The Week in Review (09-13.06.2025)

Click here for the headline-grabbing events of the past week in Romania

Corina Cristea, 14.06.2025, 14:00

Talks to reduce the budget deficit

In Bucharest, discussions in several rounds, both at the Government headquarters and in the presence of President Nicuşor Dan, between the leaders of the four pro-European parties that could form the government and the experts of the technical working group have not yet led to the final version of the package of budgetary recovery measures. There is an agreement in principle on the macroeconomic measures, but there are disagreements on how they will be implemented and on the specific cuts that will be made. The Social Democratic Party (PSD), the National Liberal Party (PNL), Save Romania Union (USR) and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) have agreed on the need to reduce budget spending, maintain large investments and the need to change some taxes, but the solutions differ from one party to another. President Nicuşor Dan, who participated in some of the discussions, believes that, nevertheless, progress has been made. At the same time, the head of state invited, on Monday, representatives of the trade unions, who accuse political decision-makers of lacking transparency and real consultation regarding fiscal-budgetary measures. The invitation comes after members of the “Cartel ALFA ” Confederation protested, on Thursday, in front of the Presidential Administration and demanded a fair fiscal reform, the correct resizing of the public administration, the elimination of privileges for parties and parliamentarians, and an active presidency that should mediate social conflicts and guarantee social justice.

Busy agenda for President Nicuşor Dan

President Nicuşor Dan met on Tuesday with the King of Spain, Felipe VI, with whom he visited the Cincu Training Center, in Braşov County (center), where soldiers from Romania, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Spain are deployed, on a rotational basis. “The presence of Spanish troops in Romania as part of the NATO Battle Group is living proof of Madrid’s commitment to collective defense and to deterring any threat to the stability of the region. Together, we will make Europe safer,” said the Romanian president, while the Spanish head of state stressed the importance of the strategic partnership between the two countries and the strong bond between the Romanian and Spanish people. From Cincu, President Nicuşor Dan went to Chișinău, where he met with President Maia Sandu. The Romanian president spoke about a consolidation of relations between the two countries in the fields of energy, infrastructure and education and reiterated Bucharest’s support for the European integration of the Republic of Moldova, which has a majority Romanian-speaking population. In turn, Maia Sandu mentioned the threat posed by the hybrid war waged by Russia and the Kremlin’s attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of Romania and the Republic of Moldova. The two heads of state then went together on Wednesday to the Ukraine – South-Eastern Europe Summit in Odessa.

Participation of the Romanian Head of State in the Odessa Summit

In his speech at the Odessa Summit, President Nicuşor Dan called for firmness in denouncing Russia’s actions, which, he said, is using strategies to delay and sabotage the peace process. He stressed that European countries must remain united in defending international law, respect for human life, dignity, freedom and democracy, values ​​that the Ukrainian people are defending every day. The summit ended with a joint declaration that condemns very clearly the brutal war of aggression waged by Russia against Ukraine. The signatories reiterated their commitment to providing comprehensive and sustainable support to Ukraine for as long as necessary and called for the complete withdrawal of Russian forces and equipment from the entire Ukrainian territory as an essential and non-negotiable condition for peace. Nicuşor Dan also participated in a trilateral meeting Romania – Republic of Moldova – Ukraine, during which he discussed with his counterparts, Maia Sandu and Volodymyr Zelensky, about the most important interconnection projects, especially energy infrastructure, about the accession process of the two former Soviet countries to the EU and cooperation in ensuring security.

Money from the NPRR for Romania

On Tuesday, Romania received from the European Commission almost 1.3 billion euros from the payment request number 3 included in the NPRR. However, Brussels decided to suspend another approximately 870 million euros, money that will be transferred at the end of November if Bucharest successfully completes reforms in three essential areas: special pensions, the appointment of the management of the agency that monitors the performance of state-owned companies, and the designation of administrators of companies subordinated to the Ministry of Energy. According to the Minister of Investments and European Projects, Marcel Boloş, a new payment request, the fourth, is being negotiated with Brussels, and Bucharest wants an increase in the amounts allocated from almost 2.7 billion euros to 5.7 billion euros. In exchange for these funds, however, other reforms must be carried out.

Decisions regarding the situation in Praid

Continued action is being taken to resolve the situation at the Praid Salt Mine (center) flooded following heavy rains. A team of international experts came to work alongside Romanian specialists, and the solution found is the use of a modern technology for waterproofing the bed of the Corund stream, which flooded the galleries. At the same time, a new solution for diverting the water flow was proposed. Experts from the European Association of Salt Producers also came to Praid, who assessed the situation of the salt mine, and presented two options, one to save and stabilize the existing mine and the second to open a new gallery for visiting and production. On the other hand, the Ministry of Economy will implement support measures for the business environment in Praid, through aid schemes for tourism and the hospitality industry. In technical terms, the government has allocated money for the execution of works to mitigate possible floods.