April 30, 2025 UPDATE (1)
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 30.04.2025, 18:21
DEFENSE – Interim president Ilie Bolojan announced that the Minister of National Defense, Angel Tîlvăr, has been mandated to express Romania’s readiness to gradually increase its defense budget by 2030 in negotiations and technical talks in preparation of the NATO summit in the Hague. In a statement made at the end of the meeting of the Supreme Defense Council, Bolojan said that Romania will thus be able to ensure its security and, jointly with its European partners, contribute to Europe’s defense. The interim president said that a special task force has been created, led by the Prime Minister’s Chancellery and supported by representatives of the Ministries of Defense and the Economy, which will prepare Romania’s application for loans made available by the European Commission for member states for additional defense spending. Bolojan said that the loan is advantageous, with a repayment period of over 40 years and a grace period of 10 years, which will allow Romania to improve its military capabilities without overstraining the national budget. Last but not least, the interim president also announced that the Council has approved the National Plan on Military Mobility. The plan stipulates the construction of a new bridge over the Danube as an important project, and Romania has joined a new north-south mobility corridor.
MINI-HOLIDAY – Some 26,000 employees of the Romanian Interior Ministry will ensure public order and safety during the May 1 mini-holiday, with their number increasing to 43,000 on Sunday, the day of the first round of the presidential election, the Interior Ministry announced on Wednesday. The Ministry of Internal Affairs will be reinforced in crowded areas, namely mountain and seaside resorts and border crossing points. Ministry employees will be present at public events with a large number of participants, in order to prevent and combat illegal acts, but also to be able to intervene in specific situations.
INVESTMENT – Total state budget revenues increased by 16% in March and reached almost €10.5 billion, and according to data, the situation is positive this month as well, Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said. He also announced that a new German company intends to invest over €30 million in Romania for the construction of a smart ventilator factory in Oradea (northwest), which will help create 1,000 jobs. The Prime Minister also said that over €200 million will be invested to purchase 12 electric subway trains. These will ensure the link between the “Henri Coandă” International Airport and Bucharest subway lines
TENNIS – The pair made up of Sorana Cîrstea (Romania) and Anna Kalinskaya (Russia) on Wednesday qualified to the semifinals of the doubles event of the WTA 1000 tennis tournament in Madrid, offering total prizes of nearly €7.9 million. The Romanian-Russian pair defeated the Czech-Danish duo Linda Noskova/Clara Tauson 6-0, 6-3. Cîrstea and her partner secured a €113,880 check and 390 WTA points. In the semi-finals, the two will face the third seeds, Su-Wei Hsieh from Taiwan and Jelena Ostapenko from Latvia. (VP)
