February 16, 2022 UPDATE

Click here for a news update

Newsroom, 16.02.2022, 19:45

Covid-19 RO – 17,447 new cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection have been reported in the last 24 hours and 183 deaths, 12 of which from previous days – the Strategic Communication Group reported on Wednesday. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, two years ago, over 2.5 million cases of COVID-19 have been registered in Romania, and almost 62 thousand people diagnosed with the novel coronavirus have died. The country has the second lowest vaccination rate among the 27 EU members, after Bulgaria.

Kiev — The Romanian embassy in Kiev, in neighboring Ukraine, is fully operational, the FM Bogdan Aurescu said on Wednesday. During his hearing in the foreign policy committees of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies on the security developments in the Black Sea basin, Bogdan Aurescu announced that the procedure was completed for the repatriation to Romania of the family members of the diplomatic staff at the Romanian embassy in Kiev (central Ukraine) and from the consulate general in Odessa (south, a port on the Black Sea). The other two consular missions, which are at Solotvino in Transcarpathia and Cernăuţi in northern Bukovina, both in western Ukraine, were not targeted by the measure, as they are located in regions with a higher degree of security – the minister added. Aurescu said that all the embassies of the EU member states in Kiev have the same logic of operation and it was important to send a unitary message.

Paris — The EU leaders will meet on Thursday to discuss the massive build-up of Russian troops on the Ukrainian border, officials in Brussels have said. They pointed out that the meeting was not a reaction to certain special developments, but an opportunity to exchange views and keep up to date with the latest information. No conclusions will be issued after the meeting. The ad hoc meeting will take place ahead of the long-planned EU-Africa summit. The Romanian president, Klaus Iohannis, will also be present in Brussels.

NATO – NATO has tasked its military commanders with setting the details for the deployment of battle groups on the Alliances southeastern flank in response to the build-up of Russian troops on Ukraines borders, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in Brussels on Wednesday. Speaking to the press after a meeting of the allied defense ministers, Stoltenberg explained that the ministers decided to develop options to further strengthen defense and deterrence, including considering the establishment of new NATO combat groups in central, eastern and south-eastern Europe. According to Jens Stoltenberg the NATO military commanders will set the details and report within weeks. New battle groups, if approved, will be carried out in Romania and in the Black Sea region, he went on to say. ‘We have increased our presence in the east in a defensive way and we are considering increasing it even more. Romania is ready to host a tactical group, France is ready to command it, and several allies want to participate in this multinational force, but no final decision has been made’, Jens Stoltenberg added.

Aid – The Romanian government on Wednesday approved an aid scheme for the hospitality industry, severely affected by the pandemic. An emergency ordinance has also been adopted that allows the running of a credit scheme for the SMEs with a subsidized interest. Also on Wednesday, a joint order was published in the Official Gazette, which establishes the way of settling the amounts granted by the state to the electricity and gas suppliers for the compensation of the bills. Approximately 90% of the Romanian population currently benefits from this scheme. Moreover, starting with February 1 until the end of March, all non-household consumers benefit from the compensation scheme, except for the big energy consumers, said the energy minister Virgil Popescu. On the other hand, farmers will have free access to irrigation water this year as well, and the Organizations of Irrigation Water Users will receive up to 50% compensation for their electricity costs. (LS)