December 6, 2025 UPDATE
A roundup of local and international news.
Elena Enache, 06.12.2025, 20:00
ORTHODOXY– Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church, recently approved the list of liturgical vessels that will be donated for Christmas to the Orthodox church “St. Prophet Elijah” in Damascus, which was hit by a terrorist attack in the summer. 25 believers were killed and 63 injured. According to the news agency of the Romanian Patriarchy, the liturgical objects will be all the more useful as the Orthodox community in the Syrian capital prepares to consecrate the renovation works of the holy place. The church in Damascus was the target of a suicide attacker, a member of the jihadist group Islamic State.
GAUDEAMUS – Sunday is the last day of the 32nd edition of the Gaudeamus Book Fair organized in Bucharest by Radio Romania. Starting on Wednesday, the public, whose access is free, has been invited to participate in hundreds of publishing events, from meetings with writers to the promotion of cultural and educational projects. Over 180 participants are present at Gaudeamus, including all the prestigious publishing houses in the country, Romanian and foreign book distribution agencies, university publishing houses and higher education institutions or music distributors.
STRATEGY – The United States remains the European Union’s greatest ally, the head of EU diplomacy, Kaja Kallas said Saturday, after the publication of the new American Security Strategy, which harshly criticizes the European Union. Adapting to the scenario of a possible disappearance of Europe as a civilization is one of the three main orientations of the Strategy. If current trends continue, the European continent will be unrecognizable in 20 years or less, says President Donald Trump in the document. It is more than plausible that, in a few decades at most, NATO members will become mostly non-European and it is legitimate to wonder whether they will perceive the alliance with the United States in the same way as those who signed the NATO Treaty, says Trump. The White House denounces, among other things, European decisions that would undermine political freedom and sovereignty, censorship of freedom of expression and repression of political opposition, migration policies or the decline in the birth rate.
ELECTION – On Sunday, Romania will hold by-elections for the positions of president of the Buzău County Council (southeast), mayor of Bucharest and mayor of 12 localities in the country. In the capital, almost 1,800,000 people are expected to vote to elect the future mayor-general, after Nicuşor Dan became president of the country in May. There are 15 candidates in the race, 11 of whom are supported by political parties and an electoral alliance, and 4 are independents.
REFORM – The Bucharest government approved, on Friday, by memorandum, a first list of 17 state-owned companies that will enter a reform process, at the end of which it will be determined which of them is to be reorganized or liquidated. The announcement was made, in a press conference, by Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan. He specified that among these companies are the national air transport company Tarom, Metrorex – which operates the Bucharest metro, the Romanian Railway Company – CFR and the companies Electrocentrale Craiova (south) and Bucharest. Bolojan specified that Romania does not only have to meet the milestones set out in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), but also has a legitimate interest in large state-owned companies being managed as well as possible.
DEFENSE – German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius will visit the 57th Air Base in Mihail Kogălniceanu, southeast Romania, on Tuesday. Discussions with Romanian officials will focus on bilateral defense cooperation, joint projects and regional security developments. The German official’s visit demonstrates his country’s constant commitment to Romania’s security and to strengthening cooperation within NATO, the Romanian Defense Ministry said.
PARTNERSHIP – Romania and Switzerland have signed a partnership to increase disaster response capacity. Romanian pilots from the General Inspectorate of Aviation and the Ministry of Interior will be trained in mountain rescue, low-altitude and night flying, with the techniques used in Switzerland being adapted to the specific conditions in Romania. In parallel, measures will be initiated at the national level to improve the legislative framework regarding volunteering and increase civic involvement in emergency situations.
FOOTBALL – The Romanian national team could play in Group D at the 2026 World Cup if it qualifies, and its opponents would be the United States, Paraguay and Australia – according to the draw made on Friday in Washington. The Romanian squad will meet Turkey, away, on March 26, in the semifinals of the World Cup play-off. If they get past the Turks, the Romanians will play, also away, on March 31, in the play-off final with the winner of Slovakia and Kosovo. The 2026 World Cup, the first with 48 teams, will be hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, between June 11 and July 19. The opening match will be see Mexico against South Africa, on June 11, in Mexico City. (EE)
