March 26, 2025
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 26.03.2025, 13:55
Elections. The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, OSCE, has published the mission of its observers during the repeat presidential elections in Romania on 4th of May. The OSCE said in a statement that its team consists of 13 international experts based in Bucharest and 22 long-term observers, who will be deployed throughout the country from 2 April. Its observers will monitor all key aspects related to the election process, such as the conduct of the campaign, the work of the election administration, election-related legislation and its implementation, campaign finance, media coverage and the resolution of election disputes. The head of the mission, Eoghan Murphy, said the monitoring will also look at the media coverage of the election campaign and the use of social media during the elections.
Visit. The interim speaker of the Romanian senate Mircea Abrudean is paying an official visit to France between 31st April and 1st May, according to an internal memorandum approved recently by the leadership of the institution. According to this document, Mircea Abrudean is scheduled to meet the speaker of the French senate, Gérard Larcher, and the OECD secretary general, Mathias Cormann. The agenda of the visit will also include talks with local authorities and the Romanian diaspora. The trip is part of bilateral actions between the Romanian and French Senate aimed at complementing and consolidating the existing strategic partnership between the two countries, in particular in light of the current economic and security situation at European level, the document also shows.
Gas. Romgaz and OMV Petrom have started drilling to exploit the natural gas deposits in the Neptun Deep area, located 160 km offshore, in Romania’s Black Sea territorial waters. The level of gas production in the Neptun Deep development is projected to reach some 8 billion cubic metres a year. OMV Petrom and Romgaz will invest together up to 4 billion euros in this project, which is going ahead according to plan, with the first gas deliveries estimated for 2027. At the same time as drilling operations, works continue on various other components of the project: the production platform, the underwater infrastructure, the support ship for production operations and the gas metering stations. Energy minister Sebastian Burduja says the gas extracted from the Black Sea means European independence from Russia.
Travel. The US government is reviewing Romania’s recent designation into the Visa Waiver Program to ensure adherence to the program’s stringent security requirements, said the US Department of Homeland Security. During this review, the United States is pausing the implementation of the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) for Romanian citizens. As a result, Romanian citizens wishing to travel to the United States for short-term business or tourist purposes will continue to apply for a non-immigrant (B) visa at a US embassy or consulate.
Handball. The Romanian men’s handball champions CS Dinamo Bucharest are tonight facing the German side SC Magdeburg at home in the first leg of the Champions League playoffs. The second leg will be held on 2nd April, away. Dinamo have two defeats to the German side managed by Bennet Wiegert. Most recently, the two sides faced each other in a Champions League match in March 2023, when the German side won 34-33 and went on to lift the Champions League trophy.
Tennis. The Romanian tennis player Jaqueline Cristian reached the last 16 of the WTA 125 tennis tournament in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, worth 115,000 dollars in prize money. She defeated Britain’s Harriet Dart, 6-3, 6-2, on Tuesday. Cristian, who is ranked 72 in the world and is the main seed at this tournament, will next face Japan’s Ena Shibahara. Another Romanian player, Monica Niculescu, will play in the doubles competition, pairing up with Harriet Dart. In their opening match, the main seeds will face the Australian-Japanese pair Maya Joint and Ena Shibahara in the quarterfinals. (CM)
