The Week in Review 15-19.12.2025

The headline-grabbing events of the past week in Romania

Leyla Cheamil, 20.12.2025, 14:00

Romania’s President, Nicușor Dan, present at European meetings

The most important topic for Romania at the European Council is the discussion on the 2028-2034 Multiannual Financial Framework, that is, the European Union budget, said the Romanian head of state, Nicușor Dan. Present in Brussels, he specified that Thursday was the first discussion on this topic and that it will continue throughout 2026. Strategic debates on Ukraine were also scheduled on the meeting’s agenda. In fact, the leaders of the European Union agreed to help this country with 90 billion Euros through a loan with interest paid from the European budget, to finance its war effort against Russia. Ukraine will return the money when Moscow pays war reparations. It was the Europeans’ compromise solution for Kyiv’s urgent financial needs, in the absence of an agreement on the use of Russian assets frozen in Europe in support of Ukraine. On Wednesday, also in Brussels, President Nicuşor Dan participated in the meeting of leaders from EU states and the Western Balkans, which marked the importance of their political and economic relationship, especially in the current geopolitical context. Previously, on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Romanian president paid a visit to London, where he was received at Buckingham Palace by King Charles III of Great Britain and met with Romanians from the United Kingdom and with representatives of the Romanian and British business environment. Nicușor Dan stated that he would encourage investments that bring state-of-the-art technology to Romania, new well-paid jobs that, by increasing domestic production, will help reduce the trade deficit. Before London, the Romanian president was in Helsinki, where he participated in the Summit of the European Union Eastern Flank States. The discussions focused on practical ways to increase the level of defense preparedness, how to protect the population and deter any aggressive intentions from Russia.

Financial decision of the governing coalition

The ruling coalition (PSD-PNL-USR-UDMR) in Romania agreed on Wednesday to increase the minimum wage from July 1 next year. It is expected to reach 4,325 lei (approximately 865 Euros). However, the decision to increase the minimum wage displeases both unions and employers. While employee representatives demand that the increase be applied from January 1, voices from the business environment claim, on the other hand, that the measure is not at all appropriate in 2026, due to the economic situation. Several thousand members of the four major national union confederations protested in Bucharest on Thursday and asked the country’s president, Nicuşor Dan, to mediate the conflict with the Government. The dissatisfactions are not only related to the minimum wage level, but also to other decisions made recently or announced for next year. The governing coalition also established a 10% reduction in central administration expenditures, without affecting the level of basic salaries, a 10% reduction in the lump sum received by senators and deputies, as well as the level of subsidies received by political parties.

Motion of censure against the government, rejected

The government of liberal Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan survived a new motion of censure in Parliament on Monday, as the populist opposition failed to gather the 232 votes needed to dismiss the Executive. The opposition criticized the government for not properly managing areas such as justice, health, education or public administration. Prime Minister Bolojan rejected all the accusations, stating that reform measures were necessary, otherwise Romania would have lost the trust of the financial markets. On the other hand, the simple motion against the Minister of Environment, Diana Buzoianu, from Save Romanian Union (USR), was adopted by the Senate, including with the support of the Social Democratic (PSD) parliamentarians, although they are part of the ruling coalition. The signatories demanded the resignation of Diana Buzoianu, due to the interruption of water supply in several localities in the south of the country, amid the emptying of a dam in the area. She rejected the accusations. On Wednesday, populists from the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) submitted a simple motion to the Senate targeting the activity of Interior Minister Cătălin Predoiu. The signatories criticize the prolonged maintenance of interim leaderships of police inspectorates and what they consider to be interference in competitions for leadership positions. At the Chamber of Deputies, AUR also filed a simple motion against the Justice Minister, Radu Marinescu, in which the signatories denounce what they call “a major managerial failure in ensuring an efficient, predictable and fair act of justice.” The two motions will be put to the vote on Monday. In the streets of Bucharest, protests continued against ministers Cătălin Predoiu and Radu Marinescu, the head of the National Anticorruption Directorate, Marius Voineag, and the head of the Supreme Court, Lia Savonea. The protestors are demanding the amendment of the justice laws, citing malfunctions recently presented in a journalistic documentary. They are also criticizing the solution proposed by the prime minister to form a working group within the government to discuss the problems in the justice system, considering that this only postpones a real solution.

The 1989 Anti-Communist Revolution Began in Timisoara

In Timisoara (west), demonstrations began on Tuesday in memory of the victims of the 1989 Anti-Communist Revolution and in honor of those who fought for freedom 36 years ago. For five days, actions were scheduled to commemorate the events that began in the city, which led to the fall of the communist regime. Local and county councilors gathered in festive meetings to which representatives of the revolutionary associations were also invited to participate. The Timisoara Opera House hosted exhibitions, book launches, concerts and the screening of a thematic film, moments of silence and a march under the already established slogan, “Heroes Never Die”. Wednesday was a day of mourning in memory of the martyred heroes of the Revolution. (LS)