December 19, 2025 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 19.12.2025, 19:55
Ukraine. European leaders, who gathered on Thursday in Brussels, decided to help Ukraine with €90 billion through a loan with interest paid from the EU budget. This was the compromise solution for Kyiv’s urgent financial needs, in the absence of an agreement on the use of Russian assets frozen in Europe. Present at the meeting, Romanian President Nicuşor Dan said that Ukraine would return the money after the end of the conflict, when Russia would pay war reparations. According to him, it was the fastest solution available and sends a clear signal of European support for Kyiv. Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic opposed the use of Russian assets. Belgium also expressed reservations in the absence of guarantees of support in the face of threats of retaliation from Moscow. Although European leaders failed to reach an agreement on the use of Russian cash, they decided instead to freeze it for the long term, and the Union said it reserves the right to use it to pay off the loan granted to Ukraine. In a message on social network X, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his satisfaction with the €90 billion loan granted by the European Union to his country. He also said that it is important that Russian assets remain frozen.
Government. The Political Committee of the USR, a party in the four-party coalition in power in Bucharest, approved on Friday the proposals for Senator Irineu Darău to take over the post of Minister of Economy, and that the current holder of this portfolio, Radu Miruţă, should remain at the Ministry of Defense, which he is leading on an interim basis following the resignation of Ionuţ Moşteanu. USR leader Dominic Fritz said he had consulted with the Romanian president before making these appointments and gave assurances that the two ministers-designate had the necessary qualifications to fill these positions. We recall that the former Minister of Defense, Ionuţ Moşteanu, resigned at the end of November following a scandal in which his studies were called into question.
Salaries. The planned increase in the minimum wage in Romania from the middle of next year is a source of discontent for both employees and employers. Employees are demanding that the measure be implemented from the first day of 2026 and point out that prices and taxes have risen, while working conditions are getting worse. Approximately 4,000 trade unionists from four confederations protested on Thursday in front of the Presidency headquarters. They are asking the head of state, Nicuşor Dan, to mediate the conflict between the unions and the government. Employers, on the other hand, argue that the increase is not at all appropriate in the current economic context. We recall that representatives of the governing coalition have decided to increase the gross minimum salary to 4,325 lei (approx. 850 euros) starting July 1, 2026. According to the Ministry of Labor, nearly 1.76 million employees will benefit from this increase.
Immigration. The recruitment of foreign workers will be more strictly regulated in Romania. The government is preparing a bill to this effect, which will be put up for public debate in a few days, confirmed Labor Minister Florin Manole. According to him, there will be provisions regarding knowledge of Romanian or English. Recruitment agencies will also be monitored more closely. The General Inspectorate for Immigration reported that between January 1 and November 30 this year, over 100,000 residence permits were issued to foreigners who chose to live legally in Romania, which has become an increasingly popular option for work, study, or long-term settlement.
OECD. Romania has become the first country to obtain associate member status of the Development Assistance Committee of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The international forum coordinates official assistance to developing countries, the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Friday. According to a press release, Romania’s accession to this Committee follows the steady increase in recent years in the volume of official development assistance provided by Romania, as well as the strengthening of Romania’s profile as a consistent, predictable, and credible donor at the international level. In 2024, the total value of official development assistance exceeded $539 million, representing 0.16% of gross national income. Ten countries in the wider Black Sea region, the Western Balkans, the Middle East, and Africa are beneficiaries, with the Republic of Moldova being Romania’s priority partner.
Helicopter. An S-70 Black Hawk helicopter, fully funded by the European Union through the rescEU program, landed at the headquarters of the General Aviation Inspectorate of the Romanian Ministry of the Interior, it was announced in Bucharest on Friday. After completion of the reception procedures, the aircraft will be ready to take off to save lives anywhere in Europe, said Secretary of State Raed Arafat. The helicopter can be used for forest firefighting, search and rescue missions, including the use of a winch to extract victims from hard-to-reach areas or from the sea, for evacuation and emergency medical transport. The aircraft is part of a strategic European fleet, distributed across several member states, consisting of five medium-heavy helicopters and ten Canadair aircraft, designed to ensure a rapid and effective response to disasters at European level. (MI)
