November 20, 2025 UPDATE
The latest news from RRI
Newsroom, 20.11.2025, 20:00
Fiscal measures – The Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR) has brought forward the deadline for analyzing the notification regarding the law on fiscal measures adopted by Parliament, including the increase in the tax on buildings and cars. The CCR initially scheduled the hearing for January 21, 2026, but Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan requested a change in the date, because the provisions included in the law are expected to enter into force on January 1, 2026. The CCR meeting was rescheduled for next month, on December 10. The law was initially part of the second package of measures to reduce the budget deficit for which the government assumed responsibility in Parliament, but a phrase in the text was declared unconstitutional. Subsequently, this phrase was eliminated, and the bill went through the parliamentary legislative process, in an accelerated procedure, and was adopted by Parliament on Tuesday.
Potra – Mercenary Horaţiu Potra, accused in Romania, among other things, of attempting to commit acts against the constitutional order, was brought to the country on a flight from Dubai. Along with him, his son, Dorian Potra, and another family member, Alexandru Potra, were also repatriated, all three being internationally wanted after fleeing Romania at the beginning of this year. On September 29, the three were detained in the United Arab Emirates, and the Romanian authorities initiated extradition procedures. Horaţiu Potra was sent to trial, along with 20 other mercenaries from his group, in the same case in which the former presidential candidate Călin Georgescu is also accused. Romanian prosecutors allege that Potra and his group of mercenaries aimed to infiltrate protests immediately after the annulment of the December 2024 elections in order to create chaos. The action plan was allegedly worked out by Călin Georgescu and his close associates during a meeting that took place immediately after the presidential election was cancelled.
Football – Romania’s national football team will meet the Turkish national team in the semi-final of the 2026 World Cup play-off, according to the draw held on Thursday in Zurich. If it gets past Turkey in Istanbul, the Romanian team, trained by Mircea Lucescu, will also play the final of the play-off away from home, with the winner between Slovakia and Kosovo, on March 31, 2026. Romania missed a first chance to qualify for the final tournament hosted by the USA, Mexico and Canada, after finishing 3rd in Group H in the preliminaries, being overtaken by Austria and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The national team’s last participation in a World Cup was in 1998, in the final tournament in France. Then Romania was eliminated in the round of 16 by Croatia.
Pensions – The Romanian government has sent the new draft law on magistrates’ pensions to the Superior Council of Magistracy for approval. The Council announced that the courts and subordinated prosecutors’ offices will convene general assemblies to express their views on November 24 and 25. Subsequently, the Council will meet to grant the institutional approval. Initially, the Government did not wait 30 days to receive this approval, which violated the constitution, according to the Constitutional Court (CCR). The new document provides for a longer transition period – of 15 years – during which to reach the standard retirement age of magistrates, namely 65 years. However, the pension amount, 70% of the net salary, remained unchanged. The Government would like the Council’s approval to be issued as soon as possible, so that it can take responsibility in Parliament next week, in order to comply with the commitment assumed through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), to adopt the law by November 28. Otherwise, Romania could miss an important milestone and lose millions of Euros in European funds. Also on Thursday, the government established, by emergency ordinance, the rules for military public procurement through the SAFE program, intended to strengthen European security and support strategic investments in member states. Romania will benefit from an allocation of approximately 16.6 billion Euros if it submits, by the end of the month, an investment plan for the European defense industry. (LS)
