September 15, 2025 UPDATE (1)
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 15.09.2025, 16:20
OECD – Romania has reported major progress in the process of joining the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, president, Nicuşor Dan said after meeting in Bucharest with the Secretary-General of the OECD, Mathias Cormann. President Dan said that over half of the 25 technical assessments criteria have been successfully met and that, at this pace, Romania will join the organization by 2026. In turn, Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan confirmed that Romania is getting closer to achieving this goal. He said that OECD membership will allow Romania to adopt best practices in all areas of public policy, to collaborate with the member states and partners of the organization to find concrete solutions to common problems, to develop more efficiently and to provide stability for citizens and the business environment. Joining the OECD will bring Romania substantial benefits, Mathias Cormann said in turn, adding that in the coming months, an economic analysis will be conducted. The results will be published in March 2026, which is the last step in the accession process. The OECD currently has 38 member states, including the world’s leading economies.
SYSTEM – Starting October 12, Romania and other EU member states will operationalize the Entry/Exit System (EES), a modern control tool at the external border of the Schengen Area, the General Inspectorate of Border Police (IGPF) announced on Monday. The EES is an electronic system that records the date and place of entry and exit of third-country nationals admitted for short-term stays – including citizens of the Republic of Moldova, as well as their alphanumeric and biometric data (facial image and four fingerprints), and calculates the duration of their authorized stay. The system does not restrict existing travel rights, but offers a faster and more secure verification mechanism, gradually replacing the stamping of travel documents. Romania will use the phased system, initially at selected crossing points, and then gradually expand it until full implementation at the entire external border, within a maximum period of 170 calendar days.
POETRY – Poets from over 30 countries are this week taking part in the 15th edition of the Bucharest International Poetry Festival, running from Monday to Sunday. Over 60 events are scheduled, but there will also be over 220 public reading sessions, featuring reputed international poets from over 30 countries, alongside Romanian authors such as Ana Blandiana, Dinu Flămând, Magda Cârneci, Octavian Soviany. A special element this year will be thematic poetry evenings, dedicated to national literature and contemporary poetic communities, organized in partnership with embassies and cultural institutes in Bucharest. (VP)
