July 17, 2025
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 17.07.2025, 13:55
CCR – Romania’s Constitutional Court is debating today the notification of President Nicuşor Dan regarding the Law on Certain Measures to Combat Antisemitism and Xenophobia. The President considers that the law, through its adoption method and its content, violates certain constitutional norms and principles. Among other things, the head of state notes the lack of clarity on the notion of legionnaire (member of the Iron Guard movement) and fascist. The President also says that, by comparison, the legislation of other European Union member states more precisely identifies the scope of prohibited organizations, acts, materials and symbols. The President also brings constitutional criticisms from the perspective of the right to information, access to culture and freedom of expression. The law was also brought to the attention of the CCR by the opposition deputies, but the move was rejected, last week, by the Constitutional Court.
Car Scrappage – The Romanian authorities have analyzed and revised the program that encourages Romanians to give up old cars, with the Environment Minister officially announcing that the Rabla (Car Scrappage) program for individuals will be relaunched, but with a smaller budget of only 200 million lei (about 40 million Euros). Diana Buzoianu explained that the relaunch of the program was necessary because investments had been made, people had already given an advance payment and the impact on the economy must also be taken into account. For the future, however, rethinking this formula is needed, not just for the allocation of vouchers, said Diana Buzoianu. The minister also said that the main vision must focus on reducing polluting emissions. The Car Scrappage program, which began in 2005, plays an essential role in the purchase of electric cars, most of them being purchased in this way.
Moldova – Romania and the Republic of Moldova signed, in Chișinău, the Declaration on bilateral cooperation in the field of programs centrally managed by the European Commission – a document of strategic importance for the European path of the former Soviet republic, with a majority Romanian-speaking population. The Minister of Investments and European Projects of Romania, Dragoş Pîslaru, highlighted on this occasion that Chișinău’s participation in European programs will create new bridges of collaboration, including for the business environment, local communities and the public sector. “This collaboration means real development for citizens: infrastructure projects, digitalization, education, environment and innovation. We want Moldova to be prepared and competitive in the new European context”, stressed Dragoş Pîslaru. “Romania is already our main partner on the European path, and this collaboration in the field of European programs will transform opportunities into results. We will work together so that Moldova becomes an active part of this common space of development, stability and prosperity,” said, in turn, the Deputy Prime Minister Vladimir Bolea, Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development, appreciating that the signing of this Declaration represents not only the strengthening of strategic relations with Romania, but also an essential step towards the integration of the Republic of Moldova into the EU.
EU Budget – The European Parliament is unhappy with the EU’s draft multiannual budget for the period 2028-2034, proposed by the European Commission on Wednesday. The EC has put forward a 2 trillion-Euro plan that it says is more adaptable to the different needs of member states. However, MEPs are critical of the grouping of key areas such as agriculture, cohesion, defense, social policies and migration under the same financial envelope, all with the condition that a member state can only attract these funds if it delivers reforms. MEPs are also unhappy with the fact that national governments could be left to divide the amounts received as they please, which could put common European policies in difficulty. The European Parliament’s chief negotiator with the Commission and the Council, Romanian MEP Siegfried Mureşan, is calling for a 7-year budget in which the common agricultural and cohesion policies should be clearly defined, with predictable budgets, just like at present. He has warned that if the project is not adapted to the requirements, the European Parliament will not vote on it.
Arizona – Arizona becomes the first American state to open an economic representative office in Romania, this being a first in the history of bilateral relations. ‘In the recently adopted budget for the fiscal year 2026 (October 2025 – September 2026), the state of Arizona allocated 125,000 dollars for the opening of the representative office in Bucharest – an initiative that recognizes Romania’s role as a regional hub for investment and strengthens the economic partnership with the United States,’ the Romanian Embassy in the US announced on Thursday, in a Facebook post. According to the quoted source, the Commercial Office in Romania will cover Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans. ‘The decision of the state of Arizona to open a commercial office in our country is a strong signal of confidence in the economic potential of Romania and our region. I am convinced that this initiative will strengthen trade, stimulate innovation and bring our business communities even closer, contributing to the development of a sustainable economic relationship between Romania and the United States,’ said Andrei Muraru, Romania’s ambassador to the US, quoted on the social media page. (LS)
