THE WEEK IN REVIEW
14-18 April, 2025
Ştefan Stoica, 19.04.2025, 13:01
Russian attack on Ukrainian civilians on a holiday
Orthodox Christians, the majority in Romania, Greek Catholics, and Roman Catholics celebrated Holy Week, or Passion Week, a period that prepares believers for the feast of the Resurrection of the Lord. This year, all Christians celebrate Easter on the same date, April 20. Even on Palm Sunday, a holiday that precedes Easter, the center of the Ukrainian city of Sumy, located in northeastern Ukraine, was the target of Russian missile attacks. These killed dozens of people, civilians, including children, and injured 100, illustrating, in a barbaric manner, condemned as such by European leaders, Russia’s obsession with annihilating Ukraine. Romania’s interim president, Ilie Bolojan, reacted on a social network as follows “Heartbreaking images are coming out of Sumy on this Palm Sunday after Russian missiles killed innocent civilians. Our thoughts go out to the Ukrainian people and the families of the victims. We continue to support all efforts to achieve peace and put an end to these war crimes”. For his part, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu strongly condemned what he called Russia’s horrific attack and an atrocity, and sent condolences to the families of the victims.
US Congress members in Bucharest
A delegation of eight members of the United States Congress – Democrats and Republicans – was in Bucharest earlier this week. It was the first visit by American officials since the Trump administration took office. The eight were received by the president and prime minister and met with Romanian parliamentarians. The main areas of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the United States of America, with an emphasis on the security component, economic cooperation and the development prospects of the bilateral relationship, were topics addressed by Acting President Ilie Bolojan with the American congressmen. The Romanian official highlighted the importance of strengthening the American presence in our country, especially in the context of the current security challenges in the Black Sea region. Regarding the 2024 electoral process, the acting president stated that Romania has learned the necessary lessons after the cancellation of last year’s presidential election. He added that the state institutions are committed to ensuring the fair and transparent conduct of the elections for the supreme office in May, in full accordance with democratic standards. Republican Vern Buchanan, head of the American delegation, stated that the purpose of the visit was to strengthen bilateral relations and raise them to another level. We have many companies here that create many jobs, and we want to increase their number, and your country is important to us, Buchanan emphasized.
Two important laws adopted by the Senate
The Romanian Senate adopted, on Monday, the legislative proposal to amend the Penal Code regarding the punishment of those who drive after consuming drugs or other psychoactive substances. According to an amendment, it is not considered a crime if the presence of psychoactive substances in the blood was determined by the administration of medications used on the basis of a medical prescription. The Ministry of Health will draw up the list of psychoactive substances that will be approved by law. It will also take the necessary measures so that the release of medications containing psychoactive substances, or with psychoactive effects, is carried out only on the basis of a medical prescription. The Senate in Bucharest also adopted, this week, a draft law aimed at ensuring a higher level of financial protection for real estate developers’ clients, so as to avoid Nordis-type cases, a huge real estate scam currently being investigated by organized crime prosecutors. The project stipulates, among other things, that the money for the down payment of a home be deposited in a special account, from which it can only be used for the respective real estate development. In the event of the company’s bankruptcy, clients who have money to collect will be placed in the category of privileged creditors, as a guarantee that they can receive their money among the first.
Romania at the Osaka 2025 World Expo
The World Expo opened in Osaka, Japan, exploring the theme ‘Designing Future Society for Our Lives’, based on the idea of international collaboration and collective involvement to identify solutions to the current challenges for humanity. Romania is among the approximately 160 participants. Its pavilion, entitled “The Romanian Magic Box”, has a concept created by students of the “Ion Mincu” University of Architecture and Urbanism in Bucharest. It proposes an interactive and multi-sensory approach. Romania aims to bring to the attention of the international community the diversity and richness of its natural resources, the quality of its human capital, and its cultural and technological potential. Within the exhibition, the economic and commercial promotion events of Romania will target the following areas: economy, research, education and energy, digitalization and IT&C, promotion of investment opportunities, in order to consolidate and develop the Strategic Partnership that Romania and Japan signed in 2023. It is the 25th participation of Romania in an international or world exhibition.
A new presence at the Women’s Handball World Cup
The Romanian women’s handball team will not miss the World Cup that will be hosted by Germany and the Netherlands at the end of the year. The “Tricolors” qualified for the play-offs, following the double victory against Italy. Romania has participated in all editions of the Women’s Handball World Cup. In the previous one, in 2023, the Romanians ranked 12th.
