November 16, 2025 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 16.11.2025, 19:00
Measures. Package 3 of fiscal and budgetary measures targeting local and central government will be presented in the coming days, Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan has announced. The legislative act contains measures that include staff and expenditure cuts and will be adopted by the Government assuming responsibility in Parliament, as was the case with previous austerity packages. The head of the executive also said that in local government, departures from the system will take place gradually, and the number of employees will be calculated according to a formula that takes into account the number of inhabitants. The prime minister explained that in central government, there will be a reduction of about 10% in the wage fund and a transfer of powers to local public administration units. The estimated financial impact of the reform could reach 4.5 billion lei (about 900 million euros). Ilie Bolojan said that on Tuesday there will be a meeting of the governing coalition, which will also discuss magistrates’ pensions and the economic recovery package, two reforms that have been postponed in recent months. The austerity measures come at a time when Romania is facing a very large budget deficit.
Motion. On Monday, the Chamber of Deputies in Bucharest will debate and vote on the simple motion filed by AUR against Energy Minister Bogdan Ivan, who is accused of failing to take measures to combat the crisis in the energy sector. A similar motion was initiated by AUR in the Senate, where the simple motion targets Transport Minister Ciprian Şerban, who has been criticized for the lack of investment in railway infrastructure. The debate and vote will also take place on Monday. Senators will also consider a legislative initiative that eliminates substantial severance pay for judges of the Constitutional Court. Currently, if a judge at the Constitutional Court retires due to the expiry of their term or the inability to perform their duties for health reasons, they receive a bonus equal to six months’ net salary.
Elections. The Municipal Electoral Office has so far accepted six candidacies for the Bucharest City Hall elections. These are the candidacies submitted by Cătălin Drulă (Save Romania Union), Ciprian Ciucu (National Liberal Party), Anca Alexandrescu (Justice for Bucharest Electoral Alliance), George Valentin Burcea (Young People’s Party), Daniel Băluţă (Social Democratic Party), and Virgil Alexandru Zidaru (independent). Monday is the last day on which candidates can register with the Municipal Electoral Office. The election campaign will begin on November 22, and the elections for the future mayor of Bucharest will take place on December 7. According to the latest survey published by CURS, 20% of respondents consider traffic to be the capital’s main problem. The next two issues are the functioning of state hospitals and district heating. 56% of Bucharest residents want to see change from the future local administration. The position of mayor of the capital remained vacant following the presidential election victory of former mayor Nicuşor Dan.
Energy. Romania could have an additional 2,200 MW of power by the end of next year, after the Mintia and Iernut power plants become operational, as well as storage capacity of nearly 2,000 MW, Energy Minister Bogdan Ivan said. He added that work is underway on a mechanism to bring the price of energy for domestic consumers as close as possible to 1.10 lei per KWh (about 22 euro cents). In Bogdan Ivan’s opinion, the high energy prices in Romania are caused by the lack of regional interconnections and the reduction of already insufficient traditional production capacities. The minister also said that in the medium term, Romania aims to reach a total production capacity of 12,000 MW, combining nuclear, hydro, and gas sources to ensure a diversified and stable energy mix.
Corruption. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced an immediate inspection of Ukraine’s energy system, which is embroiled in a corruption scandal. A wave of anger has swept the country after the Ukrainian Anti-Corruption Bureau announced that it was investigating massive embezzlement committed within the system by a close associate of the Ukrainian head of state, Timur Mindich. Anti-corruption prosecutors found that $100 million had been embezzled through illegal commission schemes, and Volodymyr Zelensky called for the restructuring of energy companies and ordered ministers to cooperate with anti-corruption agencies in the investigation. The Ukrainian energy sector has been severely affected in recent days by a campaign of Russian drone and missile strikes, which has plunged much of Ukraine into darkness, international news agencies report.
Footbal. Romania, which lost 3-1 to Bosnia-Herzegovina, on Saturday evening, away from home, will finish third in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The Romanian footballers will play San Marino in Ploieşti (south) on Tuesday in their last group match, while Austria and Bosnia-Herzegovina will battle it out in a match with qualification at stake. In March, Romania will participate in the play-offs for qualification for the 2026 World Cup, thanks to winning their Nations League group. (MI)
