A roundup of domestic and international news
COVID-19 IN ROMANIA - Some 2,500 new infections with COVID-19 and 87 related deaths were reported earlier today by the Group for Strategic Communication. Some 594 thousand infections with COVID-19 have been reported in Romania since the start of the pandemic, 84% of people having recovered. The death toll is close to 14,500. 1,255 people are currently in intensive care. The capital city and 8 counties remain in the red zone in terms of the high infection rate. The highest infection rate is reported in Ilfov County around Bucharest, 6.7 per thousand inhabitants. The European Medicines Agency is today expected to approve the anti-COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, already rolled out on the markets in Great Britain, the United States, Canada and Israel. A first symbolic batch of 10,000 dozes is expected to reach Romania on December 26. Authorities say the first shots will be administered to medical staff working in the 10 infectious disease hospitals, who are in the first line of defense against the coronavirus.
MUTATION - The German Presidency of the Council of the European Union has today summoned representatives of Member States to an emergency meeting to answer the threat posed by the latest mutation to the SARS-CoV-2 virus discovered in the United Kingdom. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is also presiding a meeting of the National Emergency Committee to discuss a possible lockdown as a result as of a new strain of the virus now spreading across the country. The mutated virus has also been identified in other EU states as well as in other parts of the world. Numerous countries, including Romania, have temporarily suspended air travel connections with the UK.
PARLIAMENT - The two chambers of the Romanian Parliament will convene today for the first time after the parliamentary election. Before the new legislative session officially starts, the two chambers have to elect their leading structures and the members of specialized committees, which will be interviewing the candidates eying positions in the new Cabinet. 460 MPs representing the Social-Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party, the Save Romania Union - PLUS Alliance, the Alliance for the Union of Romanians and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians will officially take office in the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies today. Also today the National Liberal Party, the Save Romania Union - PLUS Alliance and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians are expected to sign an agreement underlying the new center-right governing coalition. The three parties decided to support a Cabinet led by the current Finance Minister, Liberal Florin Cîţu. The National Liberal Party will allegedly control nine ministries, six ministries have been distributed to the Save Romania Union - PLUS Alliance and three to the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians. As regards the leadership of the two chambers of Parliament, the Save Romania Union - PLUS Alliance will designate the new Senate Speaker while the Liberals will be appointing the Speaker in the Chamber of Deputies. The Social-Democratic Party grabbed the highest number of votes in the December 6 parliamentary election, but couldn't build a majority in Parliament. Social-Democrat president Marcel Ciolacu told his fellow MPs they need to thoroughly prepare for the opposition.
1989 - 31 years ago, the communist revolution started in Timişoara, western Romania, extended to Bucharest and other big cities, sparking a nation-wide movement that led to the demise of the communist regime led by dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu. A day before, Timişoara had become the first city free of communism. On December 21, Ceauşescu called a large rally, meant to condemn the events in Timişoara and muster popular support for the party and state leadership. Yet the reaction of the industrial workers in the capital-city was unexpected. Târgu Mureş, in the center, became the third city in Romania where people rose against the communist regime. Dozens of people were killed on this day all over the country and hundreds were injured. Over a thousand people were arrested at the time.
BREXIT - The European Union and Great Britain are today resuming talks for a new trade agreement, after the initial deadline set by the European Parliament passed last night. Parliament needs time to analyze the agreement. Last night's round of negotiations bore no results, as the EU Chief Negotiator for Brexit Michel Barnier, posted on Twitter "We respect the sovereignty of the UK. And we expect the same". Significant divergences still remain over fishing rights and fair competition rules. The trade deal comprises all sectors of cooperation between the EU and the UK. The absence of consensus in any of the sectors would thus render an agreement impossible. (V. Palcu)
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