Romania Insider Monthly Wrap-up February: Things start to look up!

04 March 2021

Andrei Chirileasa

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This is our monthly overview for Romania Insider members for February. We curate the main topics of the month, to make sure you don't miss the bigger picture, no matter how often you choose to read the news. If you choose to stay away from much of the media frenzy, this monthly bulletin brings the essentials without wasting a lot of time, in a basic visual version, so you can focus on the text alone.

Romania accelerated its COVID-19 vaccination campaign in February and reached almost 1 million vaccinated people at the end of the month. The Romanian authorities also started using the Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines, in addition to the one supplied by Pfizer/BionTech. The new Johnson vaccine should also become available in April. Starting March 15, anyone who wants to get vaccinated in Romania will be able to reserve a spot as the vaccination campaign moves to phase three.

Romania also reopened schools in early-February after a four-month break.

On the political scene, the center-right Government led by Florin Citu completed its budget for 2021, which includes freezing some categories of public expenditures (such as personnel expenses) and higher public investments supported by EU funds. Despite critics from the unions and opposition Social Democrats, the budget passed the Parliament's vote with no changes. The Parliament also adopted a bill that abolishes the special pensions for MPs and former MPs.

The economic recovery in the last quarter of 2020 was stronger than anticipated and determined the analysts to improve their forecasts for this year. As optimism is slowly returning in the local business environment, there are still sectors that suffer due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The hospitality sector, which was among the strongest-hit in 2020, is still waiting for the financial support promised by the Government. The Government's investment grants program has also hit a roadblock after suspicions related to the application process.

Still, there are sectors of the economy that continue to enjoy accelerated growth. The technology sector is one of them, as more international companies expand to Romania either by opening offices here or by takeovers. Romanian tech startups also continue to raise impressive amounts from investors for development. The energy and retail sectors also see a strong pipeline of new projects while the logistics and residential segments drive up the real estate sector.

February has also been a month of changes in the top management of several big multinationals operating in Romania.

Below, you can browse through the most important topics in January, grouped by relevance. By clicking on a title, you can read the whole article on the Romania-Insider.com website.

COVID-19: Vaccination campaign accelerates, schools reopen

Romania reopens schools after three-month break
Most students return to class as schools reopen in Romania
Romania starts using Moderna COVID-19 vaccines
Covid-19: Romania starts using AstraZeneca vaccine
Covid-19: Romania could receive Johnson & Johnson vaccine in April
COVID-19 vaccine: More than 1 mln doses administered in Romania
COVID-19 vaccination campaign: Romania ranks high in the EU for doses administered
RO doctor experiences temporary facial paralysis after getting COVID-19 vaccine
Nearly four in ten Romanians do not plan to vaccinate against COVID-19
Covid-19: Romania starts vaccinating teachers, authorities warn of third wave risk
Romania talks “vaccination passport” with Israel
Romania's Govt. approves first batch of Covid-19 vaccine doses for Moldova
Covid-19: Romania extends state of alert
Covid-19: RO health authorities take into account potential third wave
RO authorities want to suspend companies that ignore measures to combat the pandemic
Health official: No guarantee large RO festivals will be able to take place this summer