September 24, 2025 UPDATE
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 24.09.2025, 20:00
PARLIAMENT A simple motion against the minister of the environment, Diana Buzoianu, tabled by AUR party and entitled “Weakening Romania’s energy security through environmental policies that obstruct the commissioning of the hydropower plants started before 1989”, was dismissed by 200 votes, with 87 votes in favour of the motion and 15 abstentions. In the first half of 2025, Romania reported a 54% increase in electricity imports compared to the corresponding period in 2024, and the electricity trade balance became negative, turning the country into a net importer, the authors of the motion said. According to them, “instead of a coherent policy to finalise the hydropower units that have been started, we see the government blocking strategic projects, coupled with public messages that explicitly discourage key components of the national energy mix.” During Monday’s debates, the minister of the environment said the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) would like to return to the era when hydropower plants were built “with bulldozers”, without respect for laws and people. She also explained that there are lawsuits pending in court against the environmental permits issued for the hydropower plants listed in the text of the motion.
COURT The Constitutional Court of Romania has pushed to October 8 a ruling on the reform of the retirement system for magistrates, for which the Government has taken responsibility before Parliament. The Court is to decide on whether the reform complies with the Constitution. The current regulations allow magistrates to retire much earlier than other professionals, but the government seeks to change this status. The Liberal PM Ilie Bolojan, as well as the leaders of Save Romania Union and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, in the ruling coalition, said that should the Court rule against the reform bill, the government’s legitimacy would be affected.
DEFICIT Romania is expected to have a budget deficit of 8.4% of GDP this year, as agreed with European Commission officials, PM Ilie Bolojan said in Bucharest on Wednesday. He mentioned that on Monday, in Brussels, he had three important meetings: with the European commissioner for economy and productivity Valdis Dombrovskis, with the European commissioner for defence and space Andrius Kubilius, and with the vice-president of the European Commission Roxana Mînzatu. The PM added that, provided that Romania meets the 8.4% deficit target this year, next year it could get close to a target of just over 6% of GDP. Ilie Bolojan also said that, in this way, Romania would enter a “normal trend”, in which primary expenditure would decrease constantly. “We will carry on with determination the reforms aimed at cutting expenses and bulding a more efficient state,” the PM pointed out.
EXPO 2025 Princess Takamado visited the Romanian Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, welcomed by Commissioner General Ferdinand Nagy, along with the Pavilion team, who gave her a complete tour of the exhibition “Romania, Land of Tomorrow”, the Romanian foreign ministry announced on Wednesday. During the visit, Her Imperial Highness was presented with the stamp series issued by the Romfilatelia National Company on the occasion of the Osaka 2025 World Expo. The issue marks the 55th anniversary of the first Romanian stamp dedicated to Japan. Princess Takamado’s visit highlights the role of cultural diplomacy in consolidating the excellent bilateral relations between Romania and Japan, as well as promoting the shared values that bring the two nations closer, the foreign ministry added.
DIPLOMACY The Romanian foreign minister Oana Ţoiu took part on Wednesday in New York, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, in the informal 4-party meeting of the foreign ministers of Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia and Greece. The main topics on the agenda were connectivity and the EU’s enlargement policy. Opportunities for cooperation in this format were also assessed, especially in terms of connectivity in the fields of transport and energy. Minister Oana Ţoiu emphasised the importance of the EU’s strategic approach to the Black Sea and the connectivity opportunities arising from the implementation of EU priority projects. She also voiced support for the projects under the Three Seas Initiative, which prioritises energy security, rail connectivity and the integration of multimodal transport systems.
VISIT The Romanian defence minister Ionuţ Moşteanu made an official visit to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg on Wednesday, where he met with his counterpart, Yuriko Backes. The meeting gave the two officials an opportunity to mark the 115th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Romania and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, while emphasising that maintaining and consolidating the privileged relations between the two countries is becoming increasingly relevant. The agenda of the meeting also included topics related to the in-depth collaboration between the two armies, the participation of Luxembourg troops in multinational actions and exercises organised in Romania, the development of modern and sustainable capabilities, as well as political and military coordination within both NATO and the European Union. (AMP)
