February 5, 2025
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 05.02.2025, 13:55
BUDGET – The state budget for 2025 is being debated in a joint plenary session of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, after it was approved, on February 1, by the ruling coalition government. The budget focuses on development, Finance Minister Tánczos Barna said, with record funds allotted to investments and with provisions for reducing public spending. The Romanian official gave details regarding the figures underlying this year’s budget: an economic growth rate of 2.5% and an average inflation rate of 4.4 percent. The main target of the government is to reduce the budget deficit to 7% of GDP, without taking into account, however, increases in taxes and duties.
MEETING – The president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, on Tuesday, met in Bucharest with the European Commission Vice-President, Romanian Roxana Mînzatu. The two discussed the role of education in combating disinformation and manipulation, as well as strengthening the democratic resilience of European societies. Commissioner Mînzatu, who takes charge of Social Rights and Employment, highlighted the need for investments in basic skills, technical and vocational education.
AMBASSADORS – Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu is today meeting the ambassadors of the EU member states accredited in Bucharest. The meeting is hosted by the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU. Poland took over the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union from Hungary on January 1, 2025, for a period of six months, in a difficult geopolitical context, with European security, support for Ukraine and the consolidation of the economy as its top priorities.
INVESTIGATION – The Bucharest Court of Appeal is today ruling on the proposals for the preemptive arrest of 11 people detained in the Nordis investigation. The list includes the former PSD head of the Chamber of Deputies’ Legal Committee, Laura Vicol, and her husband, Vladimir Ciorbă, the main shareholders of Nordis. According to prosecutors, the two allegedly spent huge amounts of money on goods and services exclusively for their personal benefit, after tricking clients into buying apartments in buildings that were no longer built. Ioana Băsescu, the eldest daughter of former president Traian Băsescu, and former PSD deputy Andreea Cosma, were also deposed in the investigation for their involvement in the Nordis affair as public notaries. The total amount embezzled reportedly exceeds 70 million EUR.
PROPOSAL – Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia have categorically dismissed the proposal of US President Donald Trump, made in a press conference at the White House alongside the Israeli Prime Minister, regarding the takeover of the Gaza Strip by the United States and the relocation of Palestinians to other areas in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia has stated that it will not establish relations with Israel without the creation of a Palestinian state. Also, the leadership of the Islamist group Hamas has said that the plan to relocate the population of Gaza would be a recipe for chaos and tensions in the region.
HALEP – The tennis world has reacted following Romanian player Simona Halep’s announcement that she was retiring. Halep made the announcement on Tuesday evening in Cluj-Napoca (northwest), after losing in the first round of the Transylvania Open. The organizers of the Roland Garros Grand Slam tournament, which Halep won in 2018, conveyed a message on X: “Our 2018 champion, Simona Halep, has announced her retirement. We wish you all the best for the next chapter in your life, Simona”. The organizers of the Wimbledon tournament also commented on the Romanian’s announcement: “Our 2019 singles champion, @Simona_Halep, has ended her professional tennis career – we wish her all the best after her retirement”. (VP)
