July 8, 2025
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 08.07.2025, 13:55
Ecofin. Romania is presenting today, in Brussels, the new measures aimed at reducing the budget deficit, as part of its commitment to bring the budget deficit below 3% of GDP in the next seven years. 12 EU states have a budget deficit, of which eight are in the excessive budget deficit procedure, but Romania had by far the highest deficit level in 2024, at 9.3% of GDP. Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare is today presenting his counterparts in the EU’s Economic and Financial Council the austerity measures to be taken by his government to tackle the financial situation. This is the first of a number of financial packages envisaged by the government, and one which the Ilie Bolojan cabinet has assumed responsibility in Parliament. If the measures presented are well received, Romania will present the results of the application of the measures in Brussels on October 15. It will also present the Council with a new set of measures to complement the first package, depending on the outcome of the latter.
Protests. Employees of state pensions funds protested today against working conditions and the cut in their incomes, said their trade union. The latter added that protests will continue all week and did not rule out the possibility of a general strike if their demands are not resolved. Also today, they announced that employees from the Ministry of Investments and European Projects are also staging a protest outside their institution. Their trade union said it sent a letter to prominent members of the European Commission emphasising the risk with respect to the administrative capacity to manage European funds as a result of measures to reduce the incomes of the staff. On Monday, the coalition government in Bucharest formed by the Social Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania assumed responsibility in Parliament for a first set of fiscal measures aimed at reducing the budget deficit. Dissatisfied with the solutions provided, trade unions in the health care and education sectors staged a protest outside Parliament. Protests have also been announced by employees of the National Administration of Romanian Waters and the Ministry of Agriculture. They all believe that the government has chosen the easy way out, namely reducing the population’s incomes and raising taxes.
Heatwave. Romania is bracing for another hot day today, with thermal discomfort across the country, except for the Black Sea coast. The worst hit by the heatwave is the south, including the capital Bucharest, which is under a red code alert for excessive heat until Wednesday. According to doctors, the human body is subjected to additional stress, and the categories at risk are young children, the elderly and the sick, as prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures leads to disruptions in the way the body works. Ambulances are on alert, a number of pharmacies are providing first aid, and special points have been installed on the streets where people can receive water and medical assistance and stay cool. On top of the sweltering heat, Monday evening also saw storms, torrential rain and hail storms. Red and orange code warnings for atmospheric instability are in place for most of the country. Some places have experienced water supply problems due to power outages at several pumping stations. Strong winds knocked down trees that fell onto the road, pavements and cars, broke electrical wires and tore off roofs. Road travel and public transport were disrupted in some places. Temperature wise, the highs today are between 30 and 40 degrees Celsius. Rain showers and thunderstorms are expected in the afternoon, with flash floods forecast in the west, north and centre.
Bank. The Board of Directors of the National Bank of Romania is meeting today to discuss the monetary policy. In its previous meeting, on May 16, the Bank decided to maintain the key interest rate at 6.5% per year, the interest rate for the lending facility (Lombard) at 7.5% per year and the interest rate for the deposit facility at 5.5% per year, as well as to maintain the current levels of the minimum obligatory reserves for the liabilities in lei and foreign currency of lending institutions. The Central Bank lowered the key interest rate twice last year, which had been unchanged since January 2023.
Fire. More than 30 Romanian firefighters are taking part today in efforts to extinguish a forest fire that broke out in the town of Narbonne, France. The mission is carried out under the direct coordination of the French liaison officer and aims to protect households and ensure access to the roads blocked by trees felled by the fire and wind. Between 1 – 31 July, the Department for Emergency Situations within the Romanian Ministry of Internal Affairs, is contributing a specialized unit of forest fire vehicles to a program organised by the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations aimed at strengthening the resilience of the French authorities in managing this type of risk.
Tennis. The Romanian-Russian pair Sorana Cîrstea and Ana Kalinskaia will face the fourth-seeds Su-wei Hsieh of Taiwan and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia on Wednesday in the quarterfinals of the women’s doubles at Wimbledon. In the previous round, Sorana Cîrstea and Ana Kalinskaia defeated the Russian pair Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider in three sets, 4-6, 7-6, 6-1. Sorana Cîrstea is the only Romanian player still in competition at Wimbledon. (CM)
