RODICA

Romania's Q1 2020 FOB/CIF trade balance deficit reached 4.46 billion euros, up 732.4 million on Q1 2019, shows data with the National Institute of Statistics (INS) released on Monday. Official statistics also show that between January 1 and March 31, 2020, FOB exports amounted to 17.07 billion euros and CIF imports amounted to 21.53 billion euros.

The European Union will no longer be the same after the novel coronavirus pandemic, and a rethinking process of the manner of action and role worldwide is important and necessary, political analyst Radu Magdin told AGERPRES on Friday, in the context of Europe Day being celebrated on Saturday.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban asked all ministries to present by Friday proposals for the normative act regarding the transition from the state of emergency to the state of alert, but also regarding the measures which are to be extended, such as the furlough or the leave for parents. The drawn up of the draft bill will be coordinated by Vice Prime Minister Raluca Turcan.

The Government will use the Reserve Fund to purchase tablets destined to the pupils who don't have access to online classes and also for the necessary expenses to distribute masks to vulnerable persons, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban said on Thursday.

President Klaus Iohannis said on Thursday that the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and its 'acolytes' are doing all possible for authorities' effort to fail in respect to managing the current crisis. He labeled the CCR view as "surprising" and maintained that, without the sanctions imposed during the state of emergency, there would have been more deaths.

Five more persons infected with the novel coronavirus have died, the COVID-19 death toll thus reaching 886, the Strategic Communication Group (GCS) has informed on Thursday. It is about four women and one man aged between 69 and 85. AGERPRES (RO - author: Roberto Stan, editor: Claudia Stanescu; EN - author: Adina Panaitescu, editor: Rodica State)

President Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday had a telephone conversation with his Georgian counterpart Salome Zourabichvili, at the Georgian side's request, the Presidential Administration informed. The discussion aimed at both the COVID-19 pandemic developments and the bilateral relations.

Interim Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Marcel Ciolacu has announced on Friday that the party he leads will file a complaint with the National Council for Combating Discrimination (CNCD) against President Klaus Iohannis for "incitement to hatred based on the spreading of false information," following the statements regarding the draft law on the autonomy of the Szeklerland.

Interior Minister Marcel Vela calls on the citizens to have "a correct behavior" these days and not hit the streets in large numbers. "Life was unpredictable and brought us in the middle of a global pandemic. (...) Let's have a correct behavior.

A number of 327 new cases of persons infected with the novel coronavirus have been registered in Romania since the latest information, the total number of cases thus reaching 12,567, the Strategic Communication Group (GCS) informed on Friday. From among the persons who tested positive for the novel coronavirus, 4,328 were declared recovered and discharged.