June 25, 2025
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 25.06.2025, 13:55
NATO President Nicuşor Dan had a bilateral meeting today with the British prime minister Keir Starmer, on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague. Also today, the Romanian head of state will have a meeting with Czech president Petr Pavel. On Tuesday, Nicuşor Dan had talks with a delegation of American Congressmen about the Romanian-American Strategic Partnership, the importance of NATO’s eastern flank, the hybrid war waged by Russia, as well as the cancellation of the presidential elections in Romania last winter. The main decision expected of the NATO leaders convening in The Hague is to increase defence budgets to 5% of GDP. The increase is to take place over ten years, with 3.5% to be earmarked for defence itself (weapons and troops), and 1.5% for investments in infrastructure and cyber security. Increased defence spending is a key request of the US president Donald Trump. The Alliance’s final declaration is expected to also mention the threat posed by Russia to member states and to reaffirm support for Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, who attends the NATO summit, met on Tuesday with NATO’s Secretary General Mark Rutte, the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, and defense industry officials.
RATING An international rating agency delegation arrives in Bucharest today for talks with the Romanian authorities on measures to cut spending and rebalance the budget. Romania is on the last step before being downgraded to the “junk” category, meaning not recommended for investment. Therefore, the rating assigned by international agencies is important for the costs at which Bucharest borrows money in international markets. Preparations for the visit were made on Tuesday, when the new PM Ilie Bolojan met with the finance minister Alexandru Nazare. The two spoke about budget revenues and measures to improve collection. According to the PM, aspects related to future laws that would allow for cuts in public spending were also discussed.
PARLIAMENT The Chamber of Deputies and the Senate have new chairs as of Tuesday, namely the interim leader of the Social Democratic Party Sorin Grindeanu, and the Liberal Mircea Abrudan, respectively. They replace Ciprian Şerban, who was sworn in as transport minister, and Ilie Bolojan, the new head of the government endorsed on Monday. Also on Tuesday the Chamber and the Senate appointed two Constitutional Court judges for a nine-year term, to replace the magistrates whose term in office ends next month. The nominations were made by the Social Democrats and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, according to an agreement within the ruling coalition.
MOLDOVA The first Republic of Moldova – European Union summit will take place on July 4, in Chisinau, hosted by president Maia Sandu. Taking part in the meeting will be the head of the European Council, Antonio Costa, and the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. The summit, according to a news release issued by the Moldovan presidency, is not only an acknowledgement of the steps taken by Chisinau, but also of the EU’s sound political commitment to the European future of the Republic of Moldova. Topics related to the accession process will be addressed, including developments so far and the next stages. The deepening of economic ties and cooperation in areas such as infrastructure, energy, digitisation and regional development will be discussed. An important topic on the agenda will also be the Growth Plan for the Republic of Moldova, worth EUR 1.9 billion, recently adopted by the European Commission, through which the Union supports the modernisation of the economy and the improvement of living standards.
HEAT WAVE A heat wave hit most of Romania, with temperatures constantly above 35 degrees Celsius these days. On Wednesday morning a code yellow alert for heat and thermal discomfort took effect in almost three-quarters of the country. Until Friday, 12 counties in the southwest and south, including the capital city Bucharest, are under a code orange alert for extreme heat and severe thermal discomfort. The highs will range from 38 to 40 degrees Celsius. The only exceptions are the northeast of the country and the Black Sea coast. The national railway corporation announced that trains will run at reduced speed. On the other hand, the number of calls to the Ambulance Service in Bucharest and the neighboring Ilfov County increased compared to last week, with medical teams intervening in over 4,200 cases, many of them in public areas.
