May 8, 2025 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 08.05.2025, 18:30
PNNR. The interim government in Bucharest, led by interim Prime Minister Cătălin Predoiu, adopted on Thursday a memorandum that allows for the renegotiation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNNR) with representatives of the European Commission. According to the decision, the Minister of European Projects, Marcel Boloş, can now renegotiate the PNRR in order not to lose any money from the 13.7-billion-euro instalment. However, the executive must ensure that it has the necessary time to implement all the investment targets it has committed to by August 31, 2026. The second goal of the PNRR renegotiation is to advance 55 targets and milestones from payment request number 4 and increase its value to 5.7 billion euros. Boloş also announced that, by the end of this month, Romania must receive 1.3 billion euros from payment request number 3.
Depreciation. On Thursday, the National Bank of Romania (BNR) set a new historic exchange rate of 5.1222 lei to the euro. This increase is the result of the first round of the presidential election held on May 4, when the sovereigntist George Simion, the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) candidate, got 40.96% of the votes, followed by the independent Nicuşor Dan, the mayor of Bucharest, with 20.99%. The BNR intervened on the foreign exchange market, but the pressure towards the depreciation of the leu remains very high. This has been confirmed by the European Central Bank, which has reported that the euro has exceeded the psychological threshold of 5 lei on the interbank market, a benchmark that had been firmly defended by the National Bank of Romania. A higher exchange rate directly affects services and products imported or expressed in euros, such as mobile phone subscriptions, excise taxes applied by the state on some products, the car market, the real estate market, as well as many foods, as Romania is dependent on imports.
Infringement. The European Commission has opened an infringement procedure against Romania for failing to introduce certain European provisions into national energy legislation. The Commission says Bucharest is restricting the freedom of gas producers to set their wholesale prices on the market. The EC believes that the measure maintained by the Romanian executive is detrimental to the internal market and consumers. Romania now has two months to respond and take the necessary measures. Otherwise, the Commission says it will refer the case to the Court of Justice of the European Union.
Motion. Senators from S.O.S. Romania, the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) and the Party of Young People (POT) representing the nationalist opposition, have submitted, in the plenum of the Senate, a simple motion against the health minister, the Social – Democrat Alexandru Rafila, whom they accuse of poor management of the vaccination policy. The signatories to the document also accuse the relevant ministry of incorrect payment of the night shifts/on call services and claim that family doctors have been transformed into civil servants, through the large number of forms and papers they have to fill out daily. The motion will be debated and voted on Monday afternoon, in the Senate plenary session. According to the Parliament’s rules of procedure, the adoption of a simple motion does not entail the resignation or dismissal of the minister concerned.
Europe Day. On the occasion of Europe Day, on Friday, the debate “Together – Romania and our Europe: present and future” will take place in Bucharest, an event dedicated to reflecting on Romania’s European path and the common values shared within the EU, the Presidential Administration announced. The event will bring together approximately 200 guests, including 150 students and pupils in their final year of high school, ambassadors of the European Union member states accredited in Romania, as well as representatives of European institutions: the European Commission, the European Parliament, the European Investment Bank. Among the main speakers are Roxana Mînzatu, Vice-President of the European Commission, and Ramona Chiriac, Head of the European Commission Representation in Romania.
Chisinau. The European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, is visiting the Republic of Moldova to celebrate Europe Day in Chisinau and to reconfirm the European Union’s commitment to supporting the European path of the Republic of Moldova. The European Commissioner is scheduled to meet with Moldovan authorities, as well as with representatives of civil society, entrepreneurs and citizens, as well as visit several areas of the country where projects supported by the European Union will be inaugurated. The delegation led by the European Commissioner also includes two Romanian MEPs, Siegfried Mureşan and Dan Barna.
Victory. Parades and other events took place in the victorious countries of World War II on Thursday to mark the 80th anniversary of the Allied victory over Nazi Germany, dpa reports. In the United Kingdom, a service was held at Westminster Abbey, the church in London where British monarchs are crowned. The military parade, which was also attended by the royal family, took place on Monday. In France, President Emmanuel Macron marked the day by laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and attending the military parade on the Champs Elysees. Because of the war with Russia, Ukraine has not planned any major official events for Victory Day, with Thursday being considered the Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation. In general, Ukrainians currently celebrate the victory on May 8, like most Europeans, not on May 9, the date marked by the Soviets and later by the Russians.
EP. The European Parliament has adopted a position of principle on the future multiannual budget of the European Union. The lead rapporteur on the file, MEP Siegfried Mureşan, says that the European Parliament wants more funds for defense and economic competitiveness, in line with the priorities of Europeans in the latest Eurobarometer. Two other priorities are the common agricultural policy and the cohesion policy, as well as facilitating access to money, Siegfried Mureşan said. The European Commission is to propose the draft budget in the summer, after which the Parliament and the Council will start negotiations.
Pope. Black some rose again from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel on Thursday afternoon, indicating that the new Pontiff was not chosen from among the 133 cardinals taking part in the conclave. Pope Francis died on April 21, on Easter Monday, at the age of 88, after 12 years at the helm of the Catholic Church. (MI)
