May 20, 2025 UPDATE (1)
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 20.05.2025, 17:14
RESIGNATION – Former Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has resigned as president of the Social-Democratic Party (PSD), the main party in the ruling coalition in Romania. The decision was taken on the sidelines of the meeting of the party’s Political Council, which convened on Tuesday to conduct an extensive analysis of the party’s situation after the presidential election and determine the next steps for the party. Two options are being analyzed: either staying in power alongside pro-European forces or entering the opposition. Some Social-Democrats argue in favor of a party-wide reconstruction in order to regain the trust of baseline voters and, political sources argue, to prepare for the upcoming election. As such, a profound reform is needed and one option would be to enter the opposition by supporting a minority government in Parliament, with specific negotiations for the adoption of legislative projects. We recall that, in the presidential election of November 2024, later annulled by the Constitutional Court, Marcel Ciolacu failed to pass the first round, and in the election held earlier this month, Crin Antonescu, the representative of the PSD-PNL-UDMR ruling coalition, also did not advance to the presidential runoff. Following these failures, Marcel Ciolacu resigned as Prime Minister. The interim president of PSD will be Transport Minister, Sorin Grindeanu, first vice-president of PSD.
COMMEMORATION – “Romania has been an active supporter of peace in the region, ‘firmly’ condemning anti-Semitism, terrorism and any form of extreme violence”, acting Senate Speaker, Mircea Abrudean, said in a solemn session of Parliament marking the Day of Solidarity and Friendship between Romania and the State of Israel. According to the Romanian official, Israel is “Romania’s closest ally in the Middle East and a trusted partner at global leve”. In turn, the president of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Romania, MP Silviu Vexler, said the Parliament session is an excellent opportunity to reiterate and develop the strong and friendly relationship between the two countries. The 77 years of uninterrupted diplomatic ties testify to the solidity of Romanian-Israeli friendship and open new vistas for developing closer cooperation in the future, according to the memorandum approved on May 12 by the joint permanent bureaus of the two chambers.
SANCTIONS – EU Foreign Ministers have adopted the 17th package of sanctions against Russia on Tuesday, the EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas and the EU Council announced on Tuesday. The measures are designed to cut off Russia’s access to key military technologies and limit Moscow’s energy revenues, which fuel its war of aggression against Ukraine, targeting its ghost fleet of oil tankers, their operators and major Russian oil producers. By adding 75 new names – 17 individuals and 58 entities – to the list of sanctions, the EU’s restrictive measures, which punish actions that undermine or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty or independence of Ukraine, now apply to 2,400 individuals and entities. Romania was represented at in the meeting by Foreign Minister, Emil Hurezeanu. (VP)
