November 13, 2025 UPDATE

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 13.11.2025, 20:00

NRRP – Romania’s revised National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) was approved on Thursday within the Economic and Financial Affairs Council in Brussels, the Ministry of Finance announced. The revised NRRP has a total value of 21.41 billion euros, of which grants of 13.57 billion euros and loans of 7.84 billion euros. The plan is structured on six payment requests, of which three have already been submitted. The number of milestones and targets has been reduced from 518 to 390, without diminishing the ambition of the reforms undertaken. The modifications mainly aimed at eliminating investments with a risk of non-implementation, the transition of some performing projects from the loan component to the grant and the introduction of new investments with high economic and social impact, such as the capitalization of the Investment and Development Bank or the purchase of ambulances for the Department for Emergencies. “We managed to agree on a simplified structure of the plan, through which we reduce the pressure on the state budget, by reducing the loan component and ensuring a better implementation of the reforms needed for the competitiveness of the Romanian economy,” said Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare, present at the ECOFIN meeting. He pointed out that, to date, Romania has collected 10.7 billion euros from the NRRP and is set to receive approximately the same amount by the end of next year.

MOLDOVA – Romania was, is and will be the strategic partner and the closest supporter of the Republic of Moldova, Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan said after the talks he had, on Thursday, in Bucharest, with his counterpart from Chisinau, Alexandru Munteanu, who was on his first foreign visit since taking office. Bolojan said that the two states must deepen joint projects, especially those related to the interconnection of energy and transport infrastructure, to increase bilateral trade and to expand cooperation in the field of security. In turn, Prime Minister Munteanu stressed that Romania has never forgotten the Republic of Moldova, has supported it on its European path and has made essential investments. Previously, the head of the Moldovan government was received by President Nicusor Dan, who said that Romania remains the most sincere and firm supporter of the Republic of Moldova, on all levels, especially regarding the modernization of the state, reforms and European integration. I encouraged the new Government to act decisively and responsibly, focusing on economic growth, the well-being of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova and integration into the European Union, the head of state wrote on Facebook. Alexandru Munteanu also met with the Speakers of Parliament. He is to be received by Her Majesty Margareta, Custodian of the Crown of Romania.

ERASMUS – The European Commission Vice President, the Romanian Roxana Mînzatu, announced on Thursday in Brussels that the Erasmus+ program will have a budget of over 5 billion euros in 2026 for mobility, training and educational projects across Europe. According to a press release from the European Commission Representation in Romania, the funds will support skills development, inclusion, digital and green transition, as well as Ukrainian students and teachers. The announcement comes on the very day that Mînzatu hosts the European Education and Skills Summit in Brussels, an event attended by over 500 EU education and labor ministers, along with organizations in the field and companies. Erasmus+ 2026 will offer mobility opportunities for over one million participants and will involve over 100,000 organizations.

NATO – The largest military exercise of the year, held in NATO training grounds in Romania, ended on Thursday. Dacian Fall 2025 began on October 20 and brought together 5,000 soldiers from 10 member countries of the Alliance, with 1,200 vehicles and technical means. Over half of the soldiers came from France, a framework nation in Romania. The exercise was coordinated by the Multinational Division South-East stationed in Bucharest and marked the final stage of the temporary brigade-level lifting of NATO battle groups in Romania and Bulgaria. Dacian Fall 2025 showed once again how strong this alliance is, how strong NATO is, said Romanian Defense Minister Ionuţ Moşteanu. He thanked France, pointing out that four days after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Paris sent troops to Romania. For his part, the Permanent Representative of France to NATO, Ambassador David Cvach, said that in the last days of his visit to Romania he felt how special the Franch-Romanian relationship is, which he called “fraternal”. Last but not least, the Permanent Representative of the United States to NATO, Ambassador Matthew Whitaker, stated that the final exercise of Dacian Fall 2025 is an excellent proof of the entire purpose of the North Atlantic Alliance. He emphasized that each of the members of the North Atlantic Council, who were in Romania these days “are certainly dedicated to the future of NATO”, just as the United States remains committed to NATO.

TRAFFICKING – Romanian authorities are taking additional measures to protect child victims of human trafficking. A proposal signed by 40 MPs from all parties to supplement the Criminal Procedure Code was submitted to Parliament, so that the duration of trials would decrease and, in return, the support provided to minor victims would increase. According to the authorities, Romania is facing one of the most serious realities in Europe. Almost half of the victims of human trafficking are children, and the legislation in the field must reflect the real urgency in resolving these cases, which currently drag on for over 1,000 days in the first instance.

PROTESTS – Representatives of the Romanian unions in the defense, aeronautics and naval industries protested on Thursday in front of the Ministry of Economy, unhappy with the lack of contracts and orders in the field, but also with the level of salaries in the sector. The protesters also accuse the Minister of Defense, Radu Miruţă, of refusing an open, transparent and constructive dialogue with the unions in the defense sector. Minister Miruţă proposed a meeting with the protest leaders on Monday. (EE)