March 19, 2025 UPDATE 3
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 19.03.2025, 20:00
MEETING – Romania’s interim president, Ilie Bolojan, will attend the European Council meeting and the EURO summit in expanded format on Thursday and Friday in Brussels, 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.
RULING – The Constitutional Court has dismissed the final challenges filed against the candidacies validated by the Central Election Bureau for the presidential election in May. The Central Election bureau had validated 12 candidacies, but late on Wednedsay evening, Ana-Maria Gavrilă, the candidate of the Young People’s Party (POT), withdrew from the race, in favor of the leader of AUR, George Simion. The final list of competitors will be announced on Thursday, and on Saturday the Bureau will decide the order in which their names will appear on voting ballots. The election campaign is set to start on April 4 and end on May 3. The first round is slated for May 4, and the second round for May 18.
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.
PROTEST – Forestry unions on Wednesday protested against the measures taken by the Government targeting this sector. These include a 25% salary reduction, cutting related rights, such as the wood quota for forestry personnel, and the lack of social dialogue. Last week, the Government amended the Statute of Forestry Personnel by executive order, a stage in the reform of the state-owned company Romsilva, an institution for which extensive verification actions have also been carried out. Environment Minister, Mircea Fechet, said that all benefits that do not have a clear and fair justification have been eliminated, and measures have been introduced to limit the increase in permanent expenses and improve forestry activity.
GAUDEAMUS – The Gaudeamus traveling book fair kicked off in Craiova on Wednesday. Organized by Radio Romania, Gadeamus brings together the most prestigious publishers from Romania, as well as music and educational games distributors. Over 10,000 titles will be available to the visiting public, some of which as a premiere. Guests can also attended 20 book launches and presentation sessions, debates and numerous prize-winning contests. Organizers have also prepared an online version of the event, on the gaudeamus.ro webpage, offering virtual stands, events broadcast live and real-time information about fresh releases. The Honorary President of this year’s traveling Gaudeamus Book Fair is the renowned Romanian-French playwright, poet and journalist, Matei Vişniec.
SPORTS GALA – Swimmer David Popovici and rower Simona Radiş, Olympic champions in Paris, have been designated best athletes of 2024 at the 2024 Romanian Sports Gala organized in Bucharest by the National Sports Agency. In his acceptance speech, David Popovici once again emphasized the precarious situation of swimming pools in Romania. In turn, Simona Radiş said that she wants her results to inspire as many young people as possible to practice sports. Awards were also given to best male and female coaches, best athlete in Paralympic disciplines and best teams. A special award for the entire career was given to former footballer Ladislau Bölöni. (EE & VP)
