June 25, 2025 UPDATE
A roundup of local and international news.
Elena Enache, 25.06.2025, 20:00
SUMMIT – Romania wants NATO countries that are not EU members to participate in the European Union’s defense financing mechanisms, President Nicuşor Dan said on Wednesday at a news conference after taking part in the NATO summit. He thanked the allied states that take part in operations in Romania and said that the summit reaffirmed transatlantic unity and the continued American presence in Europe. “We reaffirmed that the Black Sea region is important. Regarding the allied presence, we reiterated our commitment to invest in facilities to host allied soldiers”, President Dan also said. On the other hand, he said that he discussed with his American counterpart, Donald Trump, only “matters of courtesy”. Dan said he spoke more with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who congratulated him on the elections. “I think we are on a normal path”, Nicusor Dan said about Romania’s relationship with the United States. “We have military collaboration, we have a strategic partnership, we have American companies in Romania (…) A relationship that we need to develop”, he concluded.
FITCH – Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan on Wednesday in Bucharest had a meeting with representatives of the Fitch rating agency, political sources announced. Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare also participated in the discussions. Romania is close to being downgraded to the “junk” category, meaning a country not recommended for investments. In August, the Fitch agency will make an assessment and decide whether to improve the rating. Two other agencies – Standard and Poor’s and Moody’s – are to make recommendations to the business environment, based on the assessments they will carry out in September and October.
INITIATIVE – Young people in Romania aged between 16 and 18 will be able to set up and manage a new type of limited liability company, called a practice company, according to a bill adopted by the Senate as the first chamber notified. Teenagers with a passion for technology, services or other fields can benefit from the practical experience gained from managing a company since their high school years, said PSD Senator Florin Jianu, one of the law’s initiators. He indicated that the net annual turnover will be a maximum of 100,000 lei, and these companies will be exempt from profit tax or income tax. The initiative was also supported by USR parliamentarians. Senator Adelina Dobra said that the measure supports the development of early entrepreneurial skills of these young people and responds to a pressing need to combine the information acquired at school with practical experience. There were also votes against the initiative. From the opposition, Senator Gheorghe Vela of the Young People’s Party said that, regardless of good intentions, a new law cannot annul the provisions of the Civil Code. The final decision in this case belongs to the Chamber of Deputies.
MOLDOVA – The first Moldova-European Union summit will take place on July 4, in Chisinau, and will be hosted by President Maia Sandu. From Brussels, the meeting will be attended by the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. The summit, according to a statement of the Moldovan presidency, confirms not only the recognition of the steps taken by Chisinau, but also the solid political commitment of the European Union for the European future of the Republic of Moldova. Topics related to the accession process, developments so far and the next stages, will be addressed. The expansion of economic ties and cooperation areas such as infrastructure, energy, digitalization and regional development will also be discussed. An important topic on the agenda of the talks will be the Growth Plan for the Republic of Moldova, worth 1.9 billion euros, recently adopted by the European Commission, by which the Union supports the modernization of the economy and the increase in the living standards of the Moldovan citizens.
WEATHER – A heat wave gripped Romania on Wednesday. Temperatures will constantly be above 35 degrees Celsius in the following days. A yellow code for heat and thermal discomfort was in place on Wednesday morning, which will affect almost three quarters of the country. As of Thursday morning until Friday, 12 counties in the southwest and south, including the capital Bucharest, are under an orange code alert for excessive heat and severe thermal discomfort. Maximum temperatures will range from 38 to 40 degrees Celsius. The only exceptions are the northeast of the country and the Black Sea coast. Due to the heat wave, trains will run at reduced speed. (EE)
