March 19, 2025 UPDATE 1
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 19.03.2025, 18:06
MEETING – Romania’s interim president, Ilie Bolojan, will attend the European Council meeting and the EURO summit in expanded format on Thursday and Friday, the Presidency has announced. High on the agenda of the Council meeting is ensuring European competitiveness, with three priority areas identified for debate: simplification and reduction of administrative burdens, consolidation of the energy market and the Union of economies and investments. The action plans for the automotive and steel sectors will also be addressed. Discussions are expected to pick up from the extraordinary meeting of the European Council on March 6 and address the latest developments regarding support for Ukraine, as well as issues related to European defense. EU leaders will also exchange views on developments in the Middle East, in particular the situation in Gaza and Syria, as well as progress in migration management based on the decisions taken at the European Council meeting of October 2024.
ELECTION – 5,683 people have so far applied for postal voting for the May presidential election in Romania. Romanian citizens abroad were able to register on a special online platform by March 4, as well as with their local polling stations, 2,611 such applications having been submitted so far. Romanian voters can visit any of the polling stations open abroad, even if they have not registered on the dedicated portal. Online registration is only necessary for postal voting or for setting up a polling station in settlements where at least 100 voters have opted to vote. The most requests for postal voting were registered in Germany, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, France, the United States, Spain and Italy. (VP)
