April 4, 2025 UPDATE (2)
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 04.04.2025, 20:00
ELECTION CAMPAIGN – The campaign for the presidential election in Romania started on Friday and will end on May 3, on the eve of the first round of voting. 11 candidates have enrolled in the race, four running independently and seven backed by parties or electoral alliances. The Constitution states the president 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 round will be held on May 18, pitting the two best-ranked candidates.
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 marking NATO Day and the 21st anniversary of Romania’s joining this organization. Romania has shown it is a strong and reliable ally, committed to Euro-Atlantic principles and values and an important supplier of regional security, Marcel Ciolacu said. “The professionalism and sacrifice of Romanian servicemen in theatres of operation, for which we are grateful, are recognized by both our international partners and Romanian citizens”, the Romanian Prime Minister added. In 2025, for the 9th consecutive year, Romania allotted 2% of GDP to defense spending, with the possibility of increasing this level to 2.5% for the purchase of military equipment. “Romania will continue to play a significant role in ensuring the collective defense of the Euro-Atlantic area, in improving NATO capabilities and implementing allied decisions, in keeping with the guidelines established in the new Strategic Concept”, Marcel Ciolacu pointed out.
MEETINGS – Romania’s Foreign Minister, Emil Hurezeanu, on Friday, met with US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, on the sidelines of the meeting of NATO foreign ministers held in Brussels. “A good exchange of views between Minister Hurezeanu and Secretary of State Rubio. Ready to work together to advance our Strategic Partnership for the benefit of our peoples”, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote on X. The Romanian official also discussed with his Norwegian counterpart, Espen Barth Eide. Emil Hurezeanu stressed that Europe must intensify its security and defense capabilities. Also in Brussels, on Thursday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio conveyed to NATO foreign ministers that the USA will not abandon NATO. He described the assumption that Washington would no longer be as involved in NATO as unjustified international hysteria, but again insisted that the allies must increase defense spending to 5% of GDP. On the other hand, strengthening EU defense by 2030 and improving military support for Ukraine were also discussed in Warsaw, during an informal meeting of EU Defense Ministers. Representing Romania was Angel Tîlvăr.
FINANCIAL AID – The Romanian government is preparing aid packages 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 stakeholders, in order to reduce as much as possible the impact of the tariffs on Romanian companies, Finance Minister Tánczos Barna said. If exports are slowed down, Romanian companies should look towards the European Union single market, the Romanian official added. (CM & VP)
