July 31, 2025 UPDATE
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 31.07.2025, 20:00
GOLD MEDAL – Romanian swimmer David Popovici is the new world champion in the 100 m freestyle, at the World Swimming Championships in Singapore, where he outpaced his opponents, finishing the race in 46 seconds and 51 hundredths. Bronze medalist at the 2024 Olympic Games in this event, David Popovici has a world title in 2022 and two European titles (2022, 2024). On Tuesday, also in Singapore, David Popovici won the gold medal in the 200 m freestyle, ahead of American Luke Hobson and Japanese Murasa Tatsuya. For David Popovici this is the second world title, after the one obtained in 2022, in Budapest. The athlete is also an Olympic champion in the 200 m freestyle, after the gold medal he won in Paris in 2024. Romania also won a bronze medal at the World Championships in Singapore through Constantin Popovici in high jump (27 meters).
UKRAINE – European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s promulgation of a law that restores the independence of two anti-corruption agencies as a step towards strengthening the rule of law and aligning with EU standards. Earlier, the Ukrainian parliament overwhelmingly voted in favor of the law promoted by President Zelensky. The new legislation annuls the previous one proposed last week, which provided for the transfer of the two agencies under political control and which triggered street protests nationwide. In addition, Volodymyr Zelensky has been warned by his Western allies that he must continue the fight against corruption, as Ukraine seeks to join the EU.
NRRP – Romania has completed the renegotiation process with the European Commission regarding the National Recovery and Resilience Plan – the Minister of Investments and European Projects, Dragoş Pîslaru, announced on Thursday. Discussions and consultations with the authorities in Brussels lasted more than a year, “a long period in which the central theme was what Romania can still complete by August 2026, what are the justifications for this, what are the acceleration measures,” said Dragoş Pîslaru. He stressed that there is no risk of losing funds from the grant component (non-reimbursable), totaling 13.57 billion euros, which is fully allocated. To this is added the loan component, representing 8 billion euros. The minister also announced that funds worth over two billion euros, intended for the construction of highways, were transferred from the loan component to the non-reimbursable funds. At the same time, Romania obtained additional financing that will support projects in health and energy. The revised form of the NRRP will be officially submitted to the European Commission next month, to complete the approval process.
SCHENGEN – Security risks and threats to internal order have led many Schengen states to temporarily reintroduce border checks. Illegal migration and the dangers of sabotage are among the causes mentioned by countries such as Spain, Italy or Austria. The Romanian Government also established, in Thursday’s meeting, the national mechanism regarding the decision to temporarily reintroduce border checks. Border checks are not being reintroduced, but only a mechanism was approved that can be used in specific and temporary situations. The regulation on the free movement area provides for the possibility for Schengen member states to reintroduce internal border checks under certain conditions, for example, if there are serious threats to public order and internal security. Also on Thursday, in order to reduce the excise tax on diesel used in agriculture, the Executive increased the amount of money that this year benefits from the state aid scheme dedicated to over 15,000 farmers.
AID – Humanitarian aid consisting of food, drinking water, modular buildings, clothing, and other essential products have reached the residents of Suceava and Neamț counties, in northeastern Romania, severely affected by recent floods. According to a Government statement, the products were taken from state reserves and were distributed to support residents in areas where floods and landslides caused significant damage to homes and local infrastructure. On the other hand, the Minister of Environment, Waters and Forests, Diana Buzoianu, traveled to the two counties on Thursday to assess the damage on site, as well as to identify effective solutions to support the affected communities and prevent similar situations in the future. In Suceava County, the hardest hit, three people died and over 2,500 were affected. Many houses and cars were swept away by the waters. Roads and bridges were destroyed. (EE)
