May 22, 2025
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 22.05.2025, 13:55
CCR – The Constitutional Court of Romania validated, on Thursday, the result of the presidential election won by the independent mayor of Bucharest, Nicuşor Dan. According to the Common Regulation of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, within 24 hours of validation, the speakers of the two Chambers of Parliament convene the deputies and senators in a joint session, for the swearing-in ceremony by the candidate whose election was validated. On Sunday, in the decisive round of voting, Dan defeated the leader of the Alliance of the Union of Romanians (AUR) representing the nationalist opposition, George Simion. Also on Thursday, before validating the result of the vote, the Constitutional Court judges rejected, as unfounded, the request for the annulment of the election filed by Simion.
Incident – The Romanian Foreign Ministry (MAE) has asked the Israeli ambassador in Bucharest for clarifications regarding an incident that took place on Wednesday in the city of Jenin, in the occupied West Bank, where Israeli soldiers opened fire on a group of diplomats visiting together with Palestinian Authority officials. Among the diplomats was the head of the Romanian Representative Office in Ramallah. The MAE also conveyed to the Israeli diplomat the “special concern” of the Romanian side regarding the incident. It was denounced by numerous European countries, including Italy, France, Germany and the United Kingdom. The High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, indicated that any attempt on the lives of diplomats is unacceptable. Israel said it regretted the incident, but claims that the army opened fire after the group deviated from the approved route, reaching a prohibited area. Jenin is the scene of an Israeli army operation, and the delegation was there to assess the humanitarian situation.
Football – The London club Tottenham Hotspur for which the Romanian international footballer Radu Dragusin is playing, won the Europa League football competition after defeating another English team, Manchester United, score 1-0, on Wednesday evening, in the final held in Bilbao (Spain). Tottenham won its first trophy after a 17-year break, since the English League Cup in 2008, and its first European trophy after a 41-year break, since the UEFA Cup in 1984. Dragusin did not play in the final, as he is recovering from a serious injury suffered in January.
Activity report – Romania’s interim president, Ilie Bolojan, presented the results of the 100 days of his mandate, a period during which he was focused on ensuring the country’s stability and organizing the presidential election. He said the election was well organized and reflected the will of the citizens, who turned out in large numbers to the polls. Bolojan underlined that another priority was to ensure the internal stability in the face of a large budget deficit. He pointed out that his interim mandate was also based on two important areas: foreign policy and defense. Romania had clear and consistent stands on the war in Ukraine, and Bucharest supported a just peace and respect for international law, Bolojan added.
Visit – The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, who is visiting Romania, is today in Timisoara (the city in the west of the country where the December 1989 Revolution started), to receive the Timisoara Prize for European Values. ‘In times of uncertainty, Europe remains a beacon of hope, dignity and democracy. The spirit of Timisoara embodies these values, reminding us that freedom is never for granted, it is earned and must be defended. Romania’s commitment to the European project continues to inspire us all, said Roberta Metsola, ahead of the visit. She was praised for her ‘firm leadership in times of crisis, her unconditional support for Ukraine and Moldova and her continued efforts for Romania’s accession to the Schengen area’. On Wednesday evening, the President of the European Parliament had an informal meeting in Bucharest with the country’s president-elect, Nicuşor Dan. ‘Romania needs all the support it can get in the coming period’ Dan wrote on the X network after the meeting.
Conference – The 7th edition of the annual “Focus Bucharest 2025” conference took place in Bucharest on Wednesday. The event, organized by the Bucharest Chamber of Commerce and Industry, brought together decision-makers from public administration, academia, the private sector and civil society to support an open dialogue on the urban future of the capital. The discussions highlighted the crucial role of digitizing public services, of the interoperability of systems and the use of real-time data for efficient and sustainable urban administration. Bucharest, Romania’s main urban hub, contributes almost a quarter to the national GDP, and its role in reconfiguring sustainable development directions is essential. In a global context in which over 70% of the world’s population will live in urban environments by 2050, it is vital that public administration, business and civil society collaborate for an urban model more balanced, more sustainable and more adapted to the needs of citizens. (LS)
