Sofia – ‘Bulgarije is ziek. Veel Bulgaren is het om het even of ze aan hart- en vaatziekten, longkanker of corona overlijden.’ Tsvetelia Tsolova, al vijftien jaar Bulgarije-correspondente voor het Britse persagentschap Reuters, verwoordt wat ook in de straten van Sofia opvalt: ondanks dat het land de hoogste besmettingscijfers heeft en gemiddeld het meeste aantal coronadoden in de EU, nemen Bulgaren het niet zo nauw met verplichte QR-codes en mondkapjes in cafés, restaurants en andere publieke ruimtes.
In Bulgarije is er vannacht een tragisch busongeval gebeurd, met al minstens 45 doden waaronder ook kinderen. Correspondent Frank Elbers geeft een stand van zaken.
With infections on a downward trend and the number of Romanians that daily succumb to the coronavirus also going down, discussions about a mandatory green certificate for employees are stalled in Parliament. The infighting among the Liberals has come to a climax with the PNL expelling its former president, Ludovic Orban. Meanwhile the PNL is exploring a merger with the PMP. And, more urgently, negotiating forming a government with the PSD and UDMR.
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“Wat heel typisch is voor veel arbeidsmigranten is dat ze zich laten informeren door media in het land van herkomst. In Bulgarije is een enorme wildgroei aan complotverhalen.” Mijn bijdragen aan reportage over lage vaccinatiegraad Bulgaarse migranten in Nederland.
Prime minister-designate Nicolae Ciucă held negotiations with parties in Parliament this week and will present his cabinet line-up this weekend. Romanians came out in huge numbers to get the anti-COVID-19 jab.
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Sweeping new corona restrictions were introduced yesterday as infections and deaths are soaring. As of Monday, schools will be closed, a curfew put in place for unvaccinated people and a ban on sporting events, weddings and christening parties. Green certificates will become mandatory. President Klaus Iohannis called the current situation “catastrophic”. He appointed a new prime minister-designate, reserve general Nicolae Ciucă, who promised to negotiate “with all the responsible forces” so that a new government will be formed and approved by Parliament soonest.
This and much more in this week’s Romanian Dispatch. If you like it, why not pass it on? New readers can subscribe here.
The corona pandemic does not let up in Romania. Mobile hospitals have re-opened and the first patients have been transferred to Hungary in order to relief intensive care units. President Iohannis appointed the leader of the reformist USR to form a new government. And along with other nuclear powers, Romania publicly appealed to EU leaders to consider nuclear energy on par with other low-carbon sources.
This and more in this week’s Romanian Dispatch. If you like it, why not pass it on? New readers can subscribe here.
After having weathered the pandemic well for 18 months, coronavirus infections are now skyrocketing. A devastating milestone of 15,000 daily infections was recorded this week — the highest number since the start of the health crisis. The problem is compounded due to a government crisis that has been raging for months; parliament toppled the centrist government on Tuesday.
This and more in this week’s Romanian Dispatch. If you like it, why not pass it on? New readers can subscribe here.
We are back after a summer hiatus! The next few days will determine the fate of Prime Minister Florin Cîțu and his (rump) cabinet. After winning the PNL leadership last weekend, will he survive the motion(s) of non-confidence from the opposition and his former governing partner, USR-PLUS? Will there be a new cabinet or will Romanians go to the polls for the first early elections since 1990?
‘GypsyCoin zal Roma over de hele wereld met elkaar verbinden’, zegt Daniel Cioabă. De Roemeen uit de Transsylvanische stad Sibiu creëerde een nieuwe cryptomunt om Roma-gemeenschappen in Roemenië en elders te helpen. ‘We verwachten dat de munt zo snel mogelijk wordt genoteerd op beurzen, zoals Binance, Crypto.com en andere’, zegt de investeerder.
