December 9, 2025 UPDATE
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 09.12.2025, 20:00
VISIT The president of Romania Nicuşor Dan was received in Paris on Tuesday by his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron. The two officials discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations, especially in the field of defence, carrying on support for Ukraine, fighting disinformation and the strengthening of democracy in Europe. According to a news release by the French Presidency, this first official visit to France by the Romanian president after his election in May highlights the importance of the strategic partnership between the two countries in the service of a common European agenda. Also on Tuesday, president Nicuşor Dan had talks with officers of French businesses, organised by the Movement of Enterprises in France (Medef). He also met with the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, and attended the opening of the ‘Nicolae Titulescu’ alley in the famous park Monceau in Paris. On Monday, president Nicuşor Dan had meetings at the Romanian Embassy in Paris with members of the Romanian community in France.
ECONOMY Nearly 8 out of 10 Romanian companies are investing, many of them with plans to expand their capacity, but the general sentiment remains more pessimistic than in the European Union, according to the latest investment survey made public on Tuesday by the European Investment Bank (EIB). According to the report, 78% of Romanian companies have invested in the last year, an increase compared to previous years, but still below the EU average of 86%. Looking ahead, however, 44% of Romanian companies intend to focus their investments on expanding production capacity in the next 3 years, a number significantly higher than the EU average of 26%. The survey also indicates that Romanian companies are open to change and manage multiple pressures, from geopolitical and supply chain disruptions to climate risks and stricter regulations.
PHYSICIANS A growing number of Romanian doctors who work abroad are willing to return to the country, encouraged by the improved medical infrastructure and increased funding. Their return is hampered, however, by bureaucratic procedures that in some cases lasted as long as a year. The healthcare ministry is currently working on an order that will streamline repatriation procedures for the Romanian physicians having worked abroad and the recognition of professional certificates and skills. The draft regulation will be posted for public review in the following period.
GAZA A C-130 Hercules aircraft of the Romanian Air Forces carried out a medevac mission on Monday, involving 8 Palestinian patients from Gaza severely affected by the lack of access to adequate medical treatment, along with 29 relatives. With the support of a Slovak aircraft, 2 patients and their relatives were flown to Norway, and 4 patients and their relatives to Belgium. The other 2 patients will receive medical care in Romania. The mission was carried out following requests received from the European Commission’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre. It is the 8th support mission carried out this year for the civilian population in Gaza, reconfirming Romania’s role as a trusted partner involved in humanitarian assistance, the transport of patients in serious condition and the provision of specialised medical treatments. Last year, 3 other missions of this type were carried out.
POLITICS The Social Democratic Party started an in-house assessment on Tuesday, after 6 months of participation in the 4-party ruling coalition in Romania led by the Liberal Ilie Bolojan. At the end of this review, the Social Democrats will decide whether or not to move into opposition, the party leader Sorin Grindeanu announced. A decision is expected after the budget for next year has been completed, most likely in early February. Until then, the Social Democrats have decided not to back a new no-confidence motion on December 15. The document, read on Monday in a joint plenary session of Parliament’s two Chambers, criticises the Government for its management of the country’s finances, healthcare, education, social protection, justice and public administration.
UKRAINE Pope Leo called for continued dialogue to reach a “just and lasting peace” in Ukraine during a meeting with the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday, the Vatican said. His comments echoed Zelenskyy’s frequent calls for a “just” peace as the Ukrainian leader seeks to ensure that any deal to end the war started by Russia is not partial to Moscow. Also in Rome on Tuesday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Italy’s PM Giorgia Meloni, a close ally of the U.S. President Donald Trump, who has been pressuring Ukraine to give up territory in exchange for peace with Russia. The Ukrainian president arrived in Rome after talks in London and Brussels with key European allies on the U.S.-proposed peace deal. The Europeans’ message is that Ukraine’s sovereignty must be respected and its security must be guaranteed in the long term as a first line of defence for the EU. Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that a revised peace plan would be finalised and sent to the US, in an attempt to avoid territorial concessions. (AMP)
