April 7, 2025 UPDATE (2)

A roundup of local and world news

Newsroom, 07.04.2025, 20:00

ELECTION CAMPAIGN – The campaign for the presidential election in Romania continues 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.

TARIFFS – The European Union is trying to avoid a trade war with the United States, after the Trump administration imposed customs duties on Europe. Meeting on Monday in Luxembourg, European Trade Ministers tried to find a common response to Washington, but there are strong divergences between the 27 Member States. Attending the meeting, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen pointed out that the EU remains open to negotiations. She said she had proposed zero reciprocal tariffs on industrial goods, but that the EU is ready to respond with countermeasures and defend its interests. The EU will strengthen its single market and focus on relations with trading partners outside the United States, which summarize 83% of global trade, von der Leyen said. The European Commission president also announced that the EU will set up a special import surveillance service. According to Reuters, Ursula von der Leyen consulted with representatives of the European metallurgical and automotive industries, and tomorrow she will discuss with leaders of the pharmaceutical industry, also to find countermeasures to the American tariffs.

MEASURES – The Romanian government announced is preparing aid schemes for sectors that could suffer from the new customs tariffs imposed by the United States. The proposed measures will be discussed in detail with stakeholders, so as to minimize the impact of these tariffs on Romanian companies, Finance Minister Tánczos Barna says. These are representatives of the Concordia Association, the largest employers’ organization in the country, and of ACAROM, which is represents employers from the automotive industry. Last year, Romanian companies exported products worth over two billion dollars to the United States, especially electrical and electronic appliances, steel and aluminum. The domestic car industry, which mostly supplies components for major German brands, is indirectly affected and many companies may have to reduce production and even restructure.

HEARING – Romania’s Labor Minister, Simona Bucura-Oprescu, announced her agenda will prevent her from appearing before the Chamber of Deputies to attend the so-called Government Hour. The request came from Save Romania Union (USR), which demanded clarifications regarding reports of abuse in care homes for children with disabilities as well as the actions the Ministry undertook to protect children and adults in these centers, to strengthen control mechanisms and provide the necessary resources to ensure quality social services.

BANKING – The Central Bank board on Monday decided to maintain the monetary policy reference rate at 6.5% per year. Additionally, the Bank decided to maintain interest rates for National Bank loans to commercial banks or related deposits at 7.5% and 5.5% per year, respectively. Last year, the Bank lowered the key interest rate in July from 7 to 6.75% and in August to 6.5%. The last such modification had been operated in January 2023.

DISRUPTIONS – Rail traffic unfolded with difficulty on Sunday due to unfavorable weather conditions, especially on the Iaşi (east) and Braşov (center) routes. Due to snowfall and strong wind, trees fell over power lines and caused temporary disruption of rail traffic in the affected areas. Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja announced increases in energy and gas consumption these days, but said he was not expecting any supply problems in the context of the unusual winter episode, with low temperatures, strong wind and snowfall. Minister Burduja said that approximately 2,400 consumers were left without electricity on Sunday evening, due to power line damages caused by fallen trees. (VP)