February 6, 2025
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 06.02.2026, 13:55
ECONOMY In Bucharest, the government today presents to unions and employer associations the measures included in a third fiscal package, for which the Cabinet is to take responsibility before Parliament. The new bills concern economic recovery and the public administration reform, including a bill to ban pensioners from receiving both public sector salaries and pensions at the same time. The finance minister Alexandru Nazare said the economic recovery legislation concerns state aid, tax facilities and incentives for investments. In today’s meeting, the broad lines of the 2026 state budget and the social security budget will also be analysed. The draft budget is to be submitted to Parliament around February 20. The state budget will rely on an estimated deficit of 6.2% of GDP, a 4% inflation rate and a good rate of EU fund absorption, the authorities said.
DEFENCE The defence minister Radu Miruţă announces that Romania has signed a procurement agreement for Mistral missiles from France under the EU’s SAFE programme. He mentioned that the purchase was made jointly with several countries, so that the price would be better and the delivery time shorter. The Romanian official also said that Bucharest is preparing to send calls for tenders to eligible companies for the 21 Army procurement projects.
CORRUPTION Prosecutors with the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) in Romania conduct searches in a case of influence peddling, bribe-taking and giving, and fraud. According to judicial sources, the raids take place at the head offices of the Bucharest District 5 City Hall. The public manager of the district and the chief architect, as well as local police officers, are apparently targeted. The investigation concerns acts of corruption in the real estate market. The previous day, anticorruption prosecutors placed the mayor of Bucharest’s District 3 Robert Negoiţă under judicial supervision on bail amounting to about EUR 160,000. The elected official is now banned from exercising his mayor powers. The investigation focuses on the municipality’s having spent public money to build a road on the private property of Negoiţă’s brother.
US EMBASSY The US president Donald Trump is firmly committed to working with international partners, including Romania, to ensure the supply of critical minerals needed to support the defence, energy and technology sectors. This is the message sent by the US Embassy in Bucharest after a recent rare minerals meeting held in Washington and hosted by secretary of state Marco Rubio and vice president J.D. Vance. The Romanian delegation was led by the foreign minister Oana Ţoiu. According to the Romanian foreign ministry, next month a final form of a memorandum of understanding, following negotiations led by the European Commission and the US State Department, will facilitate the development of coordinated trade policies and mechanisms regarding rare materials.
TOURISM A bill endorsed by the Senate aims to develop the spa sector as a strategic area of the national economy. The draft law includes provisions to support investments in spa infrastructure and facilitate the upgrade and improvement of tourist services. The bill is backed by both power and opposition MPs. Although Romania has approximately one-third of Europe’s natural therapeutic resources that can generate health, jobs and economic development, MPs pointed out that tourism revenues account for a very small share of GDP, about 2.5-2.6%, of which spa tourism provides a mere 10%. The bill goes to the Chamber of Deputies next, which is the decision-making chamber in this case.
OLYMPICS RO Romania is represented by 29 athletes in nine sports at the 14th Winter Olympic Games, which take place between February 6 and 22 in northern Italy, in Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo. The chairman of the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee (COSR), Mihai Covaliu, believes that only the men’s bobsleigh crew could claim a medal, given that Romania is not, traditionally, a winter sports powerhouse. The sports personalities designated to carry the Olympic torch on the last part of the route ahead of the opening ceremony included the former international player Cristian Chivu (Romania), currently the coach of Internazionale Milano, this season’s leaders of the Italian football championship. (AMP)
