December 8, 2025 UPDATE (2)
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 08.12.2025, 20:00
Nicușor Dan’s visit to France
Romanian president Nicușor Dan started a two‑day working visit to France on Monday. On Monday evening, at the Romanian Embassy, president Dan met with representatives of the Romanian community in France. The official program will unfold on Tuesday, when he will be received at the Élysée Palace and hold talks with president Emmanuel Macron. This will be the first direct official meeting between the two heads of state since Nicușor Dan’s election in May.
The Romanian president will also meet with Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, with whom he will travel to the northwest of the city to inaugurate a street named after Romanian diplomat Nicolae Titulescu, marking the 145th anniversary of French‑Romanian diplomatic ties.
The head of state is also scheduled to meet representatives of the French business sector and visit one of the factories of the Thales industrial group, a global leader in advanced technologies and artificial intelligence used in diverse fields – defense, aerospace, cybersecurity and digital innovation.
Romania–Germany Relations
Romania’s Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan will hold an official meeting on Tuesday with Germany’s Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius at the Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base (southeast), a strategic point for the allied defensive posture on the Eastern Flank. The official meeting will be followed by a joint press conference.
According to a Ministry of Defense press release, talks will focus on bilateral defense cooperation, joint projects and regional security developments. The visit by Minister Boris Pistorius underscores Germany’s firm commitment to Romania’s security and to strengthening cooperation within NATO, the press release reads.
No-confidence motion
On Monday, a motion of no confidence was filed in Parliament by populist and ultranationalist opposition MPs against the pro‑European coalition government led by Liberal Ilie Bolojan. According to the initiators, the government has proved its inability to manage finances, healthcare, education, social protection, justice and public administration, vital areas that define the life of a free and dignified people, the self‑styled sovereigntist opposition claims.
Ruling coalition parties (PSD, PNL, USR and UDMR) have announced they will not vote for the motion. This will be debated and voted on next Monday.
Wave
The Romanian Foreign Ministry has confirmed the death of a second Romanian citizen following the powerful waves that struck Spain’s island of Tenerife at the end of last week. Representatives of the Romanian consular office remain in contact with the victims’ families and continue to provide assistance.
We recall Spanish media reported that a giant wave hit a natural pool on the west coast of Tenerife.
Ukraine peace talks
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that Ukraine should decide on matters concerning Ukraine, during his meeting on Monday in London with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the French and German leaders, Reuters reports. The meeting aimed to mobilize allied support at a time when the United States is increasing pressure on officials in Kyiv to accept a peace deal proposed with Russia.
So far, several rounds of US–Ukrainian talks have taken place, as well as a meeting between Washington’s envoys and Vladimir Putin. The parties say significant progress has been made, but CNN notes that the most contentious issues remain unresolved—Russia’s demands for territorial concessions and Ukraine’s requests for security guarantees.
Meanwhile, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Sweden, Finland and Ireland have urged other European Union members to take swift measures so that Ukraine can benefit from the frozen Russian funds. (VP)
