July 29, 2025 UPDATE
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 29.07.2025, 20:00
GOLD MEDAL – Romanian swimmer David Popovici, the reigning Olympic champion, won the gold medal in the 200-meter freestyle on Tuesday at the World Swimming Championships in Singapore. Popovici (20 years old) won with a time of 1 min 43 sec 53/100. For David Popovici it is the second world title in the 200-m freestyle, after the one obtained in 2022, in Budapest. In Singapore, the Romanian swimmer will also compete in the 100-m freestyle (heats scheduled for Wednesday) and in the 50-m freestyle. Another Romanian athlete, Constantin Popovici, brought Romania a bronze medal in Singapore, in the high jump (27 meters).
SPECIAL PENSIONS – The liberal Prime Minister of Romania, Ilie Bolojan, presented on Wednesday 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 at present. 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 PNRR, because, once completed, Romania will be able to recover hundreds of millions of euros, money that, for the moment, is blocked by the European Commission. (…) After the Prime Minister’s announcement, the Higher Council of Magistracy (CSM) reported that the Government’s intentions regarding the modification of the retirement age and the amount of magistrates’ pensions ‘blatantly’ violate the principles stipulated in the Constitution and international regulations.
BILLS – 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 given the fact that bills could even be double compared to 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 grant monthly aid worth 50 lei (almost 10 euros) for paying electricity bills, but they must request this support as it will no longer be granted automatically.
PRIORITIES – Romania must reprioritize its investments in order to fit within the budgetary limits assumed for the years 2025-2026, a period in which the pressure on the state budget will be significant. This is the message conveyed by the European Commission and communicated by the Minister of Finance after the discussions he had on Monday with representatives of the executive in Brussels. In a post on a social network, Alexandru Nazare announced that he advocated for the inclusion in the non-reimbursable loan component of some essential projects for Romania, those for the rehabilitation of buildings and energy efficiency, as well as two important sections of the Moldova A7 highway that will contribute to a significant development of the eastern region of Romania. “It is vital, during this period, to take concrete steps towards restoring Romania’s credibility in front of international partners,” Nazare pointed out.
ANTHEM – The Romanian Anthem is 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 said Wednesday, in a message on the occasion of National Anthem Day. Since the moments evoked, the head of state pointed out, the national anthem has defined the essence of the democratic ideals and Euro-Atlantic values of our country, showing Romanians’ determination to oppose, in the last three and a half decades, any slippages that would endanger the rule of law and the freedoms gained. Military ceremonies were held in numerous garrisons in Romania.
DEFICIT – Romania’s budget deficit rose to 3.68% of 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 Ministry of Finance. Last year, the budget deficit was almost 64 billion lei in the same period, respectively 3.62% of GDP. In the context of the first tax increases starting August 1, Romanians expect a sharp increase in prices and a decrease in their standard of living. The government also wants to adopt a package of measures aimed at making state-owned companies and local administrations more efficient, as well as another regarding the reform of special pensions.
MENTAL HEALTH – UNICEF has launched the Romanian version of the podcast “On My Mind”, created to support young people’s mental health. 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, a UNICEF Representative in Romania. According to her, urgent investments are needed in the mental health of children and youth and the expansion of prevention measures at the family level through programs that promote positive parenting behaviors and support the well-being of people who care 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. (EE)
