July 29, 2025
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 29.07.2025, 13:55
Reform – The liberal Prime Minister of Romania, Ilie Bolojan, has presented today the reform of special pensions, which are not based on the contributory principle and which mainly benefit judges and prosecutors. The project provides for the increase in the retirement age of magistrates to 65 years. At the same time, the length of service after which a magistrate can retire will increase from 25 to 35 years. On the other hand, the value of the pension will be a maximum of 70% of the last net salary, compared to 80% of the gross salary, as it is now. Ilie Bolojan also said that the decisions of the Constitutional Court regarding special pensions have been analyzed, so that the new criteria meet what these decisions provide. The new changes will be found in the third package of fiscal measures, which will be adopted in August. The reform in this area is also conditioned by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), because, once completed, Romania will be able to recover hundreds of millions of Euros, money, which, for the time being, is blocked by the European Commission. According to the government, not only the pensions of magistrates must be corrected, but also the other special pensions, including those of the military, as they are not sustainable in the current economic context.
Electricity – In Romania, the cap on electricity tariffs was eliminated as of July 1, and the first increased bills will be issued in August. The president of the Smart Energy Association, Monica David, believes that Romanians will have to cross a psychological threshold in the context in which bills could even be double compared to the current ones. The biggest difference between the new bills and the old ones will be in the case of people who have low energy consumption. For vulnerable consumers, the state will provide monthly aid amounting to 50 lei (almost 10 Euros) for paying electricity bills, but they must request this support as it will no longer be granted automatically.
Sports – The Romanian swimmer David Popovici, the defending Olympic champion, is competing today in the 200m freestyle final at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore. He qualified with the fourth best time from Monday’s semifinals. Popovici has a world title in the 200m freestyle, obtained in 2022, in Budapest. In tennis, the Romanian player Jaqueline Cristian faces the Czech Linda Noskova today, in the second round of the WTA 1,000 tournament in Montreal (Canada), with total prizes worth over 5 million US dollars. Two other Romanians, Gabriela Ruse and Sorana Cîrstea, were eliminated on Monday in the first round.
Budget – Romania’s budget deficit rose to 3.68% of the Gross Domestic Product after the first six months of this year, from 3.39% at the end of May and reached approximately 70 billion lei (14 billion Euros), according to data published by the Finance Ministry. Last year, the budget deficit was almost 64 billion lei in the same period, respectively 3.62% of the GDP. In the context of the first tax increases starting on August 1, Romanians expect a sharp increase in prices and a decrease in their standard of living. Among the measures for which the government has assumed responsibility are the increase in the VAT and excise rates, health contributions for pensions higher than 3,000 lei (about 600 Euros), the freezing of pensions and salaries in the public sector or the limitation of bonuses and state employment. The government also wants to adopt a package of measures aimed at making state-owned companies or local administrations more efficient, as well as another package regarding the reform of special pensions.
Anthem – The Romanian Anthem represents one of the most powerful national symbols, whose history is linked to the crucial moments in our development as a modern society, President Nicușor Dan has said today, in a message on the occasion of the National Anthem Day. Since the moments described, the head of state pointed out, the national anthem has defined the essence of the democratic ideals and Euro-Atlantic values of our country, highlighting the determination of Romanians to oppose, in the last three and a half decades, any actions that would endanger the rule of law and the freedoms gained. Military ceremonies are organized in numerous garrisons in Romania. The National Anthem Day is celebrated every year, on July 29. Romania’s anthem is entitled ‘Wake up, Romanian!’ and was composed by Anton Pann, and the lyrics were written by the poet Andrei Mureşanu.
UNICEF – UNICEF has launched the Romanian version of the podcast ‘On My Mind’, created to support the mental health of young people. The eight episodes, available to listeners for free, include exercises and information that help them maintain their mental health every day. The content was created together with young people and is based on concrete data on their mental health needs. “In Romania, tens of thousands of children and adolescents face mental health problems. One in three adolescents aged 11 to 15 feels sad at least once a week,” said Anna Riatti, UNICEF Representative in Romania. According to her, urgent investments are needed in the mental health of children and young people and the expansion of prevention measures at the family level through programs that promote positive parenting behaviors and support the well-being of people caring for children. The UNICEF podcast ‘On My Mind’ was first launched in Ukrainian, Polish and English in June 2023, seeking to address the pressing mental health needs of young people affected by the war in Ukraine. (LS)
