September 25, 2025 UPDATE

The latest news from RRI

Newsroom, 25.09.2025, 20:00

CSAT – The decision to shoot down military aircraft that violate Romania’s airspace belongs to the commander of the patrol mission, in accordance with NATO rules, said the Romanian Defense Minister Ionuț Mosteanu, at the end of the meeting of the Supreme Council of National Defense. He has indicated that this is a “last resort measure, if all other steps are ignored and the aircraft does not identify itself and does not leave Romanian airspace”. In the case of civilian piloted aircraft, the decision to shoot down remains with the Defense Minister, as before, Mosteanu specified. The Supreme Defense Council was summoned by President Nicușor Dan, after several NATO states, including Romania, recently reported the entry of Russian drones into their airspace. Similar incidents have also occurred in Estonia and Poland. Recently, a Russian drone was detected in Romanian airspace, over which it flew for about 50 minutes, then headed towards Ukraine. The pilots of the two fighter jets that were scrambled to monitor the situation decided not to open fire, even though they had approval to shoot down the aircraft.

Cap – The Romanian government adopted on Thursday a draft emergency ordinance on the extension of the cap on the commercial mark-up on some basic foodstuffs by six months, until March 31 next year. The authorities claim that the measure, introduced in August 2023, has proven its usefulness over time, protecting the purchasing power of Romanians with low and medium incomes. For 17 basic foods, including bread, milk, cheese, oil, eggs, potatoes and fresh fruit, the commercial mark-up will be maintained at the current level. Also on Thursday, the executive also approved the continuation of the European Union’s program for schools for the period 2023-2029. In the current school year, 800 million lei (160 million Euros) will ensure the daily distribution of fruit, vegetables, milk and dairy and bakery products for more than 1.8 million preschoolers and students.

EBRD – The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has revised downwards the growth forecast for the Romanian economy for 2025, according to the ‘Regional Economic Prospects’ report, published on Thursday by the international financial institution. Thus, according to the EBRD, Romania’s GDP is expected to grow by 0.9% this year, 0.7% less than the previously advanced estimate of 1.6%. In 2026, the growth of the Romanian economy is expected to be 1.6%, after, in May, the EBRD had predicted an advance of 2.4%. According to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the expansion of Romania’s GDP slowed down in 2024. Industry, services and the construction sector slowed down significantly, while agriculture was severely affected by the drought. In the first half of 2025, the average annual growth was 1.4%, amid slowing wage growth, a deteriorating external balance, and a decline in industry. However, investment has recovered after a significant decline in the fourth quarter of 2024, and agriculture is expected to recover substantially this year. Business confidence was negatively affected by the political instability in the first half of 2025 and the fiscal austerity measures adopted.

Moldova – Three days before the parliamentary elections in the Republic of Moldova, a new opinion poll places the ruling party – the Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) of President Maia Sandu – in first place in the preferences of the electorate. PAS would accumulate 28.6% of the votes in Sunday’s elections, according to the survey conducted by CBS – Research. The party is followed by pro-Russian competitors: the Patriotic Electoral Bloc led by former socialist president Igor Dodon, which would take 13.9% and the “Our Party” of the former mayor of Bălţi, Renato Usatîi, which would be voted for by 5.1% of voters. The Alternativa Bloc, headed by the mayor of Chişinău, Ion Ceban, banned in Romania, would obtain only 4.2% and risks not passing the threshold for access to Parliament. According to some estimates by the survey authors, if the percentage of undecided respondents exceeds 42%, these four parties would enter Parliament, and PAS would accumulate 49.6% of the votes and hold a comfortable majority of seats. The estimate was also based on the fact that 39% of those undecided support Moldova’s accession to the European Union, 10% are in favor of the country’s integration into NATO, and 21% are in favor of unification with Romania. The survey does not include data from the region of Trans-Dniester and the diaspora and has a margin of error of 3%.

Rowing – Romania won a gold medal in the women’s pair and a silver medal in the men’s pair on Thursday in the first finals of the World Rowing Championships in Shanghai (China). In the women’s pair, Simona Radiş and Magdalena Rusu won the race ahead of the next placed teams, France and the USA. In the men’s pair, Florin Arteni and Florin Lehaci were outrun in the final by New Zealand, with Switzerland in third place. Romania is participating with 12 crews in the World Rowing Championships in Shanghai, from September 21-28, including the mixed double sculls and 8+1 events, introduced for the first time in the competition.

Sarkozy – The Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy will serve a five-year prison sentence, this being the first time when a French head of state has been sentenced. He was sentenced to five years in prison and a 100,000 Euro fine for conspiring with criminals to obtain funds for his 2007 presidential campaign. In the same case involving alleged financing of the presidential campaign that Sarkozy won by former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, the former president was acquitted of three other charges: receiving stolen Libyan public funds, passive corruption and illegal financing of an electoral campaign. (LS)