July 12, 2025 UPDATE (2)
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 12.07.2025, 20:00
CONGRESS – A special congress of the National Liberal Party on Saturday elected Ilie Bolojan party president. The Prime Minister was the only candidate. Ilie Bolojan said the position of party president is an honorable one and one of great responsibility, showing that he is ready to do everything in his power so that the name of the party should coincide with the modernization of Romania. “We have two major political objectives. Good governance, because this is our first responsibility today, the destiny of our country, with respect for the citizens, which should aim at two things – in the short term to rebalance the country in budgetary and economic terms, and in the medium term to create conditions for development and prosperity”, Ilie Bolojan said. He added that, domestically and politically, the main objective is to rebuild the Romanian democratic right around the Liberal Party.
VISIT – The president of Romania, Nicuşor Dan, will pay an official visit to Germany on Friday, July 18, where he will meet with his counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Later, Nicuşor Dan will have a meeting with Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Talks will focus on bilateral relations, European and security policy aspects. This year, Romania and the Federal Republic of Germany mark 145 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations. Germany is Romania’s largest trade partner, holding a share of 19.82% of total foreign trade, respectively 20.95% in exports and 18.98% in imports.
MEETING –Romanian Senate Speaker, Mircea Abrudean, on Saturday met in Bucharest with the Speaker of the Moldovan Parliament, Igor Grosu. On this occasion, the two officials highlighted the “privileged and strategic” bilateral relationship between the two states, based on historical, cultural ties and common European values, a Senate release reads. The parliamentary election in the Republic of Moldova, scheduled for September, represents a key moment for the pro-European destiny of Romanians across the Prut, Mircea Abrudean said, underlining the importance of consolidating democratic institutions and continuing the path of reforms. At the same time, the Senate Speaker conveyed Romania’s “constant support” for the authorities in Chișinău in their efforts to defend democracy, unity and the strategic objective of joining the EU.
STATISTICS – The inflation rate rose to 5.7% in June, from 5.45% in May, according to the National Statistics Institute. Food prices rose by 7.36% in June this year, compared to June 2024. The biggest increase was reported in prices for fruits, approximately 33%, as well as canned fruits, over 25%. Sugar is the only food that has become cheaper in the last year. Prices for non-food goods have also increased by nearly 4% in the past year. The largest increase was in thermal energy, almost 14%, whereas services have increased by approximately 7%. Recently, the National Bank of Romania announced that it expects the inflation rate to increase considerably in the coming months after the liberalization of the energy market and after the increase in VAT and excise duties starting August. Financial analysts estimate that inflation could exceed the 10% threshold by the end of the year.
PARTNERSHIP – Over July 7-13, the Romanian Embassy in Washington is organizing a series of events marking the anniversary of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the USA, launched on July 11, 1997. The 4th edition of the largest Romanian festival in the United States, “Romanian Weekend at the Wharf”, is taking place this weekend. American citizens and members of the Romanian-American community will be able to enjoy and take part in folk dance performances and live concerts, demonstrations of traditional crafts, interactive workshops, tourist presentations, exhibitions and food and wine sampling sessions. Launched in 2022, the festival has become Romania’s largest cultural diplomacy project in North America.
FESTIVAL – Hundreds of thousands of young people from Romania and abroad are these days taking part in the “Beach, Please!” festival hosted by Costinești on the Black Sea coast, the largest urban hip-hop music festival in Europe. 200 Romanian and foreign artists have been invited to the musical event, including Inna, Lil Tjay, Rick Ross, Guess Who and 21 Savage. Organized on an area of 21 hectares, this year’s edition is one of premieres: the largest stage ever set up in Europe, the most powerful sound system implemented on the continent and a production similar to the largest festivals in the United States. (VP)
