August 7, 2025
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 07.08.2025, 13:55
FUNERAL – It is a day of national mourning in Romania today, in memory of the first post-communist president, Ion Iliescu (1990-1996 and 2000-2004) who has been buried with military honors in a cemetery in Bucharest. The funeral was held only in the presence of family and close friends. In keeping with the legal provisions in force, all central and local public institutions and authorities are flying the Romanian flag at half-mast and radio and TV stations and culture institutions have adjusted their programs. Ion Iliescu died on Tuesday, at the age of 95, from lung cancer. The son of a militant of the interwar communist party, illegal at the time, Iliescu had a steady rise during the dictatorship installed by the occupying Soviet troops. During Nicolae Ceaușescu’s regime, he served as minister of youth, between 1967 and 1971. Suspected of being a pro-Soviet and fallen from grace, he was placed by Ceaușescu in positions considered, at the time, second-rate. Iliescu was regarded as leader of the Romanian Revolution of 1989, thus winning the first post-Ceausescu presidential elections of May 20, 1990, with 85% of the votes. At the same time, his party, a mix of authentic revolutionaries and communists from the second echelon, called the National Salvation Front, won two-thirds of the senators and deputies’ mandates. Iliescu would be re-elected in 1992 and 2000. During his last term, Romania joined NATO. Iliescu was put on trial for crimes against humanity, in the Revolution case, when over 800 people were killed after he had de facto taken power, and for crimes against humanity, in the so-called mining riot case of June 13-15, 1990, when he allegedly called miners from the Jiu Valley to Bucharest to violently suppress protests against his regime. The cases were never finalized in court.
PROTESTS – Over 400 teachers gathered again on Wednesday in front of the Ministry of Education in Bucharest, on the sixth day of protests against the austerity measures decided by the government to reduce the budget deficit. Teachers say they will continue the protests, which could culminate in a large-scale rally on September 8, the first day of the new school year. Teachers are demanding quality education, properly financed and with respect for teachers.
RESTORE – Romania has activated the European RESTORE rapid disaster response mechanism for the first time, for the situation in Suceava and Neamţ counties (northeast). The floods and strong storms at the end of last month destroyed 41 homes and damaged almost 700 in Suceava, and another 170 homes were affected in Neamţ county. The authorities in Bucharest must propose a modification of an operational, regional or national program, in order to redirect support funds to the affected areas, European Commission spokesman Maciej Berestecki told Radio Romania. The request to modify a program within the RESTORE mechanism must be submitted within six months from the date on which the damage caused by the floods was centralized. Once the Commission approves the amendment of the programme, it will pay 25% of the amount allocated as an exceptional pre-financing. After this pre-financing, the Commission will reimburse the costs once they have been incurred and will verify the effectiveness and efficiency of the measures implemented. The mechanism allows for the rapid channeling of millions of euros of European money to the areas in Romania damaged by the floods.
FOOTBALL – Romanian football champion FCSB, plays, on Thursday evening, at home, against the Kosovo team FC Drita, in the first leg of the third preliminary round of the Europa League. In the same competition, the vice-champion CFR Cluj (north-west) also at home, is up against the Portuguese team Sporting Braga. Also in Romania, the match from the third preliminary round of the Conference League between Universitatea Craiova (south) and the Slovak team Spartak Trnava is being played. The decisive matches for qualification are held next week, with all three Romanian teams set to play away.
CINEMA – A selection of contemporary films, from disturbing dramas to savory comedies, documentaries or spectacular historical productions, will be presented to the Romanian audience at the Ukrainian Film Festival, between August 15 and September 14, at Happy Cinema in Bucharest. The event, staged in partnership with the Embassy of Ukraine in Romania, is open to all film lovers. “The festival is a unique opportunity to discover current Ukrainian cinema, in a courageous and deeply human selection. (…) Through these films, we get closer not only to a neighboring culture, but also to universal life stories – about courage, love, survival and rediscovery”, a press release says. According to the Ukrainian Embassy, “despite the ongoing armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, (the films) tell stories of life, love, loss and hope.” All films will have English subtitles. (EE)
