June 20, 2025
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 20.06.2025, 13:55
Negotiations. Negotiations to form the future government have reached a deadlock and there is no official information as to when president Nicuşor Dan will appoint a new prime minister. There is also no official meeting scheduled with political leaders for today or tomorrow, although the mandate of the interim government is expiring at the end of the day. “We have not agreed on any fiscal measures or reached a political agreement”, said the Social Democrats’ interim president Sorin Grindeanu. He said the internal party talks scheduled for today on joining the government have been cancelled. The main issue is the increase in the VAT level, according to sources close to the talks. The president is opposed to raising the VAT, while the leader of the National Liberal Party, Ilie Bolojan, who is favourite for the position of prime minister, believes there is no other way for the state to restore its financial balance. After Thursday’s talks, the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania are not sure they want to enter government, either, unhappy with the two cabinet posts they have been allocated. After the talks, the Save Romania Union reiterated their intention to join a reformist government, with Ilie Bolojan as prime minister.
ECOFIN. The state secretary in the Romanian finance ministry Alin Andrieş is today attending in Luxembourg a meeting of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council. The agenda also includes the application of the economic governance framework and the Council’s recommendations in the context of the excessive deficit procedure. The Romanian official said he would present no plan of fiscal measures, because that would require to be first adopted by the government and Parliament. He explained that the European Commission may publish a new fiscal recommendation for Romania, to be discussed by the Council on 8th July. On 4th June, the Commission published the European Semester Spring Package looking at economic and social developments in the member states. With respect to Romania, the Commission noted the risks generated by excessive deficits, the high level of spending, mainly as a result of a rise in salaries and pensions in 2024 and a record amount of public investment, as well as the risk of not reaching the targets undertaken without a revision of the fiscal framework. According to the European Commission, Romania is yet to take effective measures and there are no relevant factors to alleviate for a rise in spending.
Evacuation. 121 Romanian citizens from the armed conflict area in the Middle East and members of their families arrived on Friday morning in Romania following a government action coordinated by interim prime minister Cătălin Predoiu. According to a government statement, 158 Romanian citizens and family members who requested support from the Romanian authorities have been evacuated from the military conflict area. The evacuation was carried out using military aircraft made available by the defence ministry. The government statement notes that Romanian state institutions have monitored the situation and provided assistance to the Romanian citizens in the conflict area as soon as the armed conflict intensified between the State of Israel and the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Theatre. The 32nd edition of the Sibiu International Theatre Festival, which is getting under way today, brings together over 5,000 participants from over 80 different countries. This is the biggest event in Romania dedicated to the performing arts. For the next ten days, it features theatre, dance and street performances, concerts, exhibitions, workshops and conferences. More than half of the performances are taking place outdoors, where public access is free. The theme chosen for this year’s edition is “Thank You”.
Football. Romania’s national football team for the first time reached the semi-finals of the European Under-19 Championship, whose current edition it is hosting, after defeating Denmark 3-0 on Thursday evening in Bucharest. Romania needed a win in order to qualify for the semi-finals, while Denmark only needed a draw. In the other group match, Spain defeated Montenegro 5-0. Spain top the group with 9 points, followed by Romania with 6 points, Denmark with 3 points and Montenegro with no points. In their last but one match, Romania’s Under-19 national team will meet the Netherlands, who won Group B, on Monday in Bucharest.
