April, 4, 2025
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 04.04.2025, 13:55
Elections. The election campaign for the presidential elections in Romania got under way today and will end on 3rd of May at dawn, on the eve of the first round of voting. 11 candidates are in the race, four independents and seven backed by parties or electoral alliances. Under the Constitution, the president of the country is elected by universal, equal, direct, secret and free ballot. If none of the candidates wins the majority of votes in the first round, a second decisive round will be held, on 18th of May, between the two best-ranked candidates.
Aid. The Romanian government is preparing aid schemes for the sectors that may be hit by the new tariffs imposed by the United States. The measures proposed will be discussed in detail next week with those affected, in order to reduce as much as possible the impact of the tariffs on Romanian companies, said finance minister Tánczos Barna. He said that if exports are slowed down, Romanian companies must reorient themselves towards the European Union market.
Civil protection. Only some 600,000 people can be accommodated in special civil protection shelters in Romania in the event of war or natural disasters, according to a report by the Court of Accounts. The facilities in question are few and more than half cannot even be used, being unsanitary and their equipment outdated. Moreover, the legislation lacks sufficient provisions to regulate such situations. The General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations last year issued fines worth almost 80,000 euros for irregularities found in civil protection shelters. The responsibility for public installations lies with the local authorities and with the property owner in the case of those housed by private buildings. With the exception of the capital Bucharest, Dolj county, in the south-west, has the highest number of accommodation places, namely around 200, while Neamţ county, in the north-east, only has one.
NATO. Romania’s status as a member of the North Atlantic Alliance is its strongest security guarantee, said prime minister Marcel Ciolacu in a statement to mark NATO Day and the 21st anniversary of Romania’s joining this organisation. He said Romania demonstrated that it is a strong and reliable ally, loyal to Euroatlantic principles and values and an important supplier of security at regional level. “The professionalism and sacrifice of the Romanian military in the theatres of operation, for which we are grateful, are equally respected by our international partners and by Romanian citizens”, he went on to say. He added that in 2025, for the 9th year in a row, Romania allocated a minimum of 2% of GDP for defence, with the possibility of expanding it to 2.5% for equipment. “Romania will continue to play a significant contribution to the collective defence of the Euroatlantic area, to improving NATO capabilities and implementing allied decisions in keeping with the guidelines established in the new Strategic Concept”, the prime minister said.
Tennis. The Romanian-Brazilian pair Irina Bara and Laura Pigossi reached the doubles semifinals at the WTA 250 tennis tournament in Bogota, Colombia, worth 275,094 dollars in prize money. They defeated the Canadian-Georgian pair Ariana Arsenault and Oksana Kalashnikova, seeded fourth, in three sets, taking them 1 hour and 29 minutes. In the semis, they will face the British-American pair Emily Appleton and Quinn Gleason, who are seeded second. (CM)
