November 26, 2025 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 26.11.2025, 20:00

Defense. The Romanian Parliament adopted, in a joint session, the national defense strategy for the period 2025-2030. The document, which received 314 votes “for,” 43 “against,” and 3 abstentions, was presented to parliamentarians by the country’s president, Nicuşor Dan. Among other things, he highlighted, in the chapter on threats, the hybrid war waged by Russia against Romania and several European countries, corruption, the gap between the overall evolution of Romanian society and the way in which the public administration responds. The president’s presentation was followed by debates. During the speeches, parliamentarians from PSD, the ruling party in coalition with the PNL, USR, and UDMR, pointed out that the document identifies risks, vulnerabilities, and challenges, but also highlights opportunities that can transform Romania into a safer state. For their part, the Liberals said that the strategy must be implemented through public policies, while the USR mentioned that the greatest threat to Romania is the regime in Moscow. The UDMR also supports the national defense strategy and the document’s central concept of solidarity-based independence. Votes in favor of the strategy also came from the opposition, with the AUR announcing that the document should also have included measures to combat poverty and a food and energy security strategy. The 43 votes “against” came from POT and PACE – Intai Romania parliamentarians, who criticized the strategy and said it mistakes national security for the defense of the country.

Deficit. The European Commission froze the excessive budget deficit procedure for Romania on Tuesday after finding that the government’s measures had shown positive effects. However, Romania must continue to implement the fiscal measures adopted or announced in order to reduce the deficit below 3% by 2031. If the procedure had continued, Romania would have risked losing European funds.

Budget. The governing coalition in Bucharest has agreed to the budget amendment proposal presented on Tuesday by Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare, announced the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, the Social Democratic leader Sorin Grindeanu. He specified that health and transport will receive the largest allocations of funds to cover state aid granted to the national airline TAROM, some delayed payments from the National Health Insurance House (CNAS), and some subsidies for the railways sector. Regarding the new law regulating magistrates’ pensions, Grindeanu estimated that it could be adopted next week if the Superior Council of Magistracy issues its opinion at Thursday’s council meeting. It should be noted that the opinion of the SCM is advisory but mandatory for the bill to be declared constitutional. It was precisely the lack of this opinion that led the CCR to find the law unconstitutional in its entirety.

Appointment. The Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation has a new President and Director General in the person of Robert Schwartz. His appointment received 241 votes in favor and 2 against from senators and deputies. A journalist and political commentator with over 30 years of experience at the Deutsche Welle media trust, Schwartz is a member of several important academic and cultural organizations, and in 2023 he was elected president of the German-Romanian Society in Berlin. In 2012, he received the Order of Cultural Merit in the rank of Commander for his contribution to the development of Romanian-German relations. The Bucharest Parliament also approved former Liberal politician Adriana Săftoiu as President and Director of the Romanian Public Television.

Survey. Romanians want a digital state that eliminates bureaucracy and accelerates the modernization of public administration, according to a study conducted by the Edge Institute. According to the research, Romanians associate the digitization of the state with practical and easy-to-use solutions such as electronic signatures for citizens and companies and modern presentation websites for ministries. At the top of their expectations is the ability to submit applications without going to the counter and links between databases, which would eliminate the need for certificates. 65% of respondents believe that public institutions are poorly digitized, and 75% believe that Romania needs major changes. At the same time, 84% of Romanians believe that the pace of implementation of this process is slow or very slow. The study was conducted on a representative sample of over 2,200 adult respondents in Romania.

NATO. Romania will soon have a new military system capable of shooting down drones that enter its national airspace. The statement was made by the commander of the United States Army Forces in Europe and Africa, General Christopher Donahue. During a visit to Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base (southeast) with Defense Minister Ionuţ Moşteanu, the American general said that Romania will always remain a central figure in this part of the Alliance. The visit to Constanţa took place after a new Russian drone flew over national territory.

Brussels. A ceasefire agreement in Ukraine must not mean the country’s surrender, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday in the European Parliament. Speaking at a debate in Strasbourg on the new peace plan for Ukraine proposed by the United States, von der Leyen promised to present a legislative proposal to allow the use of Russia’s frozen assets to cover Ukraine’s financial needs. The head of the European Commission also said that any peace treaty or agreement must respect several essential principles, namely that borders cannot be changed by force and that Ukraine must be free to decide its future. She also praised the Trump administration’s peace efforts, but stressed that what is currently on the negotiating table is only a starting point. Russia, however, shows no signs of acting in good faith and is not giving up anything it wanted from the outset, von der Leyen pointed out. Also on Wednesday, the European Parliament approved the EU’s budget for next year, amounting to almost €193 billion. (MI)