November 17, 2025
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 17.11.2025, 13:55
Measures – This week, the third package of fiscal-budgetary measures will be made public in Bucharest, the one targeting the local and central administration, where personnel and expenditure cuts will be made. Also these days, the Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan has announced that he will put the bill on the reform of magistrates’ pensions back on the government’s table, after the first form drafted by the executive was rejected by the Constitutional Court. If this reform is not adopted by the end of the month, Bucharest could lose 231 million Euros included in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).
Elections–Monday is the last day for submitting candidacies for the partial local elections on December 7 in Romania, including for the general mayor of the capital Bucharest. So far, nine candidates have officially entered the race. The electoral campaign will start on Saturday. According to the latest survey published by CURS, the mayor of Sector 4, Daniel Băluţă (PSD), leads the preferences of the Bucharest electorate for the seat of general mayor, with 27% of the options, followed by the mayor of Sector 6, Ciprian Ciucu (PNL) and Cătălin Drulă (former USR leader), both with 22%. All three are candidates from a ruling party. The junior partner in the four-party Executive, the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (UDMR), with the electorate concentrated in the centre and west of the country, is not participating in the elections in the south. According to the results of the sociological research, in fourth place in the voting intentions, with 15%, is the independent candidate Anca Alexandrescu, a controversial figure who presents herself as a journalist and is supported by the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR). Regarding the assessment of the general direction of the city, the majority of Bucharest residents believe that things are going in the wrong direction. Over half of the respondents – 55% – express this opinion, while 41% believe that the city is heading in the right direction. Regarding the problems identified in the city, road traffic is in first place, being mentioned by 20% of the respondents. Immediately after it is the functioning of state hospitals, indicated by 19% of respondents followed by the heating network with 18%. Corruption in the local administration is mentioned by 13%, and air pollution by 7%, the survey also shows. Among the former general mayors, Traian Băsescu, later head of state, is perceived as the most efficient by 27% of the respondents, followed by the current MEP Gabriela Firea from the PSD, with 25% and the current President of Romania, Nicuşor Dan, with 21%.
Tennis – The Romanian women’s tennis team was defeated by Poland’s team, 3-0, in Group B of the Billie Jean King Cup play-off, in Gorzow Wielkopolski. In the first matches of the group, Poland defeated New Zealand 3-0, and Romania also defeated New Zealand 3-0. The winners of the seven groups will compete in the 2026 qualifiers, and the other 14 teams will compete in 2026 in Group I. On the other hand, the Romanian Beatrice Romanescu has been elected executive vice-president of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), the specialized federation from Bucharest announced on its Facebook page, taken over by the local sports press. It notes that it is the first time in the history of Romanian table tennis, of almost 100 years, that Romania is represented at the highest level in the world forum’s management team. “I am excited and grateful, I dare say that this is our coronet, crowning our efforts, mine and of the entire Romanian table tennis family, after a career dedicated, with love and passion, to the sport of my soul.”It is a symbol of constant value growth. I thank table tennis, which has offered me, after my family, the most beautiful life experience! “said Beatrice Romanescu.
Motion – The motion filed by the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) (the populist, ultranationalist opposition) against the Energy Minister, Bogdan Ivan, entitled ”Romania in the Dark – the Scheduled Bankruptcy of the National Energy System”, will be debated and voted on today in the plenary session of the Chamber of Deputies. AUR claims that the Energy Ministry has failed in all the ‘fundamental’ dimensions of the act of governance: planning, execution, research, sovereignty and consumer protection. Romania has the highest energy prices in the EU, compared to real purchasing power, the signatories to the motion accuse. On the other hand, minister Ivan stated that Romania could have, by the end of next year, an installed power of approximately 2,200 megawatts, after the entry into operation of the Mintia and Iernut power plants, and storage capacities of almost 2,000 megawatts.
Alert – The county of Tulcea in eastern Romania is in a state of alert after a liquefied gas tanker ship anchored in the Ukrainian port of Ismail was hit by Russian drones and caught fire. The Romanian authorities have evacuated 15 people from a nearby village and told citizen in the area to take safety measures and avoid travelling. In the area, road and ship traffic on the Danube have been suspended. The population in the east of the country, in the regions in the vicinity of the border with Ukraine, regularly received alert messages due to the danger posed by Russian drones’ attacks on the Ukrainian port infrastructure.
Forecast – The European Commission (EC) is presenting the autumn economic forecast and the economic and financial situation of each member state. For Romania, this report is not just an assessment of the general economic situation or of the prospects for the coming months but also of the way in which the Bucharest administration complies with its own commitments and implements the measures for reducing the deficit. The EC has drawn an alarm signal for many years and, in the spring, Romania received a final warning, and the excessive budget deficit procedure was resumed. The report and recommendations of the EC will reach the Council where the member states usually act in line with the EC. A negative report might lead to the freezing of certain European funds. However, the Romanian authorities expect a favorable assessment given that the deficit, the highest within the EU, is now decreasing for the first time in recent years. (LS)
