January 1, 2025
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 01.01.2025, 14:03
A roundup of local and international news.
CELEBRATION – On the first day of the year, Orthodox Christians (the majority in Romania) and Greek Catholics, celebrate the day on which the baby born in Bethlehem received His name. Also, according to Jewish tradition, eight days after his birth, Jesus was circumcised. The name that the Son of God, received, Jesus, means the Savior, while Christ means the Anointed One. Also today, Saint Basil the Great is celebrated. He lived in the 4th century and was bishop in Caesarea, a city in Asia Minor, on the territory of today’s Turkey. In just nine years as bishop, Saint Basil proved to be a great theologian, defender of the Orthodox faith. He is the first bishop to establish hospitals and asylums for the poor. Almost 500,000 Romanians celebrate his name day today.
SCHENGEN – Romania and Bulgaria entered the Schengen area with land borders at midnight, 18 years after joining the EU. The enlargement of the border-free area to 29 members takes place after the two countries had been partially included in the free movement area in March 2024, eliminating border checks at ports and airports. The moment of full Schengen accession was marked at the Giurgiu-Ruse border crossing by the Romanian and Bulgarian interior ministers, Cătălin Predoiu and Atanas Ilkovv, who symbolically lifted the barrier at the Danube Bridge checkpoint. Minister Predoiu said that it is a historic moment, which marks the full and irrevocable integration of Romania into the EU, a moment with special practical consequences for every Romanian citizen and for Romanian companies. For a safe transition, a risk analysis method will be applied over the next six months, when some vehicles will be randomly selected for additional checks, something that will not affect the main flow of passengers and vehicles.
PRESIDENT’S NEW YEAR MESSAGE – Romania is a stable, democratic, secure and pro-European country, a reliable partner for our foreign allies, acting President Klaus Iohannis said in his New Year message. He recalls that, in 2024, Romania made significant economic progress, reduced the gaps in relation to the other European Union member states and achieved important objectives, such as full accession to the Schengen free movement area, and the elimination of visas for the United States. The living standards and incomes continued to increase in 2024, although the external context was not at all simple, the acting president also said. He acknowledged that, amid justified dissatisfaction at society level, the country is in a watershed moment. “To overcome it successfully, we need to strengthen solidarity and regain trust in the political class,” Iohannis said. Only if we preserve our democracy and the values that have defined us as an authentic part of the European family will we get through this difficult stage, he said, adding that “the political class must show that they learned the lesson of 2024 and respond with concrete and rapid measures to the needs of society.” Together, we can keep Romania on its pro-Western path, guided by the fundamental principles and values that define us – justice, freedom and democracy – the Romanian President concluded. On December 21, 2024, Klaus Iohannis’s second and last five-year presidential term, which the Constitution entitles him to, was due to expire. However, his mandate was extended until the election of a new head of state, to be validated by the Constitutional Court.
ORDER – An emergency order has taken effect as of today, aiming to reduce public spending in 2025. The government wishes to diminish budget spending by 19 billion lei, while raising budget revenues by implementing the reforms laid down in Romania’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The document also stipulates that the subsidy allocated to political parties will be reduced by 25% compared to the level granted last year. The order will form the basis for the adoption of the state budget law for 2025. In Romania, the budget deficit rose to 7.12% of Gross Domestic Product at the end of November, according to data from the Ministry of Finance. Last year, at the end of the same month, the deficit was 4.58%.
WARSAW – Poland has taken over from Hungary the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union. The priorities announced by Warsaw in this capacity aim to strengthen European security under all its aspects, namely internal, external, information, economic, energy, food and health. The government in Warsaw will continue to pressure Moscow to end its large-scale invasion of Ukraine and will also push the EU to maximize military and financial aid to Kyiv, as Donald Trump is expected to reduce American support. Poland also intends to increase economic pressure on Russia, by adding new sanctions and trying to stop Moscow from circumventing existing ones.
