December 28, 2025 UPDATE
The latest domestic news
Newsroom, 28.12.2025, 19:25
Pensions reform. The Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR) has postponed until Monday its examination of the referral submitted by the High Court of Cassation and Justice, which challenged the second government bill on the reform of the retirement system for magistrates. The legislative act, adopted by assuming responsibility, provides for an increase in the retirement age of magistrates to the standard age of 65 over the next 15 years. Also, their pensions cannot exceed 70% of their net salary in their last month of work. However, the Supreme Court considers that this violates the independence of the judiciary and that magistrates would be discriminated against compared to other beneficiaries of service pensions. A total of nearly 12,000 people benefited from such pensions last month, granted in accordance with the specific laws governing the field in which they worked. According to the National Public Pension House, nearly half of them were former prosecutors and judges, and the average pension for this category was approximately 25,000 lei. Almost 800 former diplomats also benefited, with an average of almost 7,000 lei, 900 former parliamentary officials, with over 6,200 lei, 1,300 former civil aviation employees, with an average of 13,000 lei, and nearly 700 people who worked at the Court of Auditors, whose average exceeded 10,000 lei. A total of 2,350 people who were part of the auxiliary staff of courts and prosecutors’ offices also received service pensions. The average in their case was a little over 7000 lei.
Taxes. By the end of the current year, local authorities in Romania have to set the value of local taxes and fees for 2026, otherwise they risk sanctions in the form of lost funds, according to an emergency ordinance adopted by the government. In Bucharest, the General Council has decided to increase the taxable value of buildings from almost 1,500 lei per square meter this year to 2,677 lei in 2026, which means an increase of approximately 80%. Building owners in Timişoara (west) will also pay more by the same percentage, where the city hall has eliminated discounts based on the age of the building, as well as other facilities granted to certain categories of owners. In Cluj-Napoca (northwest), the municipality will apply increases of between 58 and 71% depending on the area, and in Constanţa (southeast), the Local Council has approved tax increases of between 50% and 80%, as well as increases in other local taxes. From 2027, taxation would be based on market value, according to the reform undertaken under the NRRP.
Ukraine. Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Ţoiu sent a message of solidarity to neighboring Ukraine, invaded by Russian troops, in the context of the latest drone and missile attacks on Kyiv, which she described as a campaign of terror against the civilian population. In a post on platform X, Oana Ţoiu reaffirmed support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity, independence, and sovereignty. While leaders in the United States, the European Union, and Ukraine are working for peace, Moscow is responding by killing and terrorizing women, children, and entire families, wrote the head of diplomacy in Bucharest.
Flu. Specialists from the National Institute of Public Health have announced that Romania is on epidemiological alert after more than 11,000 cases of influenza were reported last week. In the last three weeks, the number of cases has increased considerably, with five times more cases reported than in the same period last year. The first death of the season was also recorded in Cluj County (northwest). To avoid getting sick, experts recommend that people with symptoms wear masks, practice good hand hygiene, and avoid crowded areas. At the same time, antiviral treatment should only be administered under a doctor’s supervision.
Accident. Two people with severe burns covering more than 60% of their bodies, victims of an explosion in an apartment in Onești (eastern Romania), were safely transferred to a hospital in Belgium, where they can receive high-level specialized treatment, announced Alexandru Rogobete, Minister of Health in the Bucharest government, on Sunday. “I would like to thank the Romanian Air Force, the Department for Emergency Situations, and all the professionals involved for the impeccable coordination of this complex transfer, carried out at a critical time,” Rogobete said. According to him, in recent days there has been an increase in the number of patients with severe burns nationwide, caused by violence, self-harm, arson, the use of improvised installations, and electrocution due to negligence.
Weather. Romanian meteorologists have issued a red alert for snow and very strong winds in the mountainous areas of 11 counties until Monday morning, at altitudes above 1,700 meters. At the same time, an orange blizzard warning is in effect for the east and center of the country and a yellow warning for the mountainous areas and significant regions of the country. Winds will intensify in limited areas also across the rest of Romania. A ministerial committee for emergency situations was convened (…) by the Minister of the Environment, Diana Buzoianu, in the context of weather forecasts announcing strong winds, blizzards, and frost. The authorities and tourism operators have been advised to keep abreast of weather developments and to recommend caution to tourists, given that many people are on holiday in the mountains. From a hydrological point of view, no dangerous phenomena are forecast, but owners of hydrotechnical facilities must prevent the formation of ice bridges. In addition, they are required to ensure an alternative source of electricity supply for situations of interruption caused by bad weather conditions. (MI)
