June 2, 2025
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 02.06.2025, 13:55
Summit. Romania’s President Nicușor Dan will attend today the B9 and the Nordic Countries Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, his first foreign trip as Head of State. According to the Presidential Administration, at the summit Nicușor Dan will reaffirm Romania’s commitment to strengthening NATO at all levels and the Alliance’s crucial role in ensuring Euro-Atlantic security. The President will emphasize that Romania remains a responsible and active ally on the Eastern Flank, in the strategic area of the Black Sea, and will advocate the continuation of the Allies’ multidimensional support for Ukraine. He will also show that Romania supports the vital importance of the transatlantic relationship, which remains the foundation of collective defense. The Head of State will also stress the need to support the Republic of Moldova, which is exposed to complex risks and threats. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and representatives of NATO allies from the Nordic countries (Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Iceland, Norway, Finland, Sweden) will attend the event. The Bucharest 9 Summit is aimed at preparing the NATO Summit in The Hague at the end of June, which will be an important moment for strengthening the North Atlantic Alliance and transatlantic unity.
Government. In Bucharest, working groups of experts from PSD, PNL, USR and UDMR, the parties that could form the future government majority, are meeting today to outline the governing program. The program aims to reduce the deficit to 7.5% of the GDP, with the main option envisaged being to cut state spending and increase tax collection, before considering tax increases. At the same time, the pro-western parties have announced meetings with the big trade union confederations amid fears among employees that the future measures could reduce living standards. The leaders of the four parties agreed that the next government should be led by a political prime minister, not a technocrat, and that a governing program should be as detailed as possible.
Funding. The Romanian Ministry of Labor, Family, Youth and Social Solidarity is accessing, for the first time, non-reimbursable Swiss funds for social assistance in Romania, amounting to 20 million Swiss francs, the ministry has announced today. A total of 17.5 million francs will be allocated for integrated social services for vulnerable communities, and 2.5 million francs for combating discrimination and promoting the traditions and culture of the Roma ethnic group. So far, four support agreements have been signed in Romania with Swiss funds to finance SMEs, research, transport and civil society.
Praid. The situation at the Praid Saltmine (central Romania), affected by recent floods, is being examined this week by the Prime Minister’s Control Body in order to establish the causes and those responsible. A working group will seek technical, economic and financial solutions to fix the damage. Interim Prime Minister Cătălin Predoiu said that the situation at the Praid Saltmine is a special one, with environmental and local economic implications, and that is why he has set up an inter-ministerial committee in charge of finding sustainable solutions to protect an entire community, and not just carry out a one-off intervention. The executive will adopt a series of decisions to provide aid in the form of building materials, food and basic necessities, as well as financial assistance to families and individuals affected by the extreme weather.
Warsow. The nationalist candidate Karol Nawrocki has won Poland’s presidential election against the Liberal Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski, according to official results released today. Nawrocki won 50.89% of the votes against 49.11% for Trzaskowki in a run-off vote on Sunday. Nawrocki’s victory is a blow to Donald Tusk’s pro-European government, international news agencies say. Nawrocki, a historian who has never held public office, represents the conservative nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party. As director of the Institute of National Memory, tasked with assessing Poland’s recent complex past, Nawrocki ordered the destruction of Soviet memorials following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, exploiting this in the media and angering the Kremlin. He advocates preserving traditional Polish values and opposes the transfer of power to the EU.
Ukraine. Representatives of Ukraine and Russia are due to meet again in Istanbul today to negotiate a ceasefire and ways to end the war, dpa reports. In May, the two sides held direct talks for the first time since 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine. According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, Kyiv’s negotiating position includes a full, unconditional armistice, the release of prisoners and the repatriation of abducted children from Ukraine. He said a meeting at the highest level was also needed for a lasting peace. Russia has already rejected the idea of an unconditional ceasefire, but has recently indicated that it could accept a truce with some preconditions. Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzia said on Friday that during the ceasefire, Western countries must stop supplying arms to Kyiv and Ukraine must stop mobilization.
Sports. Romanian gymnast Ana Bărbosu won the gold medal on floor and the silver medal on beam on Saturday at the European Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Leipzig (Germany). Romania’s last gold medal on floor at the European Championships was won by Larisa Iordache in 2020. Ana Bărbosu brought all the medals Romania won at the European Championships in Leipzig, gold on floor, silver on beam, bronze in the individual all-round and bronze in the parallel bars event. In another move, Romanian athlete Mihai Chiruță won the bronze medal in the men’s single sculls competition on Sunday at the European Rowing Championships in Plovdiv (Bulgaria). Romania ended the competition with a total of 7 medals, including 3 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze. (MI)
