December 13, 2025 UPDATE

The latest news from RRI

Lăcrămioara Simion, 13.12.2025, 20:02

Protests – The protests that began in the middle of the week for the reform of the Justice Laws and the dismissal of those responsible for abuses in the judicial system continued over the weekend, in Bucharest and in other cities in Romania and abroad. In parallel with the street protests, the petition initiated by the non-governmental organizations Declic and Funky Citizens for the amendment of the Justice Laws is approaching 150,000 signatures. The signatories call on the Prime Minister and the President of Romania to initiate a real reform of the justice system, through a transparent and honest procedure, that should go beyond simple public declarations. The main demands of the protesters are the recovery of the independence of judges, the abolition of the de facto immunity of magistrates, the reduction of the control exercised by the Superior Council of Magistracy over the judiciary and the urgent dismissal of the heads of prosecutors’ offices. The protests came after revelations in the Recorder documentary regarding problems in the judiciary. The documentary features several prosecutors and judges, some with protected identities, who reveal how the leadership of the Bucharest Court of Appeal on a regular basis changes judges from panels in order to obtain favorable decisions for individuals accused of corruption. Hundreds of magistrates have publicly denounced abuses in the judiciary. The Judges Section of the Supreme Council of Magistracy decided to notify the Judicial Inspection to conduct checks in relation to the issues reported in the press material broadcast by Recorder.

Defense – The European Investment Bank (EIB) will increase lending for defense projects to 4.50 billion Euros next year, from 3.5 billion Euros in 2025, and could revise the figures upwards if there is higher demand, the institution’s president, Nadia Calvino, told Reuters. We are focusing in particular on military mobility and critical infrastructure, the eastern border and anti-drone systems, Calvino said. The money will be allocated from the total amount available for lending in 2026, estimated at 100 billion Euros, the same level as in 2025. More than half of the loans planned for 2026 will go to projects that will help combat climate change. The EIB will also provide loans from TechEU, the program that aims to invest 70 billion Euros in the development of European technology companies over the next three years. The program aims to help Europe compete with China and the United States in the race for innovative clean and digital technologies by encouraging start-ups and scale-ups.

Kyiv – Russian air strikes overnight damaged more than ten civilian targets in Ukraine and left thousands of residents without electricity in seven regions of the country, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday, according to AFP. Moscow still aims to destroy our state and cause the greatest suffering to our people, Zelensky said. Russia announced Saturday that it had struck Ukrainian industrial and energy facilities with hypersonic missiles overnight in retaliation for Ukrainian attacks on ‘civilian targets’ in Russia.

Energy – The largest capacity of energy storage in batteries in Romania was put into operation on Friday, announced the Energy Minister, Bogdan Ivan. Storage is, at this moment, one of the most efficient solutions that can reduce imbalances in the system, better integrate the energy produced by prosumers and, most importantly, keep costs under control for Romanians, the minister said on Facebook. Also on Friday, in Câmpia Turzii (center), works began on a combined cycle gas power plant, an investment that will ensure safe and constant energy, essential for balancing the system.

Agreement – European Union governments have reached an agreement to freeze Russian central bank assets in Europe indefinitely, the Danish presidency of the EU Council announced on Friday, removing a major obstacle to making funds available to Ukraine, DPA and Reuters reported. Until now, the 27 member states had to unanimously agree every six months to keep Russian funds frozen, in line with EU sanctions imposed on Moscow in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. To freeze the funds indefinitely, EU countries used an emergency economic mechanism that allows them to switch from unanimous voting to majority voting to adopt the decision. European countries argue that Russia’s war in Ukraine is causing serious economic challenges and that the transfer of funds to Russia must therefore be prevented to limit the damage to the EU economy. The EU’s decision to indefinitely freeze Russian funds worth around 210 billion Euros is intended to facilitate plans to provide Kyiv with some of the money as a long-term ‘reparations loan’.

Meeting – US special envoy Steve Witkoff will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders this weekend in Berlin, a White House official told AFP on Friday. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is due to meet the Ukrainian president and several European, EU and NATO leaders, as the United States steps up pressure on Kyiv to reach a peace deal. Europeans and Ukrainians have asked the Americans for ‘security guarantees’ before any territorial negotiations in eastern Ukraine, the French presidency announced. The talks accelerated following the presentation by the US administration, almost three weeks ago, of a plan to end the war triggered by the Russian invasion in February 2022, a text that included significant demands from Moscow, AFP notes. While Kyiv presented a modified version of the plan, including counter-proposals, the Ukrainian president confirmed that the United States wants to reach an agreement ‘as soon as possible’. (LS)