August 13, 2025 UPDATE

Ukraine. The US wants to “achieve a ceasefire” in Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday after an online meeting with his US counterpart Donald Trump, which was also attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders, AFP reports. The meeting was organised two days before the summit in Alaska between the White House leader and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Territorial issues relating to Ukraine cannot be negotiated, they will only be negotiated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Macron added, saying that “there are no serious plans on the table today for territorial exchanges.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was not invited to the Alaska summit, ruled out any territorial concessions as part of a peace agreement. Russian forces currently occupy about 20% of Ukrainian territory.

Deficit. Romania’s deficit was €2.2 billion higher in the first six months of this year than in the same period in 2024, reaching almost €13.9 billion, according to data from the National Bank of Romania published on Wednesday. Total external debt also increased during the same period by approximately €7.5 billion to nearly €212.4 billion. In contrast, foreign direct investment in Romania increased slightly, reaching almost €2.8 billion, compared to €2.4 billion in the first half of 2024. On Tuesday, NBR Governor Mugur Isărescu presented the quarterly inflation report. The NBR has revised its forecast for the end of this year upwards to 8.8%, from 4.6% previously. According to Mugur Isărescu, annual inflation will peak in September at around 9.6-9.7%, but by the end of next year it should fall below 3.5%, with a forecast of 3% for the end of 2026.

Measures. Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan requested, during a working meeting with representatives of the 36 institutions subordinate to the Government, that proposals for reorganization, increased efficiency, and performance indicators be submitted by August 22. The executive announced that it will prepare a legislative package on the reorganization of these structures by the end of the month. Previously, trade unionists in the administration asked the executive in Bucharest to urgently withdraw the project to cut 40,000 jobs in local public administration. “This is the second wave of austerity measures prepared by the Romanian government, after the package that came into force on August 1 and brought VAT increases, placing an additional burden on the population,” the union members said in a statement. In another move, Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare announced on Wednesday new measures to reduce the budget deficit. Some of these involve a new way of taxing multinationals. A tax will also be introduced on parcels ordered from non-EU online trading platforms.

Protest. In Romania, teachers continued their street protests on Wednesday, demanding the repeal of fiscal and budgetary measures targeting the education system. Trade unionists are particularly dissatisfied with the increase in working hours and class sizes. They point out that the measure to merge educational institutions will create numerous problems, not only for teachers and principals, but also for parents and children. The measures taken by the government are based on the current possibilities of Romania’s budget and the realities of the education system, Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan recently stated at a meeting with representatives of education union federations. He asked the Ministry of Education to analyze the implementation of the new regulations and, where problems arise, to propose specific solutions to remedy them.

Film. The picturesque Danube Delta village of Sfântu Gheorghe is hosting the 22nd edition of the Anonimul International Film Festival. The outdoor screening of the opening film, Jeunes mères, the latest work from the Belgian directors Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, was attended by over 4,000 spectators. The festival consists of two short film competitions, for Romanian and international productions, and a feature film competition, as well as screenings out of competition. It will come to an end on 17th August. (MI)