May 12, 2025

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 12.05.2025, 13:55

SENATE – After two weeks of postponement, the Senate in Bucharest has today resumed discussions  on the legislative initiative undertaken by PSD, PNL and UDMR, regarding the retirement age of magistrates. In the form approved by the Chamber of Deputies, the proposal that judges and prosecutors should end their activity upon reaching the age of 65, not 48 as is currently the case, should be applied from the beginning of next year and not starting 2045, as initially stipulated in the document. The Higher Council of Magistrates (CSM) criticizes the project, arguing that it violates the principle of judicial independence. The release of 230 million euros from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) depends on the approval of a new law on the special pensions for magistrates. On Thursday, the Government adopted, in the first meeting chaired by interim Prime Minister Cătălin Predoiu, a document regarding the renegotiation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan with representatives of the European Commission. The authorities are trying to replace certain investment objectives that have not progressed enough with ones that correspond to the PNRR objectives and that have been financed from the state budget. Also today, debates on investments in the healthcare system are scheduled at the Chamber of Deputies, with the participation of the Minister of Health, Alexandru Rafila, at the request of the USR parliamentary group.

MEETING – Foreign ministers from key European countries are meeting in London on Monday to discuss Ukraine, two days after Kyiv’s allies called on Moscow to accept a ceasefire. At the invitation of British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, his German, Polish and Spanish counterparts, representatives of France and Italy, as well as the head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, are participating. These “key discussions” will focus on “joint efforts to strengthen European security and for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine,” the British Foreign Office said.

DRONES – Military drones will soon be manufactured in Brasov, in central Romania. The decision comes in the context in which Bucharest aims to enter the arms production market, and the European Union is making 800 billion euros available for the development of this sector. The drones will be used in reconnaissance and attack missions. The company that will produce them is CARFIL Brasov, a military equipment manufacturing company. Its manager, Mircea Petru Tanţău, said that a total of seven types of drones will be manufactured. The first two will be called CUDA and SIRIN, with other types to be introduced into production during the year. He also said that the Romanian Army in interested in these drones, especially in the military navy area. In this context, the Ministry of Economy announced that not only drones, but also explosives and ammunition to NATO standards will be produced in the country. In addition, the German company Rheinmetall will build, also in Braşov County, the largest powder factory in Europe, an investment of 400 million euros, which makes Romania an important European center of ammunition production.

ELECTIONS – In Romania, the election campaign for the second round of the presidential elections has entered its final week today. It will end on May 17, at 7:00 a.m. local time. The decisive round will pit ultranationalist populist George Simion, leader of the Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, against the pro-West independent Nicuşor Dan, mayor of Bucharest. On May 4, in the first round, Simion obtained about 41% of the votes, while Dan collected 21%. Abroad, voting for the second round will take place over a three-day period, on May 16, 17 and 18, respectively, while voting in the country will only be possible on Sunday, May 18.

FINANCE – The risk generated by the election result may affect economic indicators, and Romania needs a responsible government and reforms to restore macroeconomic balance as soon as possible, said Romanian Finance Minister Tánczos Barna. He also said that there are signs of improvement on the financial market, after the increases recorded after the first round of the presidential elections and the resignation of Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu. According to the Central Bank, long-term financing costs on the domestic market have started to decrease. The exchange rate also improved slightly on Friday, with 1 euro being the equivalent of 5 lei and 11 bani. However, the ROBOR index, which is used to calculate loans in lei, continued to increase, reaching 7.31%. The devaluation of the leu and the interest rate increases in recent days are generated by political and economic uncertainty, says Dragoş Mesaroş, trading director at a brokerage house. He believes that the BET index will continue to decline by 1-2% until after the elections, and volatility will continue on the stock exchange after the second round of elections, because, regardless of the winner, forming a government will be difficult.

HANDBALL – The Romanian men’s national handball team has dramatically qualified for the final tournament of the European Championship – EHF EURO 2026, despite the defeat suffered on Sunday, away, against Poland, 30-29, in the last match of Group 8 of the preliminaries. Romania could have missed the qualification, but Portugal defeated Israel 34-33, in Constanţa (southeast). Portugal ranked first, with 9 points, followed by Poland, 6 points, Romania, 5 points, Israel, 4 points. The first two ranked teams from the eight groups, as well as the four best third-place teams qualify for the final tournament, which will take place in Denmark, Norway and Sweden, early next year. (EE)