July 7, 2025
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 07.07.2025, 13:45
PROTESTS Disgruntled with the solutions offered by the coalition executive made up of the PSD-PNL-USR-UDMR to curb the budget deficit, trade unions from Romania’s Healthcare and Education have announced a new series of protests in front of the Parliament building in Bucharest the very moment the government assumes responsibility for the fiscal measures announced. Employees of the Pension Houses, of the Romanian Waters National Administration and the Agriculture Ministry have also announced a series of protests. Trade unionists believe the Executive has chosen the easiest way out, namely to raise taxes and duties. They have submitted to the political parties their alternative for curbing the country’s budget deficit, which includes a measure under which, subsidies are to be granted to political parties only in the years when Romania meets the budgetary deficit targets set at European levels. Trade unionists also want the lump sum granted to deputies and senators cut by 50% as the present system does not offer a transparent way on how this public money is spent. On the other hand, the Confederation of Authorized Operators and Transporters in Romania has called on the government to rethink the austerity measures imposed ‘so that they may not destroy Romania in the following six months’.
WEATHER Meteorologists have extended until Wednesday the code red alert for extremely hot temperatures for Bucharest and 14 counties in southern Romania, where the highs are expected to shoot up to 38-41 degrees centigrade. Code yellow and orange alerts have been extended for the rest of the territory also until Wednesday. The local authorities have resorted to a series of measures to cope with the present heat wave. Ro-Alert messages were being received by Bucharesters on Monday, which were cautioning them against the extremely high temperatures. First aid points have been set up in Bucharest and other major Romanian cities, where people are being offered water and medical assistance. The Healthcare Ministry has called on the public health and ambulance services to activate measure plans for extremely hot temperatures. Employers are to allow their employees to take breaks in shady places, provide appropriate hydration and adjust the working hours whenever possible. The circulation of heavy vehicles has been restricted in the code red areas.
GOVERNMENT The government in Bucharest will today assume responsibility before Parliament for a first fiscal measures package aimed at reducing Romania’s budget deficit. These measures have got a negative notification from the Economic and Social Council as they are trimming the citizens’ purchasing power and are affecting stability in society, while the Parliament opposition has announced its intention to table a censure motion. The most important measures in this fiscal package include a VAT increase from 9 to 11 % and from 19 to 21% respectively, as well as higher fuel, alcohol and tobacco excises. Teachers and professors are supposed to work more hours and the way in which scholarships are granted will also change. Salaries and pensions in the public systems have been frozen for two years. The government has resorted to these measures because of the country’s higher budget deficit and because Romania runs the risk of being downgraded to the ‘junk’ category, which is not recommended for investment.
TENNIS Romanian-Russian pair Sorana Cirstea/ Ana Kalinskaya on Sunday qualified for the quarter finals of the women’s double contest in the Grand Slam tournament of Wimbledon. In the round of 16, the two tennis players have outperformed the Russian pair Mirra Andreeva/ Diana Shnaider. In the quarters, Cirstea and Kalinskaya will be up against Su-wei Hsieh of Taiwan and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia. Cirstea is Romania’s only representative in Wimbledon.
(bill)
