March 12, 2025 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 12.03.2025, 19:52
Protest. The Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), a sovereigntist opposition party in Romania’s Parliament, has termed as abusive the Constitutional Court’s decision to invalidate the candidacy of the extremist Călin Georgescu in the presidential election. At the same time, the party announced that it would go on a parliamentary strike starting on Wednesday, along with the other sovereigntist parties. The Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR) confirmed on Tuesday the decision by which the Central Electoral Bureau rejected Călin Georgescu’s candidacy in the May presidential election. In December, the CCR had annulled the presidential election on grounds that the electoral process had been flawed in his favor. The Social-Democratic Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has stated that the unanimous decision of the Constitutional Court judges regarding Călin Georgescu’s candidacy closes an extremely tense and dangerous episode for Romania.
Foot-and-mouth-disease. The National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority (ANSVSA) in Bucharest has banned any transport of livestock, fodder, straw, compost and manure from Hungary to Romania, due to a confirmed outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease on a farm in Hungary, near the border with Slovakia. The ANSVSA has also imposed restrictions on animal products such as meat, milk and dairy products from the two countries. On Tuesday, the National Sanitary Veterinary Authority organized an emergency meeting with dairy farmers to discuss the necessary measures to protect Romanian farms. A few days ago, Germany also announced its first outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in 36 years, on a farm near Berlin. Foot-and-mouth disease, which is highly contagious, is one of the most serious viral infections that can affect the livestock industry.
Energy security. Romania is closer than ever to the goal of becoming an energy security provider for the European Union, and the growing interest of the states in the region in the country, as the main gas producer in the EU, is just one of the elements that confirm this new role, believes the Romanian Minister of Energy, Sebastian Burduja. In a post on social media, the official writes that Bucharest has no intention of abandoning the energy transition process, considering, however, that pragmatism is important in this whole process. According to him, Romania has the advantage of diverse resources – gas, hydro, nuclear, wind, solar – and our strategy is to capitalize on this mix for energy security and competitive prices. Romania must be a pillar of European energy security, the minister added.
Resolution. The European Parliament welcomed the proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, made on Tuesday at the talks in Saudi Arabia with the United States. In a resolution adopted on Wednesday in Strasbourg, the EP states that it expects Russia to agree and thus cease all attacks on civilians, infrastructure and territory of Ukraine. To deter further Russian aggression, Parliament says that the European Union must contribute to providing solid security guarantees for Ukraine, and that Kyiv must reject hasty agreements that will weaken its security in the medium and long term. The resolution adopted by the European Parliament also states that there can be no negotiations on European security in the absence of the European Union.
Award. Romania’s interim president Ilie Bolojan on Wednesday decorated former international footballer Gheorghe Hagi with the Order of the Star of Romania. According to the Presidential Administration, the highest distinction of the Romanian state, the Order of the Star of Romania in the rank of Knight is awarded to Gheorghe Hagi in recognition and appreciation for his entire sporting career, as well as for his active involvement in the popularization of football. Gheorghe Hagi is a role model and a source of inspiration for all generations, the cited source also states. Born in 1965, Hagi played for the Romanian national team at three world championships in 1990, 1994 (where he was appointed to the World Cup All-Star Team) and 1998, and at three European Championships, in 1984, 1996 and 2000. He was selected 125 times for Romania, second only to Dorinel Munteanu, and is a top scorer (along with Adrian Mutu), with 35 goals. As a player for Steaua Bucharest, he won three championship titles, three Romanian cups, and the European Super Cup in 1987, when, in Monte Carlo, he scored the goal from a free kick that gave the Romanians a 1-0 victory over the Soviets at the time, Dinamo Kiev. With Galatasaray Istanbul, he won 4 championship titles, 2 cups and two Turkish Super Cups, and in 2000 he led the team to win the UEFA Cup and, with Romanian Mircea Lucescu on the bench, the European Super Cup, performances unmatched in the history of Turkish football. After retiring from the pitch, he became a coach and founded the Viitorul (today Farul) Constanța club, with which he won the Romanian championship twice. (MI)
