December 15, 2025

A roundup of local and world news

Newsroom, 15.12.2025, 13:55

Parliament to debate and vote motions

The joint plenary of Parliament is debating and voting today on a motion of no confidence filed by self-styled populist sovereignists against the pro-European coalition government. The motion calls for the resignation of Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan’s government, accusing it of failing to manage finances, healthcare, education, social protection, justice and public administration. “The Romanian people deserve more than empty promises and policies that impoverish them. They deserve a government that serves national interests, not business deals dictated by foreign interests”, the motion’s signatories declare. The document also demands the withdrawal of USR (pro-Western, centrist) from government. PSD lawmakers announced they will not vote for the motion of no confidence, but will reassess their relations with other coalition parties in the coming period.

Also today, the Senate is debating and voting on a simple motion initiated by AUR (sovereignist opposition) against Environment Minister Diana Buzoianu, held responsible for the water crisis affecting two southern counties. Diana Buzoianu reiterated that she will not resign, stressing that responsibility for the situation lies with local operators.

Official visits

Romanian President Nicuşor Dan is this week undertaking visits to several states for talks on defense cooperation at EU level. He will also attend official meetings in Brussels focused primarily on supporting NATO’s eastern flank countries in the context of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The president’s first stop will be Finland, where he will meet representatives of the Finnish defense and aerospace industry and hold talks with Prime Minister Petteri Orpo. He will also meet with members of the Romanian community.

On the second day of the visit, President Nicuşor Dan will travel to Espoo, home to one of Europe’s leading applied research institutes. He will then attend the Summit of EU States on NATO’s Eastern Flank, where discussions will center on EU support for these countries (including Romania), regional security and strategic coordination amid tensions generated by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels

Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Ţoiu is attending today’s Foreign Affairs Council meeting and related events taking place in Brussels. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the agenda includes Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, with the participation of Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha‎ via videolink, developments in the Middle East, including Syria and Lebanon as well as China, with a focus on geopolitical and geo-economic aspects.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Minister Oana Ţoiu will take part in an informal breakfast of EU foreign ministers with Armenia’s Foreign Minister, Ararat Mirzoyan. DPA notes that the Brussels meeting comes just days before a summit at which European leaders are expected to decide whether they are prepared to make frozen Russian state assets available to Ukraine in the form of loans, to cover the country’s long-term financial needs.

Protests against corruption in the judiciary

In Bucharest, as well as in other cities (Cluj, Timișoara, Iași, Alba Iulia, Craiova), protests were once again held in support of an independent judiciary in Romania. Following the documentary released by Recorder, which exposed problems in the justice system with testimonies from magistrates themselves, demonstrators are calling for resignations at the top of the judicial hierarchy.

According to participants, the protest also represents a gesture of solidarity with judges and prosecutors who had the courage to criticize the state of the system. The country’s president, Nicușor Dan, who departed today for Finland to attend the summit of EU and NATO eastern flank states, conveyed that he shares society’s concerns about the functioning of justice.

In a message posted on the X network, he assured that he will act within constitutional limits to defend judicial independence and the rule of law. Dan stated that the issues raised in the public sphere are serious but solvable. The president invited magistrates to talks on Monday, December 22, at 10:00 a.m. Until then, he awaits submissions regarding systemic problems from all those interested in participating in next week’s meeting.

Negotiations for peace in Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US negotiators are meeting again today in Berlin, following five hours of talks held on Sunday. Kyiv hopes to convince Washington that a ceasefire in Ukraine must take place without prior territorial concessions to Russia, AFP reports. US envoy Steve Witkoff offered few details but assured on X that progress had been made during in-depth discussions on the peace plan.

Alongside the second round of US-Ukrainian talks, numerous European leaders are expected in Berlin on Monday evening to coordinate their positions during a closed-door dinner. Like Ukraine, they oppose yielding to Russia’s maximalist demands. They fear that US President Donald Trump may abandon Kyiv and that Europe could be sidelined in discussions on continental security, while the Kremlin is perceived as a major threat, AFP notes.

Energy

Romania’s largest battery energy storage facility, with a capacity of 200 megawatts, has been rendered operational, Energy Minister Bogdan Ivan has announced. The investment was completed in just six months, an exceptionally short timeframe for a project of such scale. In his view, storage is one of the most effective solutions to keep costs under control for Romanians, reduce imbalances in the system and better integrate energy produced by prosumers.

Investigation

Romanian prosecutors have opened an investigation into the suspicious death of former Justice Minister Rodica Stănoiu. Her body was exhumed today and transported to the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, where forensic doctors will perform an autopsy to determine whether the former minister was assaulted or whether advanced age led to an accidental fall, judicial sources say.

The Prosecutor’s Office acted ex officio after information about the circumstances of her death appeared in the media. Just a few days before her passing, Rodica Stănoiu had been hospitalized, showing signs of head injuries and bruising around the eyes. The police was not notified. She was reportedly discharged by her partner, a man 50 years her junior. (VP)