July 23, 2025
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 23.07.2025, 13:55
Measures – The governing coalition in Bucharest decided, following this morning’s meeting, to postpone until mid-August the adoption of the second package of fiscal and budgetary measures aimed at reducing the country’s budget deficit. The decision was made in the context in which the Social Democrats declared their dissatisfaction that they were not consulted on the measures announced by Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, especially those related to the suspension of some projects carried out through the “Anghel Saligny” program, whose objective is to modernize local communities by making investments in infrastructure. Discussions in the coalition will continue until next week, when each project carried out through this program will be analyzed. Yesterday, Prime Minister Bolojan and Deputy Prime Minister for Reform, Dragoș Anastasiu, presented the measures envisaged by the Executive for the reform of state-owned companies. These include reducing the number of members of the Boards of Directors and Supervisory Boards of state-owned companies, their remuneration, as well as capping benefits. We remind you that, recently, the Government took responsibility for the first package of measures to reduce the deficit. It will take effect on August 1 and includes, among other things, an increase in VAT rates, an increase in excise duties, cutting some bonuses and capping pensions and salaries.
Meeting – The Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan has an informal meeting with his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban in Bucharest today. The meeting is taking place at the request of the Hungarian PM, announced the spokesperson for the Bucharest government, Ioana Dogioiu. She stated that topics regarding collaboration between the two countries would be discussed. Orban will be in Romania this week for the 34th edition of the Summer University in Băile Tuşnad (Balvanyosi), in the center of the country, which officially opens today. It is a large-scale annual seminar originally designed to promote cross-border cooperation and Romanian-Hungarian relations. This year’s debates are attended by numerous members of the Hungarian Government, including ministers and state secretaries, Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) representatives in the Romanian Government – the Deputy Prime Minister Tanczos Barna and the Culture Minister, Demeter András, as well as representatives of Hungarians from other countries, such as Ukraine, Slovakia, Slovenia and Croatia.
Visit – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Oana Ţoiu, conveyed the firm commitment of President Nicuşor Dan, Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan and the entire Government of Romania to support the authorities in Chişinău in the European integration process, during this period, which she called essential for the European future of the Republic of Moldova (an ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian-speaking population). Visiting Chişinău, Oana Ţoiu pointed out, in the discussions with the heads of the pro-Western administration there, the solidity of Romania’s relationship with the Republic of Moldova, built on the community of language, history and traditions.
Sports – The Romanian athletes won their first medals at the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF), the summer edition, in Skopje (North Macedonia) and Osijek (Croatia), all three bronze medals. The athletes Ana Maria Dogan in the long jump, Denisa Şerban (cat. 44 kg) and Alin Şorici (cat. 55 kg), both in judo, won medals. Romania participates in the EYOF with 87 athletes competing in 11 disciplines. On the other hand, Romanian athletes have their first chances for medals at the Summer World University Games – FISU 2025, in the Rhine-Ruhr region (Germany), in the table tennis tournament. Ioana Sîngeorzan and Elena Zaharia are one medal away, set to play in the quarterfinals against the French women Cok/Lutz. Also close to a medal are the men’s pairs Andrei Istrate/Darius Toma and Eduard Ionescu/Darius Movileanu, who will play in the quarterfinals. Three other Romanians qualified for the round of 16 in the singles: Eduard Ionescu, Darius Toma and Andrei Istrate.
Weather – The heat continues today in 17 counties in southern Romania, for which orange and yellow code alerts have been issued. On Thursday, the heat wave will affect most regions, according to the updated forecasts of the National Meteorological Administration. It shows that, by the end of the week, the heat wave and thermal discomfort will intensify especially in the west, south and partially in the center of the country. On Tuesday, following the establishment of the Code Red alert for Heat in the south of the country, trains experienced delays due to the imposed speed restrictions. Road traffic was also affected. Fires broke out in some counties, most likely caused by the use of fire to sanitize land. In Bucharest, the City Hall distributed drinking water at specially arranged street points and installed modern cooling systems. Today’s maximum temperatures, nationwide, range between 28 and 39 degrees Celsius.
Football – Romania’s champion FCSB was defeated by the North Macedonian team KF Shkendija, score of 1-0, on Tuesday evening in Skopje, in the first leg of the second preliminary round of the Champions League. Even though they lost, FCSB still has the first chance to qualify, according to experts. The return leg will take place on July 30, at the National Arena in Bucharest. Two other Romanian teams will play, away from home, on Thursday in the second preliminary round of the Conference League. Universitatea Craiova will meet FK Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and is considered the favorite, while FC Universitatea Cluj will play Arat – Armenia. Universitatea Cluj returns to a European competition after 53 years. (LS)
