April 25, 2025
A roundup of local and international news
Newsroom, 25.04.2025, 13:55
POPE The last preparations are being made at the Vatican for the funeral of Pope Francis, due tomorrow morning in St. Peter’s Square with scores of political leaders, heads of state and government, attending. Presidents Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy are expected to arrive in Rome, where the Ukrainian president hopes to hold talks with his US counterpart. After the ceremony at the Vatican, the coffin is to be carried for burial, in keeping with the Pope’s wish, to Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica in Rome. Hundreds of thousands are expected to attend the funeral and the Vatican has announced the tomb will be open to visitors right on the next day. After the funeral, the entire world is waiting for the vote of the 135 cardinals who are going to convene in a conclave to elect the new head of the Catholic Church. Under the Vatican rules, the Conclave is to convene between the 15th and 20th day since the Pope’s death, which is between 5th and 10th of May respectively.
VISIT The head of the European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, has announced in Chisinau a new aid package aimed at increasing the resilience of the former ex-soviet, Romanian-speaking state against threats from abroad. The new 60 million Euro assistance package is destined, among other things, for strengthening the Republic of Moldova’s capabilities of preventing the fall of Russian drones on its territory, Kallas says. The total assistance volume, through the European instrument for peace, amounts to roughly 200 million Euros, and is aimed at making the Republic of Moldova stronger and safer for its citizens. In Chisinau, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy held talks with president Maia Sandu, with the country’s Prime and Foreign Ministers. High on the agenda was the headway made in implementing the reforms needed for European integration, and Kallas said the Union would continue to support the Republic of Moldova until accession.
COMMISSIONER Currently on a two-day visit to Romania, the EU Commissioner for Budget, anti-fraud and public administration, Piotr Serafin, is today visiting in Oradea, north-western Romania, several major infrastructure projects built with EU funds. The European official on Thursday held talks with the country’s interim president, Ilie Bolojan, who highlighted the importance of continuing to earmark funds within the Policy of Cohesion and the Common Agricultural Policy in the EU’s future budget and finding solutions to the present challenges in the fields of competitiveness, defence and security. The European commissioner has also met Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, Interior Minister, Catalin Predoiu, as well as with business people and investors in order to learn their opinion on how the present EU funding is working. Commissioner Serafin’s visit, aimed at improving social inclusion, the creation of jobs and strengthening local communities by means of the EU funds, is part of the European Commission’s consultations before the July presentation of the next EU long-term budget.
MINISTRY The Minister of Waters, Forests and Environment, Mircea Fechet, says the Environment Fund Administration will this year rely on a record-high investment fund of 3.2 billion Euros. The Rabla programme, one of the most important, pledges higher vouchers for electric vehicles and the initiative for photovoltaic panels and heat pumps has been extended as part of the Green House Plus programme. Among the key programmes funded in 2025 there are also the LED public lightening, rising electric effectiveness in public buildings as well as new initiatives such as a Rabla-like programme for replacing heating systems and more urban parks for Bucharest.
(bill)
