August 1, 2025
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 01.08.2025, 13:55
Measures. The first package of fiscal and budgetary austerity measures aimed at reducing the country’s excessive deficit is being implemented in Romania as of today. The measures include an increase in VAT and excise duties, health contributions for pensions over 3,000 lei (about 600 euros), a freeze on pensions and salaries in the public sector, and restrictions on bonuses and government hiring. In education, the teaching load for teachers is higher. At the same time, hourly pay and scholarship funds have been reduced, so there will be fewer beneficiaries. Employees in many fields have protested against these measures, with unions warning that they could even go on an all-out strike in September.
Protest. Trade unionists in the Romanian education sector are picketing the Ministry of Education headquarters for the third day today, demanding the resignation of Minister Daniel David. In their opinion, the government is causing “an unprecedented crisis in the last 35 years” in the education system, and the measures in the fiscal package for which the government has taken responsibility will also affect the education system. According to the union members, the measures that are “severely affecting” education in Romania include the increase in teaching hours by two hours, the merging of hundreds of educational institutions, which, in their opinion, will lead to layoffs of auxiliary teaching and even administrative staff, and the reduction in hourly pay rates. Trade unionists have announced that on September 8, the first day of the new school year, over 30,000 union members will participate in the “Education Rally.”
Justice. The reform of Romanian magistrates’ pensions is being undertaken by the PSD-PNL-USR-UDMR governing coalition and is based both on society’s desire for fairness and on the fulfillment of a commitment included in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan agreed with the European Commission, Justice Minister Radu Marinescu told media in Bucharest. Marinescu said he would participate in an informal dialogue on the subject today, with President Nicuşor Dan and representatives of the magistrates. The government proposes that judges and prosecutors be able to retire at the standard age of 65, after at least 35 years of service, and that the amount of their pension not exceed 70% of their last net salary. This is a starting point for discussions on a future project, Minister Marinescu said. The Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM) said that the measures announced by Liberal Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan would be unconstitutional from the outset and, in the long term, would lead to the destruction of the justice system. The CSM also complains about a campaign to stigmatize magistrates in order to undermine the judiciary and its independence and to divert attention from the real problems of society. For its part, the Romanian Judges Forum Association (AFJR) argues that the government’s proposals to change the age and amount of pensions could lead to the “immediate” retirement or resignation of over 1,000 judges and prosecutors.
Partnership. Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Ţoiu and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed during a telephone conversation the importance of deepening the bilateral strategic partnership and continuing cooperation in priority areas such as security and defense, energy, and investment in innovation. According to a statement from the Bucharest Foreign Ministry, Oana Ţoiu said that Romania had taken measures to strengthen its defense budget, reinforcing its national capabilities, and reaffirmed its commitment to cooperation with allies and international partners to ensure the safety of navigation and gas exploitation projects in the Black Sea. She has welcomed the signing of the trade agreement between the European Union and the United States, which will contribute to the stability of transatlantic relations, and expressed her confidence that the internal security objectives of the Donald Trump administration will be supported by Romania’s participation in the Visa Waiver Program. The Romanian minister conveyed President Nicuşor Dan’s appreciation for his American counterpart’s invitation to pay an official visit to Washington early next year.
Football. Romania’s vice-champion in soccer, CFR Cluj (northwest), qualified for the third preliminary round of the Europa League competition after defeating Swiss team FC Lugano 1-0 (0-0, 0-0) at the end of extra time on Thursday evening at home in the second leg of the second qualifying round. The first leg ended in a goalless draw, 0-0. In the next round, Cluj will face Sporting Braga from Portugal. Universitatea Craiova (south) also qualified for the third qualifying round of the Conference League after defeating Bosnian team FK Sarajevo 4-0 (0-0) at home in the second leg of the second qualifying round. In the first leg, in Bosnia, Sarajevo won 2-1. Craiova will now play against Slovakian team Spartak Trnava. Also in the Conference League, Universitatea Cluj was eliminated by FC Ararat-Armenia, which won 2-1 (0-1, 1-1) after extra time on Thursday evening in Sibiu (center) in the second leg of the second qualifying round. In Armenia, the score was 0-0. On Wednesday, Romanian champions FCSB were also defeated, losing 1-2 in Bucharest to North Macedonian team KF Shkendija, who had also won the first leg 1-0. However, FCSB will continue in the Europa League, where they will face Kosovo champions FC Drita.
Swimming. Romanian swimmer David Popovici is the new world champion in the 100 m freestyle after beating his opponents on Thursday at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore. He finished the race in 46 seconds and 51 hundredths. On Tuesday, also in Singapore, David Popovici won the gold medal in the 200 m freestyle event. (MI)
