July 6, 2025
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 06.07.2025, 13:55
Weather. The Romanian weather service has issued a red code warning for persistent heat on Sunday, valid on Sunday and Monday, in 4 counties in southwestern and southern Romania, where highs of 38-41 degrees Celsius are expected. Thermal discomfort will be experienced, as the temperature-humidity index will pass the critical threshold of 80 units. Also, an amber code warning for heat and high thermal discomfort will be in force in the west, south, partially in the centre and in the southeast, where highs of 36 to 39 degrees Celsius are expected. A yellow code for heat and high thermal discomfort is in force in the northwest, centre and east. In these areas, the highs range from 33 to 37 degrees Celsius. A yellow code warning is also in place for atmospheric instability on Sunday in the Southern Carpathians and the Curvature Carpathians. Another red code warning for heat will be in place from July 7 to July 8 in the south of the country and in Bucharest, where temperatures will hit 41 degrees. The rest of the country will be under yellow and amber codes for heat and thermal discomfort.
Health. The health ministry has requested public health departments, ambulance services and emergency hospitals to activate their heat wave action plans. The ministry has instructed ambulance services to put their crews on alert and supplement their staff if the number of emergency calls is on the rise, and has asked public health departments to check the medical care conditions in health care facilities, including stocks of emergency medicine, especially medicines for diseases caused or made worse by the heat, and ensure the needed number of staff. At the same time, health departments will collaborate with local authorities to put in place assistance points and distribute drinking water in public spaces. Another request refers to the intensification of hygiene and sanitary controls at food establishments and on school holiday camps. In another move, the movement of vehicles weighing more than 7.5 tonnes was banned on Sunday on all national roads, expressways and highways in the southern counties where the red code is in place.
Government. The coalition government will assume responsibility in Parliament on Monday for its first package of fiscal measures aimed at reducing the budget deficit. The planned measures include the introduction of two VAT rates, of 11% and 21%, the elimination of the exemption from paying health insurance for pensions over 3,000 lei (600 euros), the increase in excise duties, a surtax on gambling and the additional taxation of banks. MPs can submit amendments, and the government will decide on the final form of the bill in a meeting. Talks were held with unions and employers’ associations, but no provision in the fiscal package was modified. The unions are demanding the elimination of subsidies granted to political parties and the transfer of 5% of labour taxes from employees to employers. Trade unions in healthcare and education said they would stage a protest outside Parliament on Monday, while employers’ associations are warning that the VAT increase will lead to price increases, lower consumption and the closure of businesses. Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare said the package of fiscal measures was discussed with the European Commission and there were signs that if it was approved before the Ecofin Council on July 8, the assessment would be good. He also said that representatives of the Fitch rating agency would begin assessing the measures after July 15 and said he was optimistic they would maintain Romania’s investment-grade rating.
Football. The Romanian football champions FCSB won their second Super Cup trophy in a row, after defeating CFR Cluj, the previous Cup holders, 2-1 on Saturday in Bucharest. FCSB won this trophy eight times, while CFR Cluj have four Super Cup titles to their record. The Super Cup match officially kick starts the new football season. FCSB will be playing in the Champions League qualifying rounds, CFR in the Europa League qualifiers, and Universitatea Craiova and Universitatea Cluj will play in the Conference League qualifiers.
Sports. The Romanian national rugby team lost to Chile 40-16, on Saturday, in a test match held in Santiago de Chile, as part of the Romanian side’s summer tournament of South America. The last match between Romania and Chile took place in November 2022 in Bucharest, with Romania winning 30-23. In tennis, the Romanian-Russian pair Sorana Cîrstea and Ana Kalinskaia are today playing the Russian pair Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider, seeded five, in the round of last 16 of the women’s doubles at Wimbledon.
