October 5, 2025 UPDATE
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 05.10.2025, 19:20
Reform. The bill on the reform of the local and central administration may be finalised next week, says prime minister Ilie Bolojan. He went on to say that all coalition partners agree on staff downsizing, but concrete plans to achieve this are yet to be established. The reform will be part of the third package of fiscal and budgetary measures initiated by the government. Bolojan has warned that without a quick reduction in fixed expenses, the additional revenues resulting from taxes and duties may soon be exhausted. In another move, lawyers from several cities are dissatisfied with the magistrates’ partial strike and have called on them to give up the protest in order to unblock the activity of the judiciary. Magistrates, however, are determined to go ahead with the strike until at least 8th October, when the Constitutional Court judges are expected to rule on a bill on judicial pensions. Magistrates from courts around the country are only processing urgent cases, in protest against the changes proposed by the government regarding their work pensions, including raising the retirement age and limiting the amount of pensions, which magistrates say are unconstitutional.
Moldova. Romanian MEP and Social Democrat member Victor Negrescu said he initiated, with the support of 55 MEPs from 19 countries, a joint letter to the President of the European Council, António Costa, requesting the immediate opening of accession negotiations by chapters with the Republic of Moldova. The European Parliament unreservedly supports, Moldova’s European path, recognizes its reforms, and calls for the will of its citizens, expressed in the recent elections, to be respected, says Negrescu, Vice-President of the European Parliament, in a message posted on Facebook on Sunday. He says this initiative has the support of important leaders of the European Parliament and demonstrates the unity and solidarity of Europe with the Republic of Moldova at a decisive moment for the entire region. The former Soviet republic was awarded the status of EU candidate country in 2022, and accession negotiations were officially launched in 2024.
Exercise. The Romanian Air Forces are carrying out complex missions across the country until next Friday, as part of the BUREBISTA 25 exercise. The missions involve the coordinated use of all air and ground weapons systems. In order to respond effectively to current challenges, the military are training based on scenarios of air defence of certain targets and prevention and reaction to hostile enemy actions to ensure the security of the national airspace. Also, between October 20 and November 13, over 5,000 military personnel from ten NATO allied states will participate in the multinational exercise DACIAN FALL 2025 (DAFA 25), hosted by Romania and Bulgaria. According to a statement from the Ministry of Defence in Bucharest, the soldiers, equipped with 1,200 technical means, come from Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Italy, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Spain. The exercise will take place simultaneously in Romania and Bulgaria. The NATO exercises, including DACIAN FALL, are defensive in nature and are carried out in full compliance with the international obligations pledged by Romania, the Ministry of National Defence pointed out.
Fair. Romania is participating in the world’s largest food and beverage industry fair under way in Cologne, Germany, until October 8. Romania is among the top 20 participants in terms of the number of participants and exhibition area. There are 114 Romanian exhibitors, organised in 4 thematic halls – meat and meat products, delicacies, bakery and pastry, and organic products. The participants are actively promoting the DOR brand, of Romanian origin, a national initiative dedicated to supporting Romanian food products, with clear origins, certified quality and added value. According to the Association for the Promotion of Romanian Food (APAR), the Cologne Fair is in its 10st year and brings together over 8,200 exhibitors from 110 countries.
Football. Mircea Lucescu, the 80-year-old manager of the Romanian football squad said he selected the players for the matches scheduled next week. Romania will meet Moldova on October 9 in a friendly match, and on October 12 will play Austria in qualifying Group H ahead of the 2026 World Cup hosted jointly by Canada, the United States and Mexico. Both matches will take place in Bucharest. In the qualifying matches held in September, Romania drew 2-all against Cyprus. In Group H, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Austria each have 12 points, Romania – 7, Cyprus – 4 and San Marino – 0 points. The last time Romania qualified for a world final tournament was in 1998, when the World Cup was hosted by France. (CM)
