November 14, 2025
A roundup of domestic and world news
Newsroom, 14.11.2025, 13:55
NRRP – Romania is preparing Payment Request number 4 of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, worth 2.62 billion Euros. It includes 62 targets, which are exclusively on the grant component (non-reimbursable funds), said the Minister of European Projects, Dragoş Pîslaru. He will meet today in Brussels with the European coordinator of the national recovery and resilience plans, Céline Gauer, to discuss the calendar for submitting the new payment request.
BNR – The National Bank of Romania (BNR) has revised upwards its inflation forecast for the end of 2025 to 9.6%, from 8.8% previously, and expects it to reach 3.7% at the end of 2026, compared to 3% in the previous forecast, according to data presented on Friday by the Governor of the National Bank, Mugur Isărescu. According to the Central Bank, the return to the target range is anticipated in the first quarter of 2027. The annual inflation rate accelerated in the third quarter of 2025, mainly as a result of the elimination of electricity caps, the increase in the VAT and excise rates, and also against the backdrop of a strong increase in labor costs, the Governor of the National Bank explained. Regarding long-term debt, Mugur Isărescu emphasized that “for 10-year loans, Romania’s risk premium has dropped below Hungary’s level”, signaling an improvement in investors’ perception of sovereign risk.
Unions – The National Trade Union Bloc (BNS) demands a real reform of labor taxation in Romania, by reducing social contributions and protecting low and medium incomes, namely the transfer of part of the social contributions owed by the employee to the employer in order to partially recover the purchasing power lost during this period. According to the BNS, the Resolution of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe must be implemented. The resolution requires Romania to restore the balance in the financing of social security systems and according to which employees cannot provide more than 50% of the financing of the social security system. The requests are included in a document prepared for meetings with representatives of the ruling parties. The BNS trade unionists were invited to discussions following the protest organized on Wednesday in Bucharest against the “decrease in the purchasing power and the anti-employee policies promoted by the government”. The protest, attended by over 5,000 members, was followed by a march, with symbolic stops in front of the main institutions responsible for the country’s economic and social policies.
GDP – Romania’s Gross Domestic Product fell by 0.2% in real terms in the third quarter of this year, compared to the previous quarter, according to the National Institute of Statistics. The GDP had registered an advance of 1% in the second quarter compared to the first quarter. Compared to the same quarter of 2024, the Gross Domestic Product increased by 1.6%. The International Monetary Fund anticipates that Romania’s economy will grow by 1% this year, a downward estimate compared to the one in the spring. More pessimistic forecasts come from the World Bank, which estimates that the Romanian economy will register an advance of only 0.4% this year.
Visit – The new Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, Alexandru Munteanu, paid his first official visit since taking office to Bucharest on Thursday. The official met with President Nicuşor Dan, his counterpart, Ilie Bolojan, the Speakers of Parliament and Her Majesty Margareta, Custodian of the Crown of Romania. The agenda of the discussions at the Victoria Palace included the process of Moldova’s accession to the European Union and projects of common interest of the two countries in the current geostrategic context. Ilie Bolojan stated that Romania is and will be the closest supporter of Chişinău’s European path and, at the same time, a strategic partner.
Plan – The European Parliament has approved the EU’s plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2040, while allowing 5% of this target to be externalized to countries outside the bloc through carbon credits, paving the way for the plan being made into European law. The 90% threshold is recommended by EU scientific advisers to limit global warming to 1.5°C, a level considered essential to avoid much more severe heat waves and droughts. Negotiations will follow between member states and lawmakers on the final details of the plan’s implementation. Reuters notes that the resistance shown by some European governments to climate measures this year coincides with a difficult geopolitical context, which has forced member states to increase defense spending and support industries hit by US tariffs. (LS)
