April 29, 2025 UPDATE

A roundup of local and world news

Newsroom, 29.04.2025, 20:00

SUMMIT The leaders of the Three Seas Initiative, convening in Warsaw on Tuesday, took stock of the 10 years since the establishment of this platform for dialogue and cooperation between countries in central and eastern EU and set the directions for the next decade. The participants looked at how investments can be boosted and strategic interconnection projects in the fields of energy, transport and IT can be implemented, with a view to encourage economic development and bridge the gaps to the western part of the Union. Romania was represented by the interim president Ilie Bolojan. At a business forum on the sidelines of the summit, he stated that this is a complicated period, in which the economic landscape is being reconfigured. In his opinion, the Three Seas Initiative is becoming increasingly relevant, connectivity is its essence, and the potential of the region is immense. Bolojan also said that Romania, thanks to its geographical position and economic capacity, plays an important role in this equation. Constanta, Romania’s largest Black Sea port, confirms its strategic position as an important hub on the Europe-Caucasus-Asia International Transport Corridor, the Romanian official explained. He also mentioned that the planned building of reactors 3 and 4 at the Cernavodă nuclear power plant is making progress, and the strategic Black Sea natural gas project ‘Neptun Deep,’ vital for regional energy security, continues, with an estimated start of production in 2027.

BLAST The defence ministry reported on Tuesday that an explosion followed by a fire occurred in the premises of the Army Artillery Laboratory in Pantelimon (near Bucharest), as a result of which a civilian employee died. According to the source, the blast occurred as the 47-year-old female, employed as a technician since 2019, was performing physical and chemical tests on explosive and pyrotechnic materials. Military firefighters and police went to the scene. A criminal investigation was initiated, looking into offences that include destruction, failure to take and comply with the required occupational safety and health measures, and manslaughter. The police say that the case is under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Military Prosecutor’s Office attached to the Bucharest Military Court.

DEFENCE The US State Department has approved the sale of a MIM-104 Patriot missile system to Romania, the US Embassy in Bucharest announced, indicating that the system will replace the one that Romania supplied to Ukraine in September 2024. According to the source, the MIM-104 Patriot system includes a radar set and two launch stations. “Patriot can detect and shoot down a wide range of ballistic and airborne missile threats, and this acquisition will strengthen Romania’s ability to deter aggression in the Black Sea region,” the US Embassy in Bucharest said. With an estimated cost of USD 262 million, the system will be purchased through grants from a group of NATO donors. Washington appreciates the continued support that Romania has provided to Ukraine, including the donation of a Patriot system to support the defence of this country, said the US Ambassador to Bucharest, Kathleen Kavalec, who also said that Romania’s commitment to integrated air defence strengthens the protection of the Romanian territory and the NATO alliance, making the US and its allies safer.

DRONES A new air alert was reported in Romania, in the Danube Delta, after a Russian drone attack near the Ukrainian border. Shortly before midnight, the residents of Sulina heard loud explosions and, for the first time since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, they received several RO-ALERT messages. Residents of three other villages in the area also received warning messages. One of the drones reportedly entered briefly Romanian territory. Two F-16 aircraft of the Romanian Air Force and two Eurofighters of the Italian Air Force, in air police combat service, took off successively from the 86th Borcea Air Base and the 57th Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base and carried out surveillance and protection missions of Romania’s airspace, said the defence ministry spokesman, Major General Constantin Spînu. Military units conducted searches in the area on Tuesday, and carry on airspace surveillance missions, the ministry also said.

VETERANS DAY The Romanian defence ministry Tuesday organised military and religious ceremonies at heroes’ monuments in Bucharest and across the country, on the occasion of the War Veterans Day. Marked annually on April 29, the War Veterans Day was established in 2007, in recognition of the heroism shown by the Romanians who fought in World War II and in memory of the day when King Carol I signed a decree establishing the title of war veteran for former fighters in the War of Independence. In World War II, Romania reported over 900,000 dead, missing, prisoner, wounded and disabled soldiers. The Romanian Army continued to fight even after the liberation of Northern Transylvania, significantly contributing to the liberation of Hungary and Czechoslovakia. “We have a duty to keep their memory alive and to make them known to the young generations, as examples of devotion to the values ​​that unite us,” the interim president Ilie Bolojan said in a message on this occasion.

DEFENCE The Romanian defence minister Angel Tîlvăr held talks in Brussels with several EU officials. According to a press release issued by the ministry, Angel Tîlvăr discussed a common view on the need to strengthen the EU’s role as a strategic actor in the Eastern Neighbourhood with the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, Kaja Kallas. The Romanian official emphasised that Romania is in favour of further support for Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, and emphasised the importance of maintaining a clear European pathway for these states, as well as for the countries in the Western Balkans. During the talks with the president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, Angel Tîlvăr voiced appreciation for the EP’s solid commitment to strengthening the common foreign and security policy, as well as for the constant support given to Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and the countries in the Western Balkans. Among other things, Tîlvăr mentioned Romania’s efforts within the framework of the Common Security and Defence Policy, through active participation in EU missions and operations. Another topic addressed was the strategic importance of the Black Sea region for the Euro-Atlantic and EU security, in the context of multiple threats. The talks with the European Commissioner for defence industry and space, Andrius Kubilius, focused on strengthening Romania’s defence preparedness and EU industrial cooperation. (AMP)