November 23, 2025
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 23.11.2025, 13:55
BY-ELECTION The campaign for the December 7th by-election for the Bucharest City Hall continues, with 18 candidates competing. The mayor general seat has been vacant since Nicuşor Dan was elected president of Romania in May. Also on December 7, elections will be held for the Buzău County Council chief and the mayors of 12 localities. The interior ministry announced that it will ensure the smooth conduct of the campaign and the election, and added that measures have already been taken to ensure that they take place in safe conditions for candidates and citizens.
LEGISLATION The government of Romania intends to have the bill reforming the retirement of judges and prosecutors passed by the end of next week, if it receives the opinion of the Higher Council of Magistrates. General meetings of courts and prosecutors’ offices are scheduled for Monday and Tuesday to express their view on the draft law. Subsequently, the Higher Council of Magistrates will issue this official opinion, which is consultative, but mandatory for the bill to pass. However, the magistrates did not announce the exact date on which the Council will issue its opinion. PM Ilie Bolojan will take responsibility for the bill before Parliament, and the procedure is expected to start on Thursday or Friday, so as to meet the deadline on which the payment of EUR 231 million under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan depends.
WEAPONS Two men were detained by police in Bistriţa (northwestern Romania) for smuggling and breaching of weapons legislation. They received from Spain via a courier company a parcel containing 2 weapons, one for target shooting and one for hunting, a silencer and a night vision device. When police officers equipped with scanners asked to inspect the parcel, one of the men tried to flee, but he was caught. The police carry on the investigations.
BELGIUM The Romanian foreign ministry warns citizens who are in, transiting or planning to travel to the Kingdom of Belgium that a nation-wide strike has been announced on 24-26 November, with significant transport disruptions expected throughout the country. No aircraft will take off from Brussels-Zaventem airport on 26 November 2025. So far no cancellations of incoming flights for this airport have been announced, but the schedule may be subject to changes. Brussels-Charleroi Airport has not announced any changes to the flight schedule so far. As of tonight railway transport will also be suspended for 72 hours, with the entire staff of the Belgian National Railway Company – SNCB (Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Belges) and its subsidiaries taking part in the strike. In public transport, operators announce significant disruptions and estimate very limited traffic on the Brussels and Flemish networks between November 24 and 26. Romanian citizens can request consular assistance at the telephone numbers of the Romanian Embassy in Brussels.
RUGBY Romania’s national rugby team was defeated by Uruguay 31-21 (14-7) on Saturday night, in a test match held in Bucharest. Romania, ranking 21st in the world, and Uruguay, 15th in the world, have met 16 times so far, with Romania winning 9 of those matches, and losing 6. The last match took place just 4 months ago, in Montevideo, during the Romanian team’s summer training season, when they were smashed 70-8. In this month’s test matches, Romania defeated Canada 31-21, but lost to the United States 18-26. Both matches were played in Bucharest. Both Romania and their 3 opponents have qualified for the 2027 World Cup. (AMP)
