December 10, 2025 UPDATE

The latest news from RRI

Newsroom, 10.12.2025, 20:00

CCR – The Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR) has postponed until December 28 the decision on notifying the High Court of Cassation and Justice in relation to the Government’s new bill on the reform of magistrates’ pensions. The judges of the Supreme Court mainly consider that this law discriminates against magistrates compared to other categories of official pension beneficiaries, blatantly violates the independence of the judiciary and de facto eliminates the official pension for magistrates. The bill, for which the Romanian executive assumed responsibility in Parliament, gradually increases the retirement age of magistrates to 65 years and limits their pension to 70% of the last net allowance. It was negatively approved by the Superior Council of Magistracy. The law, which is a milestone in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, has been rejected once before by the CCR for procedural reasons. Also on Wednesday, the Constitutional Court rejected the complaint of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians, an opposition party in the Romanian Parliament, regarding the law that provides, among other things, for the increase in certain local taxes and duties from January 1, 2026.

Wage – A decision on the level of the minimum wage in 2026 will be made at the beginning of next week, the National Tripartite Council, which includes representatives of the government, unions and employers’ associations, decided on Wednesday. The union representatives again pleaded for an increase in the minimum wage, with arguments related to high inflation, the impact on the purchasing power, as well as the fact that Romania is one of the European Union member countries where poverty is registered among workers. The Labor Minister also spoke in favor of increasing the minimum wage, considering that there is still room for negotiation on this subject. The employers’ associations, on the other hand, are requesting that the current level of the gross minimum wage, of 4,050 lei gross (about 800 Euros) be maintained next year as well. The employers’ point of view is also supported by the liberal Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, who pointed out that economic and budgetary realities do not allow for an increase in 2026. SME representatives have warned that, otherwise, almost 15% of small and medium-sized enterprises could be shut down. However, they propose a new evaluation in mid 2026, and if economic developments allow it, they could support an increase then.

Candidacy – Romania has submitted its candidacy to host the future Customs Authority of the European Union, an institution that will support member states to simplify customs procedures and ensure the efficient collection of taxes and duties, through a digital platform that will centralize and manage all EU customs data. In the file submitted to the European Commission, the Finance Ministry emphasized that Romania is one of the countries with the largest external border of the Union and manages, annually, a significant volume of trade flows. Alongside our country, Belgium, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Portugal have also submitted their candidacy.

Human rights – ‘In the last three decades, Romania has built more solid institutions and mechanisms to protect citizens’ rights and combat abuses. These advances are real, but they are not definitive.’ The message was sent by Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan on the occasion of International Human Rights Day. According to him, respecting fundamental rights begins with the responsibility of each individual, but must be supported by institutions that function properly. In turn, the Romanian Foreign Ministry (MAE) gave assurances that Romania is and will remain active in the actions of the international community to affirm and respect human rights, to increase the resilience of society. The Foreign Ministry recalls that this year we mark 80 years since the establishment of the United Nations and 70 years since Romania’s accession to the UN.

Port – Romania will have a new port on the Danube-Black Sea Canal, at Ovidiu. The new port will be located on the left bank and will have an area of ​​21,000 square meters, with all the facilities, which will be put up for auction for companies interested in operating here goods, which can be transported on barges to the Port of Constanta. The Danube-Black Sea Canal ensures 30% of the amount of goods transited through the Port of Constanta. The traffic of goods on this waterway is down by 20% compared to last year. The main destinations of the transited goods are Romania, 38%, and Serbia, 34%, followed by Ukraine, Hungary and Bulgaria. The most transported goods this year were agricultural products, minerals and refined petroleum products, all decreasing compared to 2024, followed by coal, crude oil, natural gas and construction products, on an increasing trend compared to 2024. By making the Port of Ovidiu operational, Romanian authorities expect an increase of 200,000 tons in cargo traffic. (LS)