November 25, 2025 UPDATE
A roundup of world and local news
Newsroom, 25.11.2025, 20:08
DRONE NATO jet fighters belonging to Romania and Germany were scrambled on Tuesday close to Romania’s border with Ukraine after a drone had penetrated the Romanian airspace deeper than ever. Authorities in Bucharest have described the incident as a Russian provocation. Romania’s Defence Minister, Ionut Mosteanu, said that NATO pilots were ready to shoot down the drone, which repeatedly violated Romania’s airspace, but refrained in order to avoid any damage on the ground. Drone fragments without explosive charges have been later found on the Romanian soil. The Russian drones had targeted Ukrainian ports close to the Romanian border on the Danube a night before. The incident on Tuesday has been the 13th of this kind since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Alerts had been issued for three counties in Romania but were later cancelled. During his visit to the US troops deployed to the ‘Mihail Kogalniceanu’ airbase in southern Romania, the Commanding General for the US Army in Europe and Africa, General Christopher Donahue, has said a new technology to shoot down drones will be implemented in Romania. Also on Tuesday a drone crashed in the Republic of Moldova, which neighbours both Romania and Ukraine.
DEFICIT The European Commission on Tuesday adopted the 2026 European Semester Autumn Package. For the nine member states in excessive deficit procedure, Austria, Belgium, France, Hungary, Italy, Malta, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, the procedure is held in abeyance, a European Commission communiqué says. In concrete terms, this means that no further procedural steps are taken at this stage but the ongoing procedure remains open and the member states are bound by the respective Council recommendation. The Commission is expected to assess the situation again in summer. Romania is the EU country with the highest budget deficit.
WOMEN The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women was marked on Tuesday. The United Nations draws attention to the fact that last year, 50,000 women were murdered, and almost 840 million were victims of physical and psychological aggression. In Romania, since the beginning of this year, over 50 women have been murdered. Between January and October, at the national level, over 12,000 temporary protection orders were issued, of which almost 5,000 were converted into protection orders. Romanian deputies are discussing a draft law that provides for the automatic extension of the temporary protection order pending the court’s decision, increasing the penalties for repeat offences and eliminating the possibility of withdrawing criminal complaints in cases of domestic violence.
INCOME Real household incomes per capita in the European Union grew by 22% between 2004 and 2024, with Romania recording the highest rise among all member states, at 134%, according to data published on Tuesday by Eurostat. Other member states with strong increases are Lithuania (95%), Poland (91%) and Malta (90%), while Greece and Italy are the only EU member states that saw a decrease in this respect over the last 20 years, at minus 5% and minus 4%, respectively.
TALKS Romanian foreign minister Oana Ţoiu on Tuesday held talks with her Hungarian counterpart Peter Szijjarto, emphasising the wish of the Romanian side to maintain an open, pragmatic and constructive approach based on the Strategic Partnership. Romania said it appreciated Hungary’s support for its Schengen entry. Romania’s membership today brings concrete benefits to both countries, both for the business environment and for citizens, with bilateral exchanges growing by 13% following Romania’s accession to the Schengen area. The two ministers also discussed regional security and the prospect of peace negotiations to bring about an end to Russian aggression in Ukraine. Minister Oana Ţoiu highlighted the need for action at European level based on unity and solidarity. She reiterated Romania’s commitment to support the progress of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine on their European course, as well as that of its partners in the Western Balkans, based on the principle of individual merits.
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