THE WEEK IN REVIEW

28 April- 2 May, 2025

Călin Coțoiu, 03.05.2025, 13:39

Voting in the diaspora for the election of the President of Romania has begun

Romanians with the right to vote in the diaspora have three days – May 2, 3 and 4 – to choose the person who will lead Romania for the next five years. In the 965 polling stations in the diaspora organized for this year’s presidential elections, Romanian citizens who are abroad on election day can vote, regardless of whether or not they have their domicile or residence outside the country. The most polling stations are in Italy and Malta – 161, Spain – 147, Great Britain – 108, France and the Principality of Monaco – 69, the Republic of Moldova – 64, the USA – 50, Belgium – 29 and the Netherlands – 23. At the same time, the Permanent Electoral Authority reports that a number of 6,085 applications for voting by correspondence out of the 6,496 submitted in this regard on the portal www.votstrainatate.ro met the legal conditions. The most applications for voting by correspondence were registered in Germany, followed by Great Britain, Switzerland, France, the United States, Italy and Spain. In Romania, voters are expected to go to the polls on May 4 to choose one of the 11 candidates. The second round is scheduled two weeks later.

More money for Defense

The Romanian Minister of National Defense, Angel Tîlvăr, was mandated to assume, on behalf of Romania, the phased increase in the Defense budget until 2030 in the negotiations and technical discussions that will prepare the NATO summit in The Hague. The announcement was made by the interim president of Romania, Ilie Bolojan, after the Defense Coucil approved that Romania access the credit made available by the European Commission for the community countries, in order to provide additional endowment for Defense. Bolojan said that, in this way, Romania will be able to ensure its security and, together with its European partners, be a contributor to the defense of Europe. The credit made available by the European Commission is advantageous, and will allow Romania to improve its military capabilities, without putting great pressure on the national budget, explained Ilie Bolojan. The Defense Coucil also approved the National Plan on Military Mobility. According to him, a new bridge over the Danube is included as an important project in this plan, and Romania has joined a new north-south mobility corridor.

Romania’s interim president at the Three Seas Initiative summit in Warsaw

During the Three Seas Initiative summit in Warsaw, Ilie Bolojan reaffirmed Romania’s interests. He said that an important project for Bucharest is Via Carpathia, and explained that the Romanian authorities are in the tender stage for some sections of the project. Via Carpathia is a network of expressways and motorways that connect northern Europe, from the Baltic Sea to the south, through Romania, to the Black Sea and also through the Balkans to the Adriatic Sea. In Ilie Bolojan’s opinion, the Three Seas Initiative is gaining increased relevance, connectivity is its essence, the region’s potential is immense, and Romania, through its geographical position and economic capacity, plays an important role in this equation. At the same time, he recalled that the plan to build reactors 3 and 4 at the Cernavoda nuclear power plant (southeast) is making important steps, and in the field of natural gas exploitation in the Black Sea, the strategic project “Neptun Deep” continues, being essential for regional energy security.

A new Patriot air-to-surface missile system for Romania

Romania will have a new Patriot missile system, replacing the one it supplied to Ukraine last September. The Ministry of National Defense in Bucharest welcomed the decision of the US State Department to approve the sale to Romania of the system, which includes a high-performance radar, two launchers and a command unit. The cost is over 260 million dollars, and the financing will be provided from non-reimbursable external funds. The Patriot system is capable of intercepting and destroying various types of air threats, including ballistic missiles, and will contribute to strengthening Romania’s defense in the Black Sea area. On the other hand, Defense Minister Angel Tîlvăr discussed, in Brussels, with Andrius Kubilius, the European Commissioner for Defense and Space, about strengthening Romania’s defense preparation and intensifying European industrial cooperation.

Simple motion adopted in the Senate against the Minister of Labor

The Senate in Bucharest adopted, on Wednesday, a simple motion submitted by AUR to the Minister of Labor, Simona Bucura-Oprescu. During the debates, the opposition representatives criticized the pension system, stating that it deepens social inequalities. The minister, however, stated that the 2025 pension budget is 21 billion lei (about 4 billion euros) higher than last year, and accused the initiators of the initiative of peddling disinformation. On the other hand, the Romanian senators postponed by two weeks the plenary debate of the draft law that should modify the retirement age and the method of calculating the pensions of magistrates. In the version already adopted by the Chamber of Deputies, the document stipulates that their retirement age will increase to 65 years, starting with January 1 next year, and the amount of the pension cannot exceed that of the last salary. The release by the European Commission of the third tranche of financing from the national recovery plan depends on the approval of the law.

Gopo Awards Gala

The 19th edition of the Gopo Awards Gala took place in Bucharest on Tuesday, an event that annually celebrates and rewards the most important achievements of Romanian cinema. The film “The New Year That Never Was”, directed by Bogdan Mureşanu, was the big winner of this edition, the film obtaining ten distinctions, including for direction, best actor (Adrian Văncică), best actress (Nicoleta Hâncu), sets, sound, or screenplay. Director Dan Piţa received an award for his entire career. Career awards were also given to actress Ioana Pavelescu, and to Florin Mihăilescu, one of the most talented and prolific cinematographers in Romanian cinema.