May 9, 2025

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 09.05.2025, 13:55

EUROPE DAY – “Romania is part of the European project and we must continue on this path,” said interim president Ilie Bolojan, in a message on Europe Day. He stressed that the EU also means values such as democracy, the rule of law, freedom and solidarity. Europe Day is marked at the Cotroceni Palace (headquarters of the Romanian presidential administration), through the debate “Together with the EU, we #share the future”. The event is dedicated to reflecting on Romania’s European path and the common values shared within the EU and brings together numerous guests, including 150 university and high-school students, ambassadors of EU member states in Romania, as well as representatives of European institutions, such as the European Commission, the European Parliament, the European Investment Bank. Also today, in Bucharest, a public gathering is being organized with the Europe Day theme – “One path – Europe May 9”. “On Europe Day, we gather in University Square, the symbolic place of freedom won with sacrifice, and we set off on a peaceful march towards Victory Square, because we want a Romania that moves forward, not backward. A Romania that preserves its moral compass and the European path”, the organizers say.

INVESTORS – The American Chamber of Commerce in Romania – AmCham Romania – calls for responsibility and dialogue to prevent the irreversible depreciation of investor confidence in Romania, in the context of the economic turbulence accumulated and accentuated to the point of breakdown by the extended electoral period. According to AmCham Romania, Romania’s zero priority is economic recovery and macro-budgetary balancing. Romania, according to AmCham representatives, has been facing overlapping crises for several years, which have generated huge budgetary pressure and a highly deteriorated investment climate, while the prospect of being downgraded to the category of countries not recommended for investment (junk) is closer than ever. Business people argue that real reforms can no longer be postponed, that Romania cannot afford to lose European funds and that financing the economy and exiting the crisis depend on the capacity to attract and use funds received under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. AmCham brings together 600 American, international and Romanian companies with cumulative investments of over 30 billion US dollars in Romania.

POPE – The new Pope, Leo XIV, the first leader of the Catholic Church from the United States, has led a religious ceremony for cardinals today, after being elected Thursday night. The new Pontiff is seen by many as continuing the agenda of his predecessor, Pope Francis, reaching out to people on the margins of society, on the fringes of the Catholic world and outside the faith. On social media, he has been critical of Donald Trump’s immigration policies and about racism, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and sexual abuse within the Church. On Thursday night, Pope Leo XIV’s first speech to the crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square focused on the importance of world peace, the need to build bridges of communication and on the unity of the church. Messages of congratulations for the new Pontiff came from political and religious leaders around the world, including from Romania, a mostly Orthodox country.

FINANCE – The Romanian government passed on Thursday, in the first meeting chaired by interim Prime Minister Cătălin Predoiu, a document regarding the renegotiation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) with representatives of the European Commission. The authorities are trying to replace certain investment objectives that have not progressed sufficiently, with ones that correspond to the objectives of the NRRP and which were financed from the state budget. According to the Minister of European Projects, Marcel Boloş, the main goal is to avoid losing any money from the 13.1 billion euro grant that Romania is to receive. The second goal of the NRRP renegotiation is to advance 55 targets and milestones from payment request number 4 and to increase their value to over 5 billion euros.

ELECTIONS – The Constitutional Court of Romania has today the result of the first round of the presidential elections, held on May 4. Also today, the Constitutional Court rejected, as ungrounded, the request of a former candidate in the presidential elections to cancel the first round of the elections on May 4. The Constitutional Court has also announced the organization of the second round of the election for the president of Romania on May 18.  The election campaign for the second round kicks off today, pitting the ultranationalist populist George Simion, leader of AUR, who obtained 41% of the votes in the first round, against the pro-Western independent Nicusor Dan, the current mayor of Bucharest, who got 21% of the votes. In Romania, the vote will take place on May 18, but Romanian citizens abroad will be able to vote for three days – Friday, Saturday and Sunday – just like in the first round. (EE)