June 13, 2025 UPDATE
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 13.06.2025, 19:54
NEGOTIATIONS – The interim president of the National Liberal Party (PNL), Ilie Bolojan, said Friday that corrective measures will be taken to reduce the budget deficit, most of which are unpopular but necessary and voiced hope that parties would complete talks next week. The leaders of the four pro-European parties in the Bucharest Parliament and the experts of the technical working group continue political negotiations in an attempt to reach a consensus on measures to reduce the budget deficit. In recent days, there have been several rounds of talks, first at the government headquarters, then at the Cotroceni Palace, in the presence of the head of state, Nicuşor Dan. PSD, PNL, USR and UDMR have divergent opinions on topics such as the flat tax rate, the increase in the health contribution and the reduction of state spending. In this context, Cristian Popa, member of the Board of Directors of the National Bank of Romania (BNR), said that the problem of the budget deficit is not only a technical concern of specialists, but also a social one and that there is an urgency in reducing it. The BNR representative specified that the state must take measures to improve collection and only after that act at the level of taxation, if needed. On Monday, President Nicuşor Dan also invited representatives of the trade unions to discussions after their members protested in front of the presidential headquarters, unhappy with the tax reform proposals.
IRAN – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest (MAE) informs Romanian citizens who are inside, transiting or intending to travel to Iran, that the security situation is extremely volatile and unpredictable, following the Israeli attacks on Friday morning. Given the high risk of military escalation, the MAE strongly recommends avoiding travel to Iran in the upcoming period, urgent departure from Iranian territory by Romanian citizens in the area, via available commercial flights or other safe means and permanent monitoring of announcements made by local and international authorities. Romanian citizens can request assistance from the Romanian Consular Section in Tehran at +98 21 77647570, email: teheran.consul@mae.ro. The MAE is monitoring developments in the region with priority and will constantly update travel alerts, according to a press release from the ministry. Israel launched strikes on Iran on Friday, suspected of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. The attacks, carried out by more than 200 fighter jets, also included Mossad commando operations inside Iranian territory. The targets were uranium enrichment sites, oil facilities, military bases and high-ranking military personnel and scientists involved in the nuclear program. Among the victims was the head of the Revolutionary Guards, the ideological army of the Tehran regime. In response, Iran launched more than 100 drones in the direction of Israel, but all were destroyed before reaching their destination.
CORRUPTION – The head of the Brăila Gendarmerie (south-eastern Romania), Colonel Nicolae Iulian Albăceanu, has been placed under judicial control for 60 days and is prohibited from exercising his position. He is accused by anti-corruption prosecutors of having carried out business activities which are incompatible with the position he holds. The commander of the institution is allegedly involved in real estate activities and fuel business and has brought, through intermediaries, workers from Asia, whom he used at the fast food restaurants he owns. He has even bought a plane with the money he earned illegally.
RADIO – The International Radio Drama Festival staged by Radio Romania will take place between June 16-20. Some 24 radio productions from around the world are present in the two sections of the competition – Drama and Short Forms. Auditions for the plays are scheduled between June 16-19, and each day of the festival will end with a Q&A session with representatives of the participating productions. The awards gala is held on Friday, June 20.
SALARY – The average net salary in Romania in April was 5,647 lei (the equivalent of about 1,120 euros), down by 44 lei (-0.8%) compared to March 2025, according to data supplied by the National Institute of Statistics on Friday. The average gross salary was 9,415 lei, 80 lei (-0.8%) lower than that recorded in March 2025. The highest values of the average net salary were recorded in the extraction of crude oil and natural gas (14,021 lei) and in IT service activities (12,599 lei), and the lowest in hotels and restaurants (3,332 lei) and in the manufacture of clothing (3,430 lei). (EE)
