October 10, 2025
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 10.10.2025, 13:55
Finance. Romanian Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare is attending a meeting of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) in Luxembourg. His agenda also includes bilateral meetings with Bulgarian Finance Minister Temenuzhka Petkova and Greek Finance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis. On Thursday, he had talks with Valdis Dombrovskis, the European Commissioner for Economy and Productivity, and for Implementation and Simplification. Romania has already adopted two packages of measures to cut the budget deficit, as well as a budget correction, and must convince the European authorities that it will cut spending and boost its revenues so as to keep receiving European funding, Alexandru Nazare said. He also told EU finance ministers that the new budget deficit target is 8.4% of GDP, instead of 8%. In Bucharest, the National Institute of Statistics said that the country’s GDP rose in the first six months by 0.3% on the gross series and by 1.5% on the seasonally adjusted series, compared to the first semester of 2024, and in the second half of 2025 it was higher by 1.2% in real terms, compared to the first half. According to provisional data published on Friday, compared to the same period in 2024, the GDP saw an increase of 0.3% on the gross series and by 2.3% on the seasonally adjusted series in the second half of 2025.
Infringement. The European Commission is opening a new infringement procedure against Romania for the use of a type of pesticide that affects bees and other pollinators. It concerns certain insecticides for which Romania repeatedly granted, including in 2024, emergency authorisations to farmers who support their use. The European Commission warns Romania to give up this practice and has given it two months to do so. A second similar procedure is being opened by the Commission against Romania and France for failing to align their national legislation with that of the Union in the area of infrastructure safety. It concerns measures for the safety of vulnerable users, such as pedestrians and cyclists. The Commission says Romania has transposed the Community provisions inaccurately, while France has done so incompletely. Finally, the third measure targets Romania and seven other Member States for failing to transpose the provisions arising from the regulation on instant payments.
Gaza. A ceasefire in Gaza is to take effect on Saturday morning, 24 hours after Israel approved a US-brokered deal with Hamas. Under the deal, the Palestinian group will have 72 hours to release all Israeli hostages, whether dead or alive, while Israel will free hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange. US officials said a military team made up of 200 members will be dispatched to the Middle East to help monitor the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. It will provide expertise in matters of security, logistics, planning, engineering and transportation. The team will include members from countries in the region, including Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, but officials stressed that no American soldiers will enter Gaza. If the exchange of hostages and prisoners goes according to plan, the plan is to then create a so-called international stabilisation force, although this has not yet been agreed upon between the parties. US President Donald Trump says he hopes to be in the region on Monday, when the hostages will be released, and is also expected to travel to Egypt, where an event could be held to mark the conclusion of the agreement.
Nobel. Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said. The International Criminal Court and UNRWA, UN refugee agency for Palestinian refugees and its Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini, were also nominated for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded by a five-member committee, elected for a six-year term by the Norwegian parliament and is the only one to be awarded in Oslo, with the prizes for the other categories being awarded in Stockholm, Sweden.
Football. Romania’s national football team defeated neighbouring Moldova 2-1 in a friendly match hosted by Bucharest on Thursday evening. On Sunday, Romania will play Austria, also at home, in an official match, as part of qualifying Group H ahead of the 2026 World Cup, hosted jointly by the USA, Mexico and Canada. Also on Thursday, in this group, Austria defeated San Marino 10-0 and Cyprus drew 2-all against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Austria top the group with 15 points, followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina with 13 points and Romania with 7 points. Romania last qualified for a world cup tournament in 1998, when it was hosted by France. (CM)
