Thursday, 1 October 2020

The Romanian President attends the European Council Meeting in Brussels

The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, participates on Thursday and Friday in the European Council Meeting in Brussels. Topics on the agenda include the European Union’s single market, and industrial and digital policies. European leaders will also address foreign policy issues, mainly the Community Forum’s relations with China and Turkey. President Klaus Iohannis calls for a strong and strengthened single market that can support the development of the member states. The development of transport infrastructure, energy, environment, as well as digital infrastructure is essential for countries such as Romania, located on the geographical periphery of the Union, said Klaus Iohannis. The Romanian head of state also mentions that the single market involves, in addition to indisputable opportunities, challenges in the social field. Thus, it is necessary to protect vulnerable groups, including seasonal workers whose situation needs to be improved through joint action by the European institutions and the Member States. On the other hand, the Romanian President welcomes the importance given at EU level to the process of digital transformation of Europe.

The Romanian authorities to adopt new quarantine rules for international travellers

The Romanian authorities intend to adopt new quarantine rules, from Monday, applied to people coming to Romania from countries with a higher level of infection than in Romania, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban announced. He expressed concern about the large number of new cases of coronavirus and said he wanted more seriousness in the implementation of health measures. Romanian Prime Minister stressed the need to implemented, because no joint decision has been taken at European Union level on how people will move between countries, even though there have been discussions on the issue. The Prime Minister said that the new restrictions will take into account the period of time that a person will spend in Romania. „For those who come to Romania and stay for a maximum period of three days, the obligation of quarantine will not be imposed, if they come with a negative COVID-19 test, performed 48 hours before entering the country. If they want to stay more than three days, they will have two options: quarantine for 14 days or, if they do not want to stay in quarantine for 14 days, on the fifth day of the stay they will perform the test, and if the test it is negative, they will get out of quarantine”, declared the Prime Minister Ludovic Orban. The new quarantine measures would be adopted on Monday, at the meeting of the National Committee for Emergency Situations.

The price of energy on the Romanian market is the highest in the region

The price of energy on the Romanian market was the highest in the region in the early hours of Thursday morning. Romania will import electricity throughout the day, according to data from the energy exchange Opcom and Transelectrica. The spot price of energy in Romania is 47.41 euros per megawatt/hour, while in Hungary it is 26 euros, and in the Czech Republic and Slovakia 46 euros. At 10:40 a.m., Romania’s consumption was 7,387 megawatts, production of only 6,654 megawatts, the difference of 734 megawatts representing imports.

EBRD worsens growth projection for Romania in the next 2 years due to the pandemic crisis

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has worsened its estimates regarding the economic evolution of Romania, in the next 2 years, due to the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, it is shown in a report published Thursday by the international financial institution. According to the latest forecasts of the EBRD, the Romanian economy would register in 2020 a decrease of 5% compared to a decline of 4% anticipated in May. For 2021, the EBRD expects a 3% increase in gross domestic product, compared to a 4% advance forecast in May. Currently, the unemployment rate in Romania decreased to 5.3% in August, being 0.1% lower than in July, informs the National Institute of Statistics (INS). The unemployment rate for men is 1.4% higher than for women. As the authorities relaxed the restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of unemployed estimated for August decreased to 479,000 people, compared to 484,000 in the previous month. The number of unemployed registered in August remains well above the value recorded in the same month of the previous year – 347,000 people without a job, says INS./mbaciu

Magda Baciu – RADOR