December 2, 2025
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 02.12.2025, 13:55
Fresh statistics on Romania’s population
Romania’s population could drop to 14.367 million people by 2080, down from just over 19 million in 2025, shows the most pessimistic of the scenarios analyzed by the National Statistics Institute (INS) in its study “Estimates of Romania’s active population by 2080”. In the most likely scenario, the decline would be 18%.
The coordinator of the study, INS vice-president Silviu Vîrva, says that regardless of the scenario, Romania’s population will continue to shrink until 2080, with the scale of the decline ranging between one-tenth and one-quarter of the current population.
The Bucharest mayoral campaign, down to the wire
The election campaign continues for the partial local election scheduled for December 7 for the Bucharest Mayor General, with 17 candidates enrolled in the race.
The mayor’s seat was left vacant after former mayor Nicușor Dan became Romania’s president in May. Also on December 7, elections will be held to appoint the leadership of the Buzău County Council (southeast) and the mayors of 12 settlements.
The Ministry of the Interior announced it will ensure the proper conduct of the campaign and the vote, noting that measures have already been taken to guarantee safety for both candidates and citizens.
Prime Minister Bolojan stakes political responsibility for magistrates’ pensions
Romania’s Prime Minister, Ilie Bolojan, will appear before Parliament today to stake his political responsibility for the new bill on magistrates’ pensions.
According to the draft law, magistrates’ pensions cannot exceed 70% of their last net salary, and the retirement age will gradually rise to 65, with a 15-year transition period starting January 1, 2026.
Senators and deputies had until this morning to submit amendments. The four-party coalition government (PSD-PNL-USR-UDMR) will now decide whether to include the proposed amendtments in the bill, for which the Prime Minister will assume responsibility in the joint plenary session. Unless a motion of censure is filed within three days of the vote, the document is considered adopted, with any accepted amendments.
Romanian entrepreneur buys Atlantico
Romanian businessman Lucian Despoiu, an expert in online campaigns, has become the majority stakeholder at the French right-wing news and opinion website Atlantico, founder Jean-Sebastien Ferjou told AFP on Monday. Kondiment, the multinational online services agency founded by Despoiu, paid “a little over €2 million”.
Despoiu is also the founder of Majoritas, a company specializing in online campaigns, particularly for elections, which states on its website that it has worked in over 40 countries since 2008.
The website attracts between “one and two million unique visitors” each month, according to Ferjou. Launched in 2011, Atlantico made a splash in its early years with several sensational press pieces. It now publishes primarily contributions from experts. Initially free, Atlantico later became a paid service and also finances itself through advertising.
News of Despoiu’s takeover made the headlines in French media, including Ouest-France and Le Point. The latter calls him “the mysterious electoral strategist” and comments that the takeover “marks a significant stage in the expansion of this major player with political and media influence”.
Romania at the World Handball Championships
Romania’s national handball team lost to Denmark on Monday, 39–31, in its last Group A fixture at the World Championships hosted by the Netherlands and Germany. Having won their first two games, both teams were already qualified for the so-called main group phase of the competition.
In this stage, Romania will face Hungary on Wednesday, Senegal on Friday, and Switzerland on Sunday. The top two teams in the main group will advance to the quarterfinals.
Romania has taken part in every edition of the Women’s World Handball Championships. Its track record includes a gold medal in 1962, silver in 1973 and 2005, and a bronze medal in 2015. (VP)
