June 16, 2025
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 16.06.2025, 13:55
SCHENGEN – The head of Romanian diplomacy, Emil Hurezeanu, participated, on June 14 in Luxembourg in a ceremony marking the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Schengen Free Movement Area. According to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hurezeanu emphasized the historical importance of Romania’s membership in the area of free movement and its role in strengthening the cohesion, unity and resilience of the European project. He also said that it is the first anniversary for Romania as a full Schengen member. Romania’s accession process was completed on January 1, 2025.
GOVERNMENT – Romanian President Nicuşor Dan is expected to nominate a new prime minister this week, given that the term of the current Executive, led by the Liberal Cătălin Predoiu, expires on Friday, the Bucharest media reported on Monday. The four pro-European parties likely to participate in the government make-up, PSD, PNL, USR and UDMR , have failed to agree on the name of the person to be proposed to the president and who would also have solid parliamentary support. The parties’ negotiators have not made much progress either regarding the concrete measures to reduce the budget deficit, measures which should also be presented to the European Commission later this week. President Dan said that the technical teams discussed for 50 hours and managed to review 60-80 possible measures to reduce the deficit, and that for some of these there is an agreement between the party representatives.
CONFLICT – Israel’s attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities will be the subject to a special meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) today, the BBC reports. The IAEA Director, Rafael Grossi, told the UN Security Council on Friday that Israel had struck two of Iran’s nuclear facilities as well as the main uranium enrichment plant at Natanz. The conflict between Israel and Iran is expected to be the main topic of discussion by world leaders at this week’s G7 meeting, amid fears that the fight between the two old rivals could degenerate into a wider regional war, Reuters reports.
FRIGATE – “Regele Ferdinand” Romanian frigate has returned this morning to the Constanta Military Port, after a mission of over 40 days in the Mediterranean Sea, carried out alongside ships from France, Greece and Italy. The mission consisted in monitoring the compliance with the arms embargo imposed on Libya. It was the fourth participation of the Romanian Naval Forces in an operation of this kind, which reflects the commitment to the European Union’s efforts for security and stability in the region, a Naval Forces General Staff’s press release reads. The frigate returned from the mission without one of the crew members, who disappeared from the ship on June 1. The search took four days and involved naval and air equipment. Seven allied and partner states came to the support of the Romanian frigate, but the sailor was not found.
RADIO DRAMA – The 13th edition of the Grand Prix Nova International Radio Drama Festival, organized by Radio Romania, kicks off in Bucharest today. Every day of the week, until Friday, auditions are scheduled in the presence of artists and producers, and meetings and debates are held, attended by professionals and radio drama lovers. As many as 24 productions from 15 countries entered the competition, in two categories. The festival can also be followed on the grandprixnova.ro platform, on the official Facebook and Instagram pages and on the YouTube channel. This year’s edition is dedicated to innovation in the field of sound creation. (EE)
