December 17, 2025 UPDATE

The latest news from RRI

Newsroom, 17.12.2025, 20:00

Visit – On a working visit to London, Romania’s President Nicușor Dan met on Wednesday with King Charles III of Great Britain. The meeting took place in the context of the consolidation of bilateral relations between Romania and Great Britain, relations that King Charles has highlighted since Nicușor Dan took office as president. The British monarch stressed the importance of cooperation between the two states, both diplomatically and in terms of regional stability and support for Ukraine. While in London, Nicușor Dan also met with representatives of the Romanian community in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, with Romanian representatives of the business community and British companies. On Tuesday, the Romanian head of state participated in the Helsinki summit of the Eastern Flank states. Defense in this area must become a strategic priority, in the context of the threat posed by Russia, the leaders of eight states from northern and eastern Europe, including Romania declared. President Nicușor Dan will be in Brussels from Wednesday to Friday, where he will participate in the EU-Western Balkans Summit and the European Council (EC). The EU will reconfirm its full commitment to the perspective of the Western Balkans’ accession to the EU and to the progress made in the enlargement process, as shown in the latest report of the European Commission. On Thursday and Friday, the EU leaders will hold strategic debates on Ukraine, on the next Multiannual Financial Framework, enlargement and the geo-economic situation in the EU. The Middle East, European defense and migration will also be on the European Council agenda.

Corruption – The former Romanian Minister of Transport Răzvan Cuc and a businessman on Wednesday were placed in preventive detention for 30 days, in a corruption case, following a decision by the Bucharest Court. The investigation concerns suspicions of bribery and complicity. According to prosecutors from the National Anticorruption Directorate, the value of the bribe would be 6% of a public procurement framework contract worth 23 million lei (4.5 million Euros) of the Romanian Automotive Register Autonomous Authority. The deed would have been committed between September and November this year.

1989 Revolution – In Timişoara, western Romania, Wednesday was a day of mourning in memory of the 1989 anti-communist Revolution heroes. These days revolution participant associations, jointly with local and county authorities, are organizing commemorative events to pay tribute to those who lost their lives and to remember the events that started in Timişoara and then spread throughout the country and led to the fall of Nicolae Ceauşescu’s communist dictatorship. Exhibitions, book launches, concerts and film screenings are scheduled at the city’s Opera House. On Tuesday evening, candles were lit in Victory Square, and at midnight a service was held at the Martyrs’ Church. Also last night, the traditional March of Heroes took place, organized by the local football team supporters’ association. Timisoara’s mayor Dominic Fritz said that the events 36 years ago are becoming history, while new generations must grow increasingly fond of the values ​​of democracy and those who took part in the Revolution. The mayor stressed that Timisoara must be a beacon of freedom, and of the fight for humanity and European values.

Motion – The Alliance for the Union of Romanians announced that it has submitted to the Senate a simple motion targeting the activity of the Interior Minister, Cătălin Predoiu. The signatories criticize the prolonged maintenance of the interim leaderships of the police inspectorates and what they consider to be interference in the competitions for leadership positions. This simple motion will be debated and put to the vote on Monday. The Alliance for the Union of Romanians has also submitted to the Chamber of Deputies a simple motion against another Minister, the Justice Minister, Radu Marinescu, in which the signatories denounce what they call ‘a major managerial failure in ensuring an efficient, predictable and fair act of justice’. This motion will be presented and put to the vote on Monday.

Defense – The Romanian Senate has adopted, as a decision-making body, the legislative and institutional framework developed by the Government for the management of funds dedicated to the modernization of the national defense industry’s capabilities. This concerns the implementation of the community program called “Action for European Security”, and this money will benefit, in addition to the Ministry of National Defense, other institutions such as the Ministries of Transport, Internal Affairs, the Romanian Intelligence Service or the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations. According to the authorities, by adopting this document, Romania will no longer be just an importer of security, but will also set up its internal mechanisms so that Romanian companies should be able to participate in major European projects in the field.

Agreement – The governing coalition, meeting in Bucharest on Wednesday, announced that it had reached an agreement on increasing the minimum wage to 4,325 lei (approx. 850 Euros) starting July 1, 2026. At the same time, it was also established that the administration reform package would be closed by the decision to reduce central administration expenditures by 10% without affecting the level of basic salaries. Other decisions agreed upon during the meeting, which was held in the presence of the leaders of the coalition parties (PSD, PNL, USR, UDMR and national minorities) refer to the 10% reduction in the lump sum received by senators and deputies, as well as the level of subsidies received by political parties. It was also established that the minimum turnover tax (IMCA) would be reduced to 0.5% starting January 1, 2026 and eliminated from 2027.  (LS)