April 9, 2025 UPATE 2
The latest news from RRI
Newsroom, 09.04.2025, 20:05
Customs tariffs – The EU adopted its first retaliatory measures on Wednesday against tariffs imposed by the US President Donald Trump, taxing a range of US products such as motorcycles, soybeans, poultry and rice, the European Commission announced. The measures are a response to the 25% tariffs announced by Washington in mid-March on steel and aluminum imports. The EU has stressed that it is ready to suspend its tariffs ‘at any time’ if a ‘fair and balanced’ agreement is reached with Washington. Over the past few months, the 27 EU member states have been hit with three rounds of additional tariffs by the US and have responded in a similar manner. Brussels is also planning to present its response to US tariffs on cars and other European products early next week. On the other hand, the US administration confirmed that, starting on Wednesday, imports from China will be subject to a 104% customs tariff. The decision came after Donald Trump said he would increase tariffs on Chinese products if Beijing did not withdraw additional tariffs imposed on the United States. China accuses the US administration of acting like a bully and announces that it will retaliate. In Bucharest, the interim president, Ilie Bolojan, spoke in favor of continuing trade negotiations between the EU and the US.
Government – A German enterprise will open a new factory in Romania, where components for passenger aircraft will be manufactured, the Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said on Wednesday, during a government meeting. He also said that 14.5 million lei (about 2.9 million Euros) would be allocated so that by the beginning of the new school year, in the fall, there would be no more educational units with toilets outside in Romania. At the same time, the government tested the open governance strategy 2025 – 2030. This aims to become an important pillar for the development of an efficient, transparent and inclusive public administration, which will protect the fundamental rights of citizens, but also increase the trust and quality of interactions between citizens and state institutions. On the other hand, among the emergency ordinances issued on Wednesday, there was also the one targeting the national afforestation campaign. Thus, the annual premium granted to landowners on which afforestation or reforestation is carried out as provided for in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) was increased by 40%. Our objective is to afforest about 28 thousand hectares by the end of 2026, the PM Marcel Ciolacu stated.
Investors – Romania’s interim president, Ilie Bolojan, participated in a meeting with the Foreign Investors Council. He has stated that what has happened in Romania in recent years is the result of the mix of Romanian and foreign investments and has pointed out that it is time for politicians to create conditions for foreign investors to continue developing in our country. Bolojan has also expressed his hope that Romanian decision-makers will show wisdom so that the country can overcome the challenges caused by the complicated economic context. In turn, the President of the Foreign Investors Council, Daniel Anghel, said that the business environment needed predictability, transparency and legislative clarity to regain trust. He showed that the average annual investment effort should be approximately 35% of the Gross Domestic Product in the period 2024-2030, and in the period 2031-2040, it should reach 28%-30% of the GDP. The most recent study on business perceptions reveals that Romania’s attractiveness for investments has decreased, and their pace has dropped to a level close to that during the coronavirus pandemic.
USR – The National Bureau of the Save Romania Union has decided, by a large majority, to convene the Political Committee to decide on the withdrawal of support in the presidential race for the head of the parliamentary group, Elena Lasconi. The Political Committee, a body representing the extended leadership of the party, is also expected to decide on the support for the mayor general of Bucharest, Nicuşor Dan, who is running as an independent in the May election. The USR Vice-President, Timişoara’s mayor Dominic Fritz, explained that this decision is necessary for at least one pro-European candidate to reach the second round and stated that USR must put responsibility for the country first. Elena Lasconi, however, ruled out a withdrawal of her candidacy from the presidential race. She considered the party’s decision to support Nicuşor Dan to be extremely bad and expressed her belief that she would be the ’best president’ of Romania.
Russia – Declaring the Romanian military attaché in Moscow and his deputy as ‘personae non gratae’ is ‘ungrounded’, the Romanian Foreign Ministry (MAE) announced. On Wednesday, the ad-interim charge d’affaires of Romania in Moscow was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry. During the meeting, the Russian side informed about the decision to declare two members of the diplomatic staff of the Romanian Embassy in Moscow as unacceptable persons. This measure taken by the Russian side, unfounded in relation to the provisions of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, comes in response to the decision adopted by the Romanian authorities, on March 5, 2025, regarding the declaration of the military, air and naval attaché of the Russian Federation in Bucharest, as well as his deputy, as unacceptable persons on Romanian territory,’ the MAE explained. The decision of the Romanian authorities took into account the activities carried out by the respective Russian diplomats that contravene the provisions of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
NATO – The Romanian Defense Minister, Angel Tîlvăr, together with the Italian Ambassador to Romania, Alfredo Maria Durante Mangoni, participated, on Wednesday, in the 57th Air Base Mihail Kogălniceanu (southeast), in the certification ceremony of the Italian Air Force detachment for the execution of Reinforced Air Policing missions in the southern area of the North Atlantic Alliance. According to the Defense Ministry, Angel Tîlvăr highlighted that it is the sixth time that the Italian Air Force carries out such a mission in Romania, confirming the ‘firm’ commitment to collective defense and solidarity between the member states of the North Atlantic Alliance. The Italian detachment is made up of approximately 180 military – pilots and technical personnel – and six Eurofighter aircraft. For four months, they will act together with the Romanian Air Force to protect the NATO airspace, through a surveillance and rapid reaction mission. (LS)
