December 29, 2024
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 29.12.2024, 14:09
A roundup of local and international news.
SURVEY – More than half of Romanians say that 2024 has been, from an economic viewpoint, worse than the previous year for their country, according to an IRES survey. The war in Ukraine, the political crisis and the rising prices have been the main concerns in 2024. One in four Romanians is unhappy with the way they currently live, and a similar number say that they did not have a single reason for joy in 2024. The data also shows that politicians continue to be last in the ranking of categories that Romanians trust. Asked which event they think has had the most negative affect on Romania in 2024, more than 4 in 10 Romanians indicate the cancellation of the first round of the presidential elections, by the decision of the Constitutional Court. Over 60% believe that this decision was bad, while a third say it was good.
ELECTIONS – The presidential elections in Romania could take place on March 23, 2025, the first round, and on April 6, the second round, according to the Bucharest media that cites political sources with the PSD-PNL-UDMR government coalition. Held on November 24, 2024, the first round was invalidated by the Constitutional Court (CCR), which, based on documents provided by the Supreme Council for National Defense (CSAT), grounded their ruling on the interference of an unnamed state. The second round, scheduled for December 8, was to be contested by the independent nationalist Călin Georgescu, accused of connections with Putin’s Russia, and by the leader of the USR (in opposition), Elena Lasconi. In the Diaspora, where the polling stations for the second round opened on December 6, tens of thousands of Romanians had already voted by the time the Court decided to invalidate the first round. The costs of the invalidated elections would be nearly 1.4 billion lei (280 million euros). On December 21, the second and final five-year presidential term granted to the incumbent President, Klaus Iohannis, was due to expire, but his mandate was extended until the election of a new president, to be validated by the Constitutional Court.
ORDER – The Bucharest government on Monday, in their last meeting this year, will pass an emergency order that provides for the reduction of public sector spending in 2025. The project, agreed on by the leaders of the PSD-PNL-UDMR coalition, includes measures such as suspending state employment or freezing pensions and salaries for the public sector employees at the level of 2024. Moreover, extra-hours will no longer be paid and no bonuses or premiums will be granted. The government claims that, with these measures, they want to reduce budget spending by 19 billion lei or 1% of the GDP, but not to give up on improving people’s lives and investments. The unions criticized the provisions of the document and warned that protests will follow. As for the State Budget Law for next year, it is to be adopted by the government in January and sent to Parliament for adoption.
TRAFFIC – Over 183,600 people, Romanian and foreign citizens, have crossed the borders of Romania in the last 24 hours, the border police have announced. As of January 1, 2025, when Romania joins the Schengen free movement area with land borders, 33 border crossing points with Hungary and Bulgaria, as well as from the Black Sea and the maritime Danube, will be permanently closed. These are 17 road and railway crossing points located on Romania’s western border with Hungary and 14 road points, including ferry crossings, railway and port points on the southern border with Bulgaria and two port crossing points in Brăila and Cernavodă. As of January 2025, there will no longer be checks at the borders with Hungary and Bulgaria at the crossing points. Such checks will be carried out only randomly, based on risk analysis.
TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Jaqueline Cristian is in the main draw of the tournament in Auckland (New Zealand), which kicks off on Monday. The Romanian (26 years old, 85 WTA) will play in the first round against Ukrainian Iulia Starodubteva (24 years old, 101 WTA), a first-time meeting. We remind you that, on Saturday, Romanians Anca Todoni and Ana Bogdan qualified for the main draw of the WTA tournament in Brisbane, Australia. Ana Bogdan faced Colombian Emiliana Arango in the decisive match, whom she defeated 6-2, 6-4, and will debut in Brisbane against Russian Anastasia Potapova. Anca Todoni won the match against Slovakian Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, 6-2, 6-3, and will be up against Cristina Bucsa of Spain.
PLANE CRASH – At least 177 people died on Sunday after a Jeju Air plane crashed while landing in Muan, South Korea. Likely caused by a collision with a flock of birds, this is an unprecedented aviation disaster in the Far East country. It is also the first fatal accident in the history of Jeju Air, one of the biggest low-cost airlines. According to the authorities in Seoul, quoted by international press agencies, the airport control tower warned the crew about the risk of a collision with birds. The plane hit a wall at the end of the runway and was immediately engulfed by flames.
