August 25, 2025 UPDATE (1)

A roundup of local and world news

Newsroom, 25.08.2025, 18:39

RULING COALITION – The Social Democratic Party, part of the ruling coalition in Romania, has decided to return to the coalition table. The party’s interim president, Sorin Grindeanu, said that he was coming to discuss exclusively the outstanding issues in the development of the second package of measures designed to curb the budget deficit. Grindeanu reiterated that PSD believes that changes are necessary in the fiscal and administrative reform provisions. In turn, representatives of the Save Romania Union (USR) announced that they will bring to the coalition meeting proposals to modify this package of fiscal and budgetary measures, which also provide for the abolition or merger of certain institutions. The leader of the USR group in the Senate, Ştefan Pălărie, expressed satisfaction with the return to the full coalition formula and announced that, most likely, there will be meetings both this week and the next. The Social Democrats refused to take part in the coalition meetings after their USR colleagues opposed the organization of a state funeral and the establishment of national mourning for former Romanian President Ion Iliescu, the founder of PSD, who died early this month.

DIPLOMACY – The Annual Meeting of Romanian Diplomacy started on Monday in Bucharest.  According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the event will provide the opportunity to reiterate a common vision, key in the current period of global risks. The head of Romanian diplomacy, Oana Ţoiu, said in her opening address that the status of EU and NATO member state, and the Strategic Partnership with the United States remain the foundations of Romania’s foreign policy. She drew attention to the fact that Russia remains the main security challenge in the region, regardless of how peace talks with Ukraine unfold and that Romanian diplomacy is at the forefront of this mission. “Through our joint efforts, we support the strengthening of the allied posture on the Eastern Flank and build a solid approach to the security of the Black Sea. We must develop the defense component with our partners – the United States, European allies, as well as our other partners. The message is simple and direct. You can rely on Romania”, Minister Ţoiu pointed out. The event in Bucharest, which is taking place under the title “A Decade of Changes, the Impact of Romanian Diplomacy”, is attended by the heads of diplomatic missions and consular offices of Romania abroad, as well as by senior Romanian officials. The special guests of this year’s edition are the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, who will address the participants via videolink, as well as the Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Radosław Sikorski. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Moldova, Mihai Popşoi, is also attending the event in Bucharest. On the second day of the meeting, the heads of Romanian diplomatic missions and consular offices abroad will be received by the country’s president, Nicuşor Dan. (VP)