July 30, 2025 Update

The latest news from RRI

Newsroom, 30.07.2025, 20:00

Budget – The Romanian government will try to identify additional funds in next month’s budget rectification, in order to continue as many investment projects as possible through the “Anghel Saligny” local development program. The decision was made on Wednesday, at the request of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), at a meeting of the leaders of the governing coalition that also includes the National Liberal Party (PNL), Save Romania Union (USR) and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (UDMR). Previously, Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan had announced that the 10 billion lei (about 2 billion Euros) that represented this year’s budget for this program, which aims to modernize local communities, had been used up. Also after next month’s budget rectification, the executive is expected to adopt the second package of measures to reduce the budget deficit. This package refers to new retirement conditions for magistrates, amends the Insolvency Law, taxes capital and capital transfers and reforms state-owned companies. A first package will enter into force on August 1 and includes austerity measures such as increasing the VAT rates, excise duties on alcohol, tobacco and fuel, paying health insurance contributions for pensions exceeding 3 thousand lei (about 600 Euros) or freezing pensions and salaries.

Protests – Hundreds of teachers from all over the country protested on Wednesday in front of the Education Ministry in Bucharest, dissatisfied with several measures included in the first government package of fiscal-budgetary measures, with an impact on their field. Teaching loads will be increased, the hourly-pay rate will be reduced, educational units with a small number of children will be merged, and classes will have a larger number of students. In the opinion of the teachers, the executive is causing “an unprecedented crisis in the last 35 years” in education. The unions, which have called for the resignation of the education minister, Daniel David, announced that the Ministry’s headquarters will continue to be picketed, and a rally will be organized on September 8, the first day of the new school year.

Defense – Romania has submitted to the European Commission a portfolio of projects for the development of the defense industry and the increase in military mobility, investments that are to be financed through the European mechanism Security Action for Europe (SAFE). According to a government statement, approximately 70% of the projects envisage the purchase of military equipment to develop the national defense industry, and the remaining 30% are for the increase of military mobility of the transport and logistical connection type. The SAFE instrument is a temporary financial mechanism of the European Union, with a budget of 150 billion Euros, in the form of loans. These are granted on the basis of a national defense industry investment plan, approved by the European Commission, and the funds can be used until the end of 2030.

Swimming – The Romanian swimmer David Popovici, the reigning Olympic champion, qualified for Thursday’s 100m freestyle final at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore. On Tuesday, David Popovici won the gold medal in the 200m freestyle, ahead of the American Luke Hobson and the Japanese Murasa Tatsuya. For David Popovici, this is his second world title, after the one obtained in 2022, in Budapest. The athlete is also the Olympic champion in the 200m freestyle – he won gold in Paris in 2024. David Popovici intended to compete in the 50m freestyle as well, but the athlete announced that he would no longer participate. In Singapore, Romania also won a bronze medal through Constantin Popovici in the high diving 27m final.

Israel – The ambassadors of the European Union member states have failed to reach an agreement on sanctions against Israel over the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. Meeting in Brussels, the European officials said that Israel’s intervention in the Palestinian enclave, which has caused a humanitarian catastrophe, is violating human rights and humanitarian law and therefore an essential principle of cooperation with the European Union. Moreover, they say that although Israel committed to allowing international humanitarian aid to enter Gaza two weeks ago, this has not materialized. The European Commission has already proposed revising the agreement with Israel and has tabled a proposal to remove Tel Aviv from Horizon funded programs, some of which are related to research with military applications. Italy and Germany, however, opposed it and asked for more time to examine the proposal. In this context, the number of states that have signaled their willingness to recognize the state of Palestine has increased. On Wednesday, France and 14 other states launched a collective appeal at the UN in which they expressed their desire to recognize the state of Palestine and invited the countries of the world to join them. Last Thursday, the French President Emmanuel Macron also announced that Paris would officially recognize the state of Palestine at the UN General Assembly in September. Also on Wednesday, Britain rejected Israeli criticism that a possible recognition by London of the Palestinian state would encourage Hamas to carry out new terrorist acts.

Magistracy – The current Romanian legislation and the amount of pensions for magistrates encourage people to leave the system early, said the country’s President, Nicuşor Dan, in a press conference in which he used the word “mess” to characterize the situation. Dan also said that after checking the retirement applications he received for signature, 90% of them did not comply with the rule according to which a magistrate who wants to leave the system must announce his or her intention at least 90 days in advance, so as not to affect the activity of the court they works at. The President also said that the judiciary needed predictability to function properly, and the legislative changes that will be made will pursue this objective. In the meantime, the Superior Council of Magistracy announced that it cannot give an opinion on the government’s project regarding the modification of the retirement age and the amount of magistrates’ pensions, because Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan does not have the competence to initiate such a move. The Superior Council of Magistracy considers that the consultation method initiated by the Executive is outside any legal framework for legislation in the field of justice and accuses the Prime Minister of only simulating the consultation of the judicial authority.

Quake – An earthquake measuring 8.8 on the Richter scale hit the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia on Wednesday, triggering tsunami alerts for millions of people in countries along the Pacific coast. The Romanian Foreign Ministry also issued a tsunami warning for regions in the United States, New Zealand and Oceania. Bucharest advised people to immediately leave or avoid coastal areas, as well as swimming, fishing, boating and port areas. But within hours of the quake, no major damage had been reported, and tsunami warnings were lifted or lowered in many regions. The earthquake was the strongest recorded globally since the Fukushima disaster in Japan in March 2011 and one of the strongest ever measured. (LS)