December 29, 2025 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 29.12.2025, 19:51
CCR. On Monday, the Romanian Constitutional Court postponed again, due to lack of quorum, the debates on the referral from the High Court of Cassation and Justice regarding the new bill drawn up by the Bolojan Government on the reform of magistrates’ pensions. The decision in this case had already been postponed twice, most recently on Sunday, also due to lack of quorum, after some of the judges left the room during the session and did not return. The debates will resume on January 16. The new draft amendment to magistrates’ pensions adopted by the government provides for a phased increase in the retirement age to 65, and the amount of the pension cannot exceed 70% of the net allowance received in the last month of activity. However, the Supreme Court considers that this violates the independence of the judiciary and that magistrates would be discriminated against in relation to other beneficiaries of occupational pensions. Currently, magistrates can retire at 48, and their pension can be equal to their salary. The government’s first attempt to eliminate this social inequality, which can no longer be sustained by the economy, as Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan said, was rejected in October by the Constitutional Court, also at the request of the High Court of Cassation and Justice. The reason at the time was that the government had not requested the advisory but mandatory opinion of the Superior Council of Magistracy within the time frame provided by law.
Ukraine. The United States has offered Ukraine solid security guarantees for a period of 15 years regarding the threat from Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday. The Kyiv leader added that on Sunday he asked president Trump to extend the guarantees for a much longer period, and Trump replied that he was considering such a possibility. The teams are “getting closer, maybe very close” to achieving a peace deal, President Donald Trump said Sunday at a press conference held after his meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky at his Florida residence. The leader in Kyiv also spoke of “great progress,” but reaffirmed that Ukraine would not agree to cede territory to Russia. “This would only be possible if the people agreed in a referendum or if the parliament in Kyiv adopted such a decision,” he said. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron has stated that in January, at a meeting in Paris, the contribution of each country in the Coalition of the Willing to help Ukraine will be determined.
Deficit. Romania’s budget deficit reached 6.4% of the GDP after the first 11 months of this year, down from the deficit recorded in the same period last year, which was 7.15%. According to the Ministry of Finance, revenues totaled nearly 592 billion lei (about 118 billion euros), and expenditures exceeded 713 billion lei (over 142 billion euros). The budget deficit target for the whole year is 8.4% of the GDP, or 159.8 billion lei (about 32 billion euros). According to Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare, reducing the deficit means that the state spends more responsibly, borrows less, and has more financial stability. This means, the minister added, lower interest costs, greater investor confidence, and more money available for development. Romania is entering 2026 with better-balanced public finances, rising revenues, and a healthy foundation for a responsible and balanced budget next year, Alexandru Nazare said.
Emergencies. Over 8,000 emergencies were recorded nationwide between December 24 and 28, with approximately 80 percent of missions involving medical assistance. According to the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, firefighters in Romania responded to nearly 470 fires during those five days. They also handled 40 interventions to extricate victims involved in road accidents, and over 60 people in critical situations were rescued. The Inspectorate for Emergency Situations also announced that, compared to the same period last year, there was a slight decrease in the number of such situations.
Weather. In Romania, in the last 24 hours, strong winds have caused problems in almost 70 localities in 21 counties. According to the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, firefighters intervened to remove construction elements detached from 31 buildings and to clear over 100 trees and poles that had fallen due to strong winds. Several cars were damaged. Yellow warnings for strong winds remain in effect for several counties in the south, southwest, and center. (MI)
