October 29, 2025 UPDATE

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Newsroom, 29.10.2025, 20:00

Protests – The major trade union confederations in Romania protested on Wednesday in front of the Romanian Government headquarters, their dissatisfaction being related to the austerity measures adopted. The trade unionists are demanding an increase in the minimum wage and pensions, fair taxation, the protection of jobs and the cessation of fiscal-budgetary measures applied only to vulnerable people. The President of the Cartel Alfa Trade Union Confederation, Bogdan Hossu, stated that the excessive deficit is not the fault of the citizens, but of the government and specified that the latter must understand that concrete, fair and immediate measures are needed to protect workers. Also on Wednesday, a meeting of the National Tripartite Council for Social Dialogue was held at the government headquarters, attended by representatives of the unions, employers and the executive. After the discussions, the Government has announced that it is very likely that the guaranteed minimum gross salary will remain at this year’s level in 2026, and the consultations will continue next month. The Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan showed that he understands that people with low salaries are the most affected by the increase in the cost of living, but, equally, a possible increase in the gross minimum wage next year will generate cascading increases in many salaries.

Military – The security of Romania and NATO’s Eastern flank will not at all be diminished, and the strategic partnership between Romania and the United States remains within the same parameters, President Nicuşor Dan assures. He specifies that the deterrence of threats on the Alliance’s eastern flank is compensated by the consistent addition of military equipment and the increase in the presence of European forces, in full agreement with the American partner. His statements come after information that the United States is reducing its military presence in several countries, including Romania, the decision being made in the context in which Washington allocates additional resources for the Asia-Pacific region. The United States Army stated on Wednesday that the decision not to replace the American troops leaving Romania does not represent a US withdrawal from Europe, Reuters reports. In turn, the US ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, stated that the United States remains committed to Romania. Also on Wednesday, the Romanian Defense Minister, Ionuț Moșteanu, announced that the American forces remain unchanged at the bases in Deveselu (south) and Câmpia Turzii (center), and the only change is to be made at the base in Mihail Kogălniceanu (southeast), where a rotational brigade will no longer be deployed. The American presence in Romania currently amounts to about 2,000 military personnel.

Romanian minority – The Romanian Minister of Education and Research, Daniel David, sent a letter to his Ukrainian counterpart, stating that he “insists” on the importance of taking into account the legitimate requests made by representatives of the Romanian minority, as well as on the need to respect the rights of persons belonging to the Romanian minority to education in their mother tongue, in accordance with the international commitments assumed by Ukraine. David specifies that he is thus reacting to recent information published in the media regarding the implementation of educational reform measures in Ukraine, at the level of high schools, with an impact on education with Romanian language tuition in the Cernauti (Chernivtsi) region. Numerous high schools with Romanian language tuition in this region of Ukraine, will disappear starting September 1, 2027, as a result of the reorganization of the education system – the responsible secretary of the Interregional Union of the Romanian Community in Ukraine, Aurica Bojescu, told the mass media in Bucharest. Previously, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest (MAE) also conveyed to Ukraine that it supports access to the Romanian language outside Romania as a priority. The indicative list of high schools in the Chernivtsi region does not reflect the legitimate requests made by representatives of the Romanian minority – warns the MAE, which adds that respecting the rights of persons belonging to the Romanian minority and guaranteeing full access to education in their mother tongue are part of Ukraine’s full commitment to European values. About 400 thousand ethnic Romanians live in the neighboring state, most of them in northern Bukovina, northern and southern Bessarabia and the Herţa Land, annexed by the Stalinist Soviet Union in 1940, following an ultimatum, and taken over by Ukraine in 1991, as a successor state.

Appointment – The Romanian President Nicușor Dan signed the decree appointing Oana Gheorghiu as Deputy Prime Minister on Wednesday, the Presidential Administration announced. The swearing-in ceremony will take place on Thursday morning. On Tuesday, the interim president of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), Sorin Grindeanu, asked Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan to withdraw the proposal submitted to President Nicușor Dan in order to avoid “compromising” the relationship with the US, after Oana Gheorghiu had previously harshly criticized the current US administration in a post on social networks. ‘Nothing I wrote on my personal Facebook page before taking over the position of Deputy Prime Minister in any way commits the Romanian state or the Government of Romania’, Oana Gheorghiu declared. ‘All my comments and posts represented personal opinions’, she added. Oana Gheorghiu (56 years old) is a graduate of the Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies (1994), specializing in economic management. Since February, she has been co-president of the Dăruiește Viață Association, after previously being vice-president. In recent years, she has been involved in medical infrastructure projects and campaigns to improve the public health system. The position of deputy prime minister remained vacant following the resignation of Dragoș Anastasiu in July, accused of bribing an employee of the National Agency for Fiscal Administration (ANAF) for eight years. (LS)