May 11, 2025 UPDATE (2)
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 11.05.2025, 20:00
REGULATIONS – Traders selling tobacco products in Romania have new obligations. According to an order issued by of the National Authority for Consumer Protection, economic operators are required, starting Sunday, to display an information notice prohibiting the sale to minors of products containing tobacco, electronic cigarettes, refill bottles for electronic cigarettes, electronic devices for heating tobacco and products intended for smokeless inhalation of tobacco substitutes and nicotine sachets for oral use. The notice, which can be downloaded free of charge from the anpc.ro website, must be displayed in the field of vision of buyers. Merchants must also make the notice available to blind or visually impaired people, either in audio format or through the use of any specific physical or digital means.
HEIST – Dutch prosecutors investigating the Romanian artifacts heist at the Drents Museum in Assen recently announced there is no evidence confirming the items were melted. The first preliminary hearing in this case took place this week, the Dutch media writes. The suspects were presented with evidence supporting the charges against them. Two defendants were questioned, but they refused to make statements in court. According to prosecutors, all suspects refused to cooperate, and this behavior is considered aggravating. The next public hearing will take place on July 30, and the trial could begin in the second half of 2026. The Drents Museum in Assen reasserted that it remains hopeful that all the gold objects, the Coțofenești Helmet and the three Dacian bracelets, will be recovered.
LEGISLATION – The law that changes the retirement conditions for magistrates is on the agenda of the Parliament in Bucharest next week. Debates on the legislative initiative undertaken by PSD, PNL and UDMR will take place in the Senate. In the form approved by the Chamber of Deputies, the proposal that judges and prosecutors should cease their activity upon reaching the age of 65 is supposed to take effect at the start of 2026 instead of a space-out schedule, until 2045, as the document originally stipulated. The Superior Council of Magistracy criticizes the project, claiming it is violating the principle of judicial independence. Also in the Senate, members of the Health Committee are expected to debate the proposal that brings amendments to the law on the exercise of the profession of dietitian. Also, at the Chamber of Deputies, plenary discussions on the healthcare system and investments in the healthcare system are scheduled for Monday with the participation of Health Minister, Alexandru Rafila, at the request of the USR parliamentary group in opposition.
WAR IN UKRAINE – Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he is ready for talks with Russia if Moscow commits to observing a 30-day ceasefire starting Monday. Zelenskyy thus responded to Vladimir Putin’s offer to start direct talks with Ukraine on May 15, possibly in Istanbul. The Kyiv leader says it is a good sign that the Russians are starting to consider ending the war, but that the first step towards the real end of any war is a ceasefire. “There is no point for people to keep dying even one more day. We expect Russia to confirm a complete, lasting and reliable ceasefire starting tomorrow, which Ukraine is ready to observe”, Zelenskyy wrote on social media. Putin proposed direct and unconditional negotiations between Russia and Ukraine on Saturday. He did not rule out the possibility of a ceasefire, but stressed that talks should focus on the root causes of the conflict. European leaders, meeting in Kyiv on Saturday, threatened Russia with tougher sanctions if it did not accept an unconditional 30-day ceasefire by Sunday. French President Emmanuel Macron said Putin’s offer was insufficient and that Russia was trying to buy time, but US president Donald Trump reacted with optimism and suggested, again, that the war was close to an end.
CELEBRATION – In Romania, May 11 marks Folk Costume Day, a holiday dedicated to one of the most authentic and profound expressions of national identity. In a press release, the Romanian Culture Ministry emphasizes that it supports and encourages the preservation and promotion of this invaluable heritage by funding cultural projects devoted to traditional costumes, collaborations with folk craftsmen, exhibitions, ethnographic research and educational initiatives. We recall that the Romanian Traditional Blouse, locally known as “ie”, is part of the UNESCO World Heritage and is celebrated on June 24.
POPE – The new Pope, Leo XIV, called on the “great world powers” to stop the war and pleaded for a “just” and “lasting” peace in Ukraine. Addressing the crowds gathered before the St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, the Supreme Pontiff also called for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages. Pope Leo went yesterday to pay his respects at the tomb of his predecessor, Francis, who was buried two weeks ago in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. He previously explained to the cardinals gathered at the Vatican the choice of the name, the reason being linked to Leo XIII, who led the Catholic Church at the end of the 19th and the start of the 20th centuries, and to the Church’s response to the challenges of the industrial revolution. The new Pope says that today’s advances in artificial intelligence come with new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice and work. On Monday morning, the Pope will meet with all journalists accredited to the Vatican in a general audience. The enthronement ceremony of the new Supreme Pontiff is scheduled for May 18, an event that is expected to be attended by over 250,000 believers. (VP)
