September 6, 2025

A roundup of local and international news.

Elena Enache, 06.09.2025, 13:55

ECONOMY – Romania had a modest economic growth in the first half of this year, compared to the same period last year, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INS). The Gross Domestic Product increased by 0.3%. With an inflation rate of almost 8% (continually increasing due to fiscal reform packages), a public debt of 999 billion lei (equivalent to 55.8% of Gross Domestic Product), this increase confirmed by the INS can be in fact felt as a recession, experts say. The combination of weak economic growth and high inflation is dangerous, because the risk of stagflation arises: price increases without sufficient economic development. Stagflation reduces real incomes, increases poverty and can lead to increased unemployment, they also say. On the other hand, according to the INS, industry had a minus of 0.3% and only the increase in some taxes and duties made the economy remain afloat. The data also show that in the period April-June, that is, in the second quarter of the year, the Gross Domestic Product increased by 1.2% compared to the first three months. The same advance is also recorded by Eurostat, which also specifies that Romania was one of the EU states with the highest economic growth rate in the second quarter, surpassed only by Denmark and on a par with Croatia.

GOVERNMENT – The four censure motions against the Bucharest Government led by the liberal Ilie Bolojan will be debated and voted on in the Parliament’s plenary on Sunday. The Alliance for the Union of Romanians (the ultranationalist and populist opposition AUR) is contesting four of the five projects for which the Government has taken responsibility. AUR is criticizing both the way the second fiscal package is being promoted and the measures included in it, in the areas of health, taxation, management of public companies and the reorganization of some state agencies. The opposition needs 233 favorable votes, respectively the absolute majority of parliamentarians, 50% plus one of the total, to dismiss the Bolojan cabinet. Otherwise, the legislative projects for which the Executive has assumed responsibility are considered adopted, as was the case with the reform of the retirement of magistrates, the only one that was not challendged by the opposition, but which is the subject of a complaint at the Constitutional Court.

SCHOOL YEAR – The new school year will begin in Romania on September 8 with a protest by teachers, union leaders in the education sector announced, who do not rule out the possibility of a general strike. The main dissatisfactions concern the increase in the number of students in classes, the reduction in the number of merit scholarship beneficiaries, the increase in the teaching norm and the reduction in the pay for overtime. Student organizations have also announced that they support the protest actions, adding their own dissatisfactions regarding the change in the scholarship granting system, which greatly reduces the number of beneficiaries. According to union federations, in recent decades, the teaching norm has been constant and has become among the highest in the EU, and teachers’ work is not limited to teaching hours. In the next five years, tens of thousands of teachers will reach retirement age, and qualified substitute teachers are supposed to fill this gap. But once they are eliminated from the system this year, they will migrate to other fields and will not return to education, union representatives also say.

RULING – The recent decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union regarding fugitives trying to escape convictions has a significant impact on the matter of the European arrest warrant and represents a success for the Romanian authorities, the Ministry of Justice says. The institution recalls that the decision establishes the obligation of the courts of the community states to obtain the consent of the state issuing the European arrest warrant before ordering the execution of the sentence on their territory, in the event of refusal to surrender the persons sought. The decision reflects the position expressed by Romania before the court, both in the written observations and in the hearing of the pleadings, and by getting involved in this case Romania reconfirms its role of defending the administration of justice and the rule of law, the Ministry of Justice also says. In Romania, there are over 4,000 people who evade the execution of sentences, according to data centralized by the Police. In March 2025, the so-called “fugitive law” came into force, which provides for an additional penalty of up to three years in prison for those who evade the execution of sentences. There are famous cases of convicts who fled Romania before the final sentence was issued and whom the countries in which they settled – generally Italy and Greece – refuse to extradite.

ENESCU FESTIVAL – The ‘Gustav Mahler’ Youth Orchestra and the Romanian Youth Orchestra are performing today on the Palace Hall stage, as part of the ‘George Enescu’ International Festival. The conductor is Manfred Honeck, and on violin – Renaud Capuçon. The program includes works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The 27th edition of the ‘George Enescu’ International Festival takes place in Bucharest and throughout the country until September 21. Over 80 ensembles, symphony orchestras, choirs and chamber groups from 28 countries are taking part. This year, the event has as its theme the anniversaries – ‘Celebrations’ – in the context of the 70th commemoration of the Romanian composer’s death. Radio Romania is a co-producer of the “George Enescu” International Festival. (EE)