December 19, 2025
A roundup of local and world news
Daniel Bilț, 19.12.2025, 13:55
UKRAINE European leaders, who convened in Brussels on Thursday, have decided to help Ukraine with a 90 billion Euro loan and interests paid from the Union’s budget. That was a compromise solution to Kyiv’s urgent financial needs in the absence of an agreement on the use of Russia’s frozen assets. Also attending the meeting, Romanian President, Nicusor Dan, said that Ukraine would reimburse the money after the end of the conflict when Russia would have paid war reparations. According to him, that was the quickest available solution, which sends a clear signal of European support for Kyiv. Hungary, Slovakia and Czechia have vetoed the use of the Russian assets. Belgium has also shown reservation in the absence of guarantees on sharing liability. Although the European leaders failed to reach an agreement on the use of Russian liquidities they decided to freeze them on long term while the bloc says it has the right to use them to pay for the loan granted to Ukraine. In a message on the social network X, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has voiced satisfaction regarding the 90 billion Euro loan, adding that it is important that the Russian assets remain ‘immobilised’.
MINISTERS The political committee of the USR, a political group part of the ruling coalition in Bucharest is today convening to validate a proposal that Senator Irineu Darau take over the seat of Minister of the Economy, while the incumbent owner of this post Radu Miruta remain at the Ministry of Defence, which has been heading as interim since Ionut Mosteanu stepped down. The USR leader, Dominic Fritz, said he held consultations with the country’s President for the aforementioned nominations and gave assurances the two ministers have the necessary training to take over the two seats. We recall the former Defence Minister, Ionut Mosteanu, stepped down amid a scandal over his education.
HELICOPTER An S-70 Black Hawk helicopter, entirely funded by the European Union through its rescEU programme, has today touched down at the headquarters of the General Aviation Inspectorate of the Romanian Interior Ministry, sources in Bucharest have announced. After receiving procedures have been completed, the helicopter will be ready to take off and save lives everywhere around Europe, State Secretary Raed Arafat said. The Black Hawk can be used to extinguish wild fires, in search and rescue or evacuation operations in hard-to-reach locations including at sea or in emergency medical transport operations. The aircraft is part of a European strategic fleet, distributed in several member countries and made up of five medium-heavy helicopters and 10 Canadair aircraft destined for rapid and effective response in emergency situation at European level.
WAGES A planned rise of the minimum salary in Romania due in July next year has triggered discontent in both employees and employers. The employees say the measure should be applied on the first day of the next year to offset the latest price hikes and higher taxes. Roughly 4 thousand trade unionists from four confederations took to the streets on Thursday and protested in front of the Presidential Palace. The protesters have called on President Nicusor Dan to broker the conflict between the trade unions and the government. In turn, the employers’ associations say the pay rise is inopportune given the present economic context. We recall the ruling coalition in Romania pledged to raise the net minimum salary up to 850 Euros starting July 1, 2026.
WEATHER Temperatures in Romania are today well above the multiannual average of this period. Fog has been reported on isolated areas in the south, centre and east with mild wind and highs ranging between 4 and 15 degrees Celsius. The noon reading in Bucharest was 6 degrees.
(bill)
