June 12, 2025
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 12.06.2025, 13:55
DECISION – President Nicuşor Dan wants to reopen the Romanian Consulate in Odessa as soon as possible. The Consulate had been closed for security reasons, after Russia invaded Ukraine. The head of state explained, on Wednesday, at a meeting with representatives of the Romanian community in southern Ukraine, that the reopening of the mission is for their support. Nicuşor Dan also said that there are some problems raised by Ukrainian Romanians, such as the support that Bucharest grants to Romanian language schools in the Odessa area and with the Romanian parishes that are currently divided between three Orthodox churches: Romanian, Ukrainian and Russian. Nicuşor Dan also added that there is a need for a cultural center for the Romanian community, which he wants opened in Ismail. “Romanians in Ukraine must know that they are not alone. Romania remains close to them through constant dialogue, concrete actions and institutional support. I will be the president of all Romanians wherever they are”, Nicuşor Dan said.
NEGOTIATIONS – In Bucharest, the four pro-Western parties – PSD, PNL, UDMR, USR – that could be part of the new government have not yet reached a common position on the measures that should get the state out of the financial difficulty it is in, regarding the deficit. For the time being, although there are unanimously agreed aspects, such as the need to reduce budget spending, maintain large investments or the need to change some taxes, the solutions differ from one party to another. In order to give an impetus to the negotiations, President Nicuşor Dan is expected to participate in the discussions every day.
BRIDGE – The Giurgiu-Ruse bridge over the Danube, connecting Romania to Bulgaria, will be closed to road traffic for 8 hours, starting tonight, at 8:00 PM, and until Friday morning, at 4:00 AM, for emergency repair works on the Bulgarian side. All types of vehicles will be prohibited from crossing the bridge, in both directions. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest recommends Romanian citizens to use the other border crossing points located between Romania and Bulgaria and to request, if necessary, assistance from the Romanian Embassy in Sofia.
UKRAINE – Leaders from Southeastern Europe, including Romania’s new president, Nicuşor Dan, condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Wednesday, at the conclusion of the fourth Ukraine-Southeastern Europe Summit held in Odessa, a major Ukrainian port on the Black Sea. The signatories of the declaration reiterated their commitment to provide comprehensive and lasting support to Ukraine and its people for as long as necessary and called on all nations to refrain from providing any form of material or other aid to Russia’s war effort. In his speech, President Nicuşor Dan called for firmness in denouncing Russia’s actions and stressed that European countries must remain united in defending international law, respect for human life, dignity, freedom and democracy, values that the Ukrainian people defend every day.
ALERT – The population of Tulcea County (southeastern Romania), in the border area with Ukraine, was warned, shortly after midnight, by a Ro-Alert message, about the possibility of objects falling from the airspace. “Take shelter in basements or civil protection shelters, and in the absence of shelter, stay inside the house, away from windows and exterior walls”, the message read. The alert issued by the Romanian authorities came amid sustained attacks by the Russian invasion army on Ukraine, which left at least six people dead and dozens injured, including nine children.
FOOTBALL – The Romanian national squad ended their first match in Group A of the European Under-21 Football Championship in Slovakia, with a 0-1 defeat to Italy, on Wednesday. In the other match of the group, Spain defeated Slovakia 3-2. The next matches in the group will be played on Saturday, June 14: Spain – Romania (in Bratislava) and Slovakia – Italy (in Trnava). Romania’s best result in its four participations so far in the European Youth Championship (1998, 2019, 2021, 2023) was in 2019, when it reached the semi-finals, thus also qualifying for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Gabriela Ruse qualified, together with Belgian Magali Kempen, to the quarterfinals of the doubles event of the WTA tournament in ‘s-Hertogenbosch (Netherlands), after defeating 6-4, 6-1 the couple Anastasia Detiuc (Czech Republic)/Bibiane Schoofs (Netherlands). The Romanian-Belgian pair will play in the quarterfinals with the competition’s fourth favorites, Eri Hozumi (Japan)/Aldila Sutjiadi (Indonesia). Gabriela Ruse also qualified to the round of 16 of the singles event, after defeating the Dutch Isis Louise van den Broek, with 6-2, 6-1. Ruse (27 years old, 80 WTA), who came from the qualifiers, won in just 61 minutes, against an opponent who also came from the preliminary draw (19 years old, 704 WTA). In the second round, the Romanian will meet Canadian player Carson Branstine. (EE)
