January 31, 2025 UPDATE 2
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Newsroom, 30.01.2025, 20:05
Budget – Romania’s draft budget law for 2025 is going through the last stages of debate before the Government approves it in a meeting that is to take place on Saturday. The Finance Minister in the governing coalition (PSD-PNL-UDMR), Tanczos Barna, stated that there is money in the budget for investments in infrastructure, for the payment of salaries and pensions, at the level of November 2024. The budget will be built on a deficit of no more than 7% of the GDP. The funds allocated to the Presidential Administration, the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies will decrease and the budgets of some ministries will increase, such as the environment, health, education or transport ministries.
Chişinău – On Friday the Romanian FM Emil Hurezeanu is going on a working visit to the Republic of Moldova (ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian-speaking population), Radio Chişinău reports. The agenda of the visit includes discussions with the Moldovan Foreign Minister Mihail Popşoi as well as the reception by the country’s president, Maia Sandu, by the president of the Moldovan Parliament, Igor Grosu, and by the deputy prime minister for European Integration, Cristina Gherasimov. The two foreign ministers are to deliver a joint press statement.
Rugby – The Romanian national rugby team will make their debut on Friday evening in Bucharest, in a match against Germany, in the 2025 edition of the Rugby Europe Championship. The Romanians will also play against Belgium, on February 8, away from home, in Mons, and against Portugal, on February 15, at home, in Botoşani (northeast). Romania can secure direct qualification for the Rugby World Cup in Australia, if it finishes the championship in one of the first two places of the group. With one exception, Romania has participated in all the world final tournaments.
Candidacy – The president of the opposition Save Romania Union (USR), Elena Lasconi, will run again in the presidential election in May. She announced that she has the support of her party and is responsible for the votes cast by citizens two months ago. In turn, the mayor of Bucharest, Nicuşor Dan, said that he maintained his decision to enter the presidential race as an independent and the governing coalition (PSD-PNL-UDMR) would support a common candidate in the race, the former Liberal leader, Crin Antonescu. We remind you that, in December, the Constitutional Court of Romania annulled the presidential election, citing interference by a state actor, and decided that the electoral process should be entirely resumed. The first round had been won by independent sovereigntist Călin Georgescu and the USR leader Elena Lasconi. On the other hand, European Union member states, including France, Germany and Romania, requested the Commission to take measures to protect the elections in the community space from interference by external actors.
Aircraft – An F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft, purchased by Romania from the Kingdom of Norway, landed, on Thursday, at the 71st General Emanoil Ionescu Air Base at Câmpia Turzii. The aircraft thus completes the 48th Fighter Squadron with all 16 aircraft, the Romanian Defense Ministry informs. The purchase of the new batch of F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft and the related package of goods and services ensures the increase of Romania’s security by defending the national or NATO airspace, in peacetime and in crisis situations, through the Permanent Combat Service – Air Policing, under NATO command.
Collision – Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, sent a message of solidarity to the American people on Thursday following the collision in the air, above Washington, of an American Airlines passenger plane and a Black Hawk helicopter of the US army. “Our thoughts go out to the families of the victims” – the head of state wrote on platform X. The American Airlines plane, with 64 people on board, and the military helicopter with three soldiers on board crashed, on Wednesday evening, in the Potomac River. Extremely difficult search operations were launched. Since February 2009, there have been no fatal passenger plane accidents in the United States. (LS)
