes
in Vienna today to carry on the dialogue between Russia, the US and its
European allies. After tense discussions in Geneva between the US deputy
secretary of state Wendy Sherman and Russia’s deputy foreign minister Sergei
Ryabkov, on Wednesday in Brussels NATO and Moscow found that deep differences
remain between their views on security in Europe. The West sees Moscow’s about
100,000 troops deployed on the Ukrainian border as an indication of an
impending attack on that country, a plan that Russia denies.NATO’s
secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, said there is a real risk for a new armed
conflict in Europe, and added that it is up to Russia to de-escalate and
end the crisis. In turn, the EU diplomacy chief Josep Borrell accused Russia of
attempting to rebuild the Soviet bloc in Europe and to divide the US and Europe. Moscow,
on the other hand, says the military build-up is a response to the perceived
growing and threatening presence of NATO in its area of influence.

TENNIS The Romanian players taking part in the Australian
Open, due to begin on Monday, have found out their opponents. In the first
round, Simona Halep (15 WTA and 2018 Australian Open finalist) takes on
Poland’s Magdalena Frech. Sorana Cîrstea (38 WTA) will have a difficult match
against Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic (21 WTA). Irina Begu (58 WTA) plays
against the French Oceane Dodin (96 WTA), and Jaqueline Cristian (73 WTA) will
take on Greet Minnen of Belgium (84 WTA), in her first match at the Australian
Open. Gabriela Ruse (82 WTA), also for the first time in Melbourne, will play
against the Italian Jasmine Paolini (52 WTA). (tr. A.M. Popescu)