October 27, 2025 UPDATE
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 27.10.2025, 20:00
Economy. The European commissioner responsible for the economy, Valdis Dombrovskis, is in Bucharest for two days to discuss Romania’s budget and economy. Talks also look at the application of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and the Union’s political priorities. The European commissioner’s agenda includes visits to projects funded under the Plan, alongside the Romanian minister for investment and European projects, Dragoş Pîslaru, and talks with the governor of the National Bank, Mugur Isărescu. Dombrovskis will also meet the country’s president Nicuşor Dan, prime minister Ilie Bolojan, finance minister Alexandru Nazare and Parliament members.
Minimum wage. The National Tripartite Council, which brings together trade unions, employers’ associations and representatives of the Romanian government, will assess on Wednesday the possibility of raising the minimum wage. The Liberal Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan says the governing coalition agreed to try to maintain the minimum wage at the current level in 2026, but the interim leader of the Social Democratic Party, Sorin Grindeanu, warned of a European directive which Romania needs to comply with. President Nicuşor Dan said the said directive was challenged at the EU Court of Justice and even if it is maintained, a discussion is still required on the possible increase of the minimum wage, which is currently around 800 euros. Also on Wednesday, four major trade union confederations say they will stage a protest in front of the Government headquarters to send a strong message that they do not accept austerity and ‘contempt for work and those who work’, union leaders said in a joint press conference on Monday. Trade unions are calling for an increase in the minimum wage and pensions, respect for the legal and contractual rights of employees, fair taxation, an end to austerity measures at the expense of the general population, as well as the protection of jobs and investments in the economy.
Spending. The Romanian government on Monday approved an amendment to an emergency order limiting the spending of the local administration by the end of the year and eliminating certain constraints that prevented the normal functioning of institutions. Culture was one of the worst hit areas and the government’s decision allows for further funding for a number of activities. In order to avoid blockages in the future, the Ministry of Culture said it will initiate changes to legislation to separate funding of cultural activities from other types of expenses.
Elections. The Social-Democrat mayor of Bucharest’s Sector 4, Daniel Băluţă, and the Liberal mayor of Sector 6, Ciprian Ciucu, have been nominated by their respective parties to run for general mayor of Bucharest. The two are leading in voting intentions according to an Avangarde survey conducted on a sample of 1,000 persons in the capital city, Băluţă with 25% and Ciucu with 23%. They are followed by the Save Romania Union MP Cătălin Drulă with 18% and journalist Anca Alexandrescu with 16%, who runs as an independent. Asked whether they are satisfied with what the capital Bucharest looks like at present, 68% of respondents said no, while 30% said yes. The election for the Bucharest mayor will be held on December 7. The post has been vacant since the city’s former mayor, Nicusor Dan won the presidential elections earlier this year. The poll was conducted between October 19th and the 25th and has a margin of error of +/- 3.2%.
Energy. The European Union intends to provide funding of up to 30 billion euros to member states to implement energy interconnection projects, said the Romanian energy minister Bogdan Ivan. In this regard, Romania is ready to coordinate a joint strategy with neighbouring states to then submit to the European Union as part of the next EU multiannual budget. The minister said that, taking into account the level of their salaries, Romanians pay the highest electricity price in the whole of the European Union. He said there is openness from the European Commission to find solutions to solve this problem through regulation and investments in the infrastructure to connect with the cheap energy from western Europe, as well as opening new production facilities in Romania. Romania hosted a two-day meeting of energy ministers from 17 European states with the European commissioner responsible for energy, Dan Jorgensen. The officials attending the meeting talked about joint projects to reduce the dependency of the states in the region on energy imports from Russia. (CM)
