October 3, 2025 UPDATE
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 03.10.2025, 19:50
WEATHER Temperatures will go up across Romania compared with the previous day, but they will remain very low for this time of the year. Rain is expected in the western part of the country, and in isolated places in other regions, with the amount of precipitation to reach 10 to 15 litres per square metre. Sleet and snow are forecast in the mountains, at altitudes of over 1,800 m. The capital Bucharest and seven other counties have been hit by heavy rain and strong winds. The fire service intervened to help the population and clear the fallen trees. The highs of the day will be between 8 and 20 degrees Celsius.
REFORMS Romanian prime minister Ilie Bolojan on Friday underlined the need for reform in the local and central administration, saying a constitutional solution will be identified to implement a ban on earning a state salary while benefiting from a state pension. At a press briefing to mark 100 days in office, he explained that the government’s priorities in the coming period will be improving revenue collection and cutting working costs. These measures will ensure balanced budgets and funding for investments, the prime minister added. He also argued in favour of merging state bodies and agencies and said that in order to improve income collection, the government needs to combat tax evasion and finalise digitalization processes.
ARMY The Romanian government Thursday passed the draft Army Volunteering Act. Young people, women or men aged between 18 and 35 who have not completed active military service will be able to undergo military training on request, for 4 months. Also on Thursday, the government passed a draft law that upgrades the defence strategy and places national defence in the context of collective defence within NATO and the European Union’s common security and defence policy. Both documents have been sent to Parliament for endorsement.
ITALY The foreign ministry announces Romanian citizens who are currently in Italy or planning to travel to this country that protests and a nationwide strike are planned in the main cities until October 4. In this context, road traffic and public transport, including rail, are disrupted, with possible delays, schedule changes, or even cancellations of public transport services. The foreign ministry urges Romanian nationals to avoid crowded areas where protests are taking place and to follow the instructions of local authorities. At the same time, Bucharest recommends consulting the website of the Italian ministry of infrastructure and transport for additional details. In the event of an emergency, Romanian citizens can call the special telephone numbers of the Romanian Embassy in Rome or the consulates in Milan, Bologna, Turin, Trieste, Bari and Catania.
EU. Romania was represented at the informal meeting of the European Council and the 7thmeeting of the European Political Community in Copenhagen by president Nicușor Dan. The talks focused on the conflict in Ukraine and on ensuring European security. Among other things, a plan was discussed to put together a “drone wall” to protect the eastern flank of the EU and NATO, which could become operational in a few months’ time. Drones, however, are not the only common challenge, said the Romanian president, who mentioned online hybrid threats and presented the Romanian prosecutors’ first conclusions regarding the cancellation of last year’s presidential elections, with an emphasis on how social networks were used by the Russian Federation to misinform and influence public opinion in Romania.
DONATION Books on Romanian monuments and UNESCO World Heritage sites, as well as illustrated albums with Romanian traditional costumes were donated to the Nakanoshima Library in Osaka on behalf of the Romanian Pavilion at Expo 2025, the Romanian foreign ministry said on Friday. “With this donation, we want to offer the Japanese public a window into the Romanian spirit and to strengthen the cultural bridges between Romania and Japan,” said Romania’s Commissioner General for Expo 2025 Osaka, Ferdinand Nagy. According to a statement from the foreign ministry, Romania reaffirms its active role in promoting cultural diplomacy, demonstrating that art and tradition can foster dialogue, education and mutual understanding.
