December 24, 2025 UPDATE

The latest from domestic news

Newsroom, 24.12.2025, 19:00

Christmas. The Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Daniel, states in his Christmas Pastoral Letter that in contemporary society, marked by “secularization or spiritual indifference,” there is an increasing need to renew the call of every Christian “to be a herald or apostle of Christ’s merciful love in the world.” According to the high-ranking cleric, Jesus Christ took on human form precisely so that people would constantly turn their faces toward Him. “Let us remember in our prayers all Romanians who are among strangers, far from their homeland, so that we may preserve the unity of faith and nation,” urges the Patriarch. For his part, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Bucharest, Aurel Percă, emphasizes that a world that excludes God “sinks into darkness, confusion, and selfishness.” According to him, Christmas is also a clear call to defend the life and dignity of every human being, as well as to care for the most vulnerable. “Peace is lacking first and foremost in people’s hearts, and that is precisely why it is also lacking in the world we live in,” stressed Cardinal Claudiu, Major Archbishop of the Romanian Church United with Rome, also in his Christmas Pastoral Letter. “May the Lord help us, during this wonderful celebration, to let peace descend into our hearts, and may the peace of Christ be the most precious gift we find under the Christmas tree,” Cardinal Claudiu said.

Mini-holiday. Approximately 23,000 employees of the Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MAI) – police officers, gendarmes, firefighters, SMURD rescuers, and border police – will be on duty every day during the Christmas mini-holiday, said MAI spokesperson Monica Dajbog. Every day, an average of 2,000 traffic police officers will monitor roads that are usually congested during such periods in order to ease traffic flow and provide support to drivers. They will use approximately 400 radar devices to detect drivers who pose a danger to other road users. Dajbog mentioned that the police will continue their efforts to prevent and combat illegal trade in dangerous pyrotechnic items. At the approximately 10,000 public events organized during this period, which could be attended by nearly one million people, police and gendarmes will be mobilized to prevent acts that could affect the safety of citizens. To support citizens spending their mini-vacation in the mountains, approximately 170 mountain gendarmes will be on standby to intervene on a daily basis. Also during the Christmas mini-holiday, approximately 3,300 border police officers will be mobilized to protect the borders, prevent cross-border crime, and ensure smooth control at the external border.

Justice. The Superior Council of Magistracy has published the partial results of a questionnaire among magistrates on issues in the justice system. Over 56% of all magistrates in office responded to the questions. The online questionnaire included 20 questions, 17 of which allowed for automatically centralized responses, while three questions allowed for open-ended responses. Over 98% of the judges who completed the questionnaire say they have felt a public campaign against the justice system in the last year, and 67% of them agree with the CSM’s public positions. The centralized data show that 192 judges were replaced from the panel judging certain cases, 31 of them without their consent. Only one judge considered that the change was made with the aim of prolonging the trial until the statute of limitations for criminal liability expired. Most judges blamed parliament for the statute of limitations, but the questionnaire does not explain why. According to data presented by the SCM, an overwhelming majority of judges considered that the high volume of work and the lack of standardization represent real problems that directly affect the administration of justice.

Government. On Tuesday, the Romanian government adopted an emergency ordinance that corrects, eliminates, or introduces new fiscal and budgetary measures starting next year, which will form the basis for the 2026 state budget. It provides for spending cuts, economic recovery measures, stimulation of private investment, support for disadvantaged people, and combating tax evasion. The first consultations for the drafting of the 2026 state budget will take place in January, and the deficit target for next year will be around 6-6.5%.

Collaboration. The Romanian Embassy in Pakistan, together with the Romanian Language Institute and in collaboration with the National University of Modern Languages, inaugurated the first academic presence of Romanian Studies in Pakistan. This landmark initiative opens a new academic and cultural corridor between South Asia and Central and Eastern Europe. The inauguration ceremony took place in Islamabad. The event marks the first introduction of Romanian language and literature, as well as Romanian cultural studies, into Pakistan’s most important multilingual academic environment. The Romanian Studies program goes beyond the scope of a simple language course. It creates an interdisciplinary academic space that integrates language training, literature, translation, history, and cultural studies, positioning Romania in broader European and South Asian intellectual dialogues. Students are invited not only to learn the Romanian language, but also to explore a cultural landscape shaped by historical crossroads, memory, creativity, and resilience. The Romanian Studies Program will be coordinated by Oana Ursache, PhD in philology, specializing in comparative literature, culturology, and Hispanic, Oriental, Pre-Columbian, and Arabic literatures. On the occasion of the inauguration, the Romanian Embassy donated to the National University of Modern Languages a collection of books, including volumes in Romanian and English dedicated to Romanian culture, history, civilization, art, and literature. (MI)