September 28, 2025 UPDATE
A roundup of local and world news
Daniel Bilț, 28.09.2025, 19:55
PROTESTS A new university year kicks off on Monday in Romania with more protests staged by the students, the Alliance of Student Organisations has announced. Students are disgruntled with the 40% cut in the scholarship funds, and limited transportation subsidies. ”We are waiting for the entire community of students to take to the streets to protest a governance, which is not interested in cooperation and which doesn’t have investment and support in the country’s future among its priorities,” the students’ representatives said. Also dissatisfied with the government’s austerity measures aimed at reducing the country’s budget deficit, Romanian teachers are also carrying on the protests they kicked off in summer.
DRAFT On Monday the Finance Ministry in Bucharest is expected to present a budgetary adjustment draft due to be approved in a government sitting next week. Field Minister, Alexandru Nazare, has drawn attention to the procedure, which is also relevant for the country’s assessment the European Commission will be making next month. He recalls the Romanian Executive has negotiated with Brussels a deficit target of 8.4% of the GDP against an initial 7.7%, which allows it to cover the resources for the country’s essential needs such as pensions, salaries, healthcare spending and investment. According to political sources, the most consistent allotment will be destined for reimbursing the loans previously contracted as well as the related interests. At ministry levels, the most important beneficiaries are the Ministries of Transports and Development for supporting investment, the Labour Ministry for funding social assistance and Energy for paying suppliers.
UN The Romanian Foreign Minister, Oana Toiu, has called for progress in reforming the UN Security Council, so that an aggressor country may not be able to block decisions concerning wars they have started unprovoked. In her yesterday’s address in the plenary sitting of the UN General Assembly, the head of the Romanian diplomacy noticed the solidarity of the organization members with Romania, Poland, Estonia and Denmark, countries, which had their airspace recently violated. Toiu hailed the efforts of the US and European leaders for obtaining a just and lasting peace in Ukraine and called for an immediate, all-out and unconditional ceasefire. The Minister said that Romania’s support for Ukraine was substantial, diverse and would continue for as long as needed. According to her, the peace and security of the Ukrainians is directly linked to the security and prosperity of the Romanians as the two countries share a common border of roughly 700 kilometers.
TALKS Talks over a draft law on private pensions in Romania are to be resumed in the specialized committees of the Senate in Bucharest on Monday. The document, initiated by the government, has already been amended so that the people with oncological illnesses may apply for the entire withdrawal of sums gathered within Pension Pillar ll. This would be an exemption from the rule of 30% proposed by the Financial Supervision Authority (ASF). MPs with two ruling parties, the PNL and PSD have issued an amendment, under which this draft may also benefit other categories of patients suffering from chronic diseases, ranging from heart and lung diseases to kidney or digestive ailments, but the ASF representatives opposed as the number of pensioners would considerably increase. The amendment has been endorsed by the opposition though.
SHANGHAI On Sunday, the last day of the World Rowing Championships in Shanghai, the Romanian mixed eight became the gold medalist in their race, a race, which was introduced in the aforementioned competition as a first. The Romanians outperformed the boats of Italy and New Zealand. On Saturday, the Romanian women’s eight stepped onto the podium’s second step after coming second in a race won by the Dutch boat. The Romanians, who won gold at the Paris Olympics, were the en-titre world champions. Romania, which attended the competition in Shanghai with 12 crews, walks away with two gold and four silver medals, ranking fourth in the medal standings. The Netherlands tops the table, followed by Britain and China.
WEATHER The weather is getting cooler in Romania over September 29th and 30th, so in most regions temperatures will be dropping below the seasonal average. Showers are expected mainly in the country’s north and center and snow will be seen in the mountains at altitudes over 18 hundred meters. The highs of the day are ranging between 9 and 19 degrees Celsius while the lows will be between 3 and 11 degrees centigrade. The week kicks off with cooler weather in Bucharest as well, where showers are expected every now and again. Highs will be around 15 and 17 degrees and lows at 8-9 degrees.
(bill)
