March 27, 2025 UPDATE
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 27.03.2025, 19:57
A roundup of local and international news.
ORDER – The Government in Bucharest adopted, on Thursday, an Emergency Order under which Romanian citizens who do not reside in Romania, but in another EU member state, can receive electronic identity cards with the value of a travel document. This guarantees the right to free movement and residence within the EU. For citizens who prove that their main residence is in a state other than Romania, the field referring to the person’s domicile will not be printed on the electronic identity card. In addition, the person concerned must have a validated account on the Hub platform – the service and information portal of the Interior Ministry – with the exception of minors, under 18 years of age. The procedure for creating and validating these accounts will be established by an order of the Interior Minister.
SECURITY– Romania will participate in the working group for monitoring compliance with the ceasefire agreement in the Black Sea because it is a strategic area for the Romanian state, Ilie Bolojan said on Thursday at the end of the Paris Summit on security in Ukraine, which he attended alongside leaders from 31 states. Constanta is the most important port on the Black Sea, and Romania will participate in this working group through the infrastructure it has, but also through the collaboration with Turkey and Bulgaria on demining, the Romanian head of state also said. On the other hand, Ilie Bolojan reiterated that Romania will not send any military personnel to Ukraine. In Paris, in the presence of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskky, Ukraine’s allies ruled out lifting any sanctions against Russia.
MEETING – Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu met on Thursday in Bucharest with Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, during which the strong cooperation between the two states within the EU and the common interests were highlighted, especially regarding the security of NATO’s Eastern Flank. We are strengthening our partnership and supporting the Polish EU Presidency’s objective of having a stronger European Union, said Marcel Ciolacu in a post on the Government’s X page. Also on Thursday, Radoslaw Sikorski discussed with his Romanian counterpart, Emil Hurezeanu. The voices on the Eastern Flank must be heard and their opinion must be taken into account when talking about Ukraine, the head of Romanian diplomacy said. In these stormy times, our collaboration with Romania is becoming increasingly important, the Polish official said in turn. He also said that Poland and Romania are close allies and partners.
SPENDING – Romanian public institutions spent 380 million lei (over 76 million euros) less on goods and services in the first two months of the year compared to the same period in 2024, said Finance Minister Tánczos Barna. He stressed that a reduction in operating expenses of 5% was achieved at the state budget level and of almost 4% at the local authorities level. According to data from the Ministry of Finance, during the mentioned period, the deficit was 1.58% of the Gross Domestic Product, compared to 1.64% of the GDP in the first two months of 2024.
PNRR – Romanian MPs adopted two bills on Wednesday, milestones in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The first requires members of the Government and other dignitaries with positions in the central administration to register in the Single Register of Transparency of Interests, as well as the prohibition of requesting or accepting gifts from people they are connected with while performing their duties. The second bill adopted refers to streamlining the activities of public enterprises.
TARIFFS – The European Union deeply regrets the Trump administration’s decision, announced on Wednesday evening, to impose 25% tariffs on imported cars as of next month. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has warned that such a measure would particularly affect consumers, both European and American. In turn, Canada’s new Prime Minister Mark Carney has accused Donald Trump of violating bilateral agreements and warned that his country will react with tariffs on American products. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has said he is considering all options for response. This is the latest measure in a wide-ranging trade war, the BBC notes. The new tariffs are due to come into effect on April 3. (EE)
