December 21 UPDATE

A roundup of local and world news

Daniel Bilț, 21.12.2025, 19:40

MOTIONS Two simple motions tabled by the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR, the self-proclaimed sovereignist opposition) against the ministers of Justice and the Interior are expected to be debated upon and voted in Parliament in Bucharest on Monday. The signatories of the aforementioned documents are denouncing the abuses in the two domains of activity, their interventions in the election process and the imbalances in the country’s legal system. According to the signatories, the simple motion against Interior Minister, Catalin Predoiu, is focusing on his political and moral responsibilities. They say the ministry he is heading is politicized with prerogatives and competences that overlap, and fails to meet international obligations in its relationship with foreign partners. The second motion targeting Justice Minister, Radu Marinescu, calls for his resignation as he failed to regain the citizens’ trust in the legal system. The AUR MPs have also blamed Minister Marinescu for having failed to ensure effective legal actions, predictable and equitable, for the excessive lengths of the trials and the lack of a firm reaction to the issues the system is presently facing.

LABOUR The Romanian Ministry of Labour has proposed for 2026 a contingent of 90 thousand foreign workers, 10 thousand less than in 2025. The recruitment process will be stricter and require the applicants to know Romanian or English. The agencies bringing foreign workers to Romania will be closely monitored. In an interview to Radio Romania, Labour Minister, Florin Manole, explained the measures are necessary because in the past years thousands of foreign workers only transited Romania. The chair of the Association of Workforce Importers, Romulus Badea, says the restrictive measures imposed to recruitment companies are excessive and have a negative impact upon the small and medium-sized enterprises. Roughly 95 thousand work permits have been issued for foreign nationals since the beginning of the year in Romania.

REFERENDUM The Romanian President, Nicusor Dan, has announced that in January he will initiate a referendum with the magistrates, against the latest press investigations released by the Recorder agency on the issues affecting the country’s legal system. The President wants to ask the prosecutors and judges only one question, namely: “Is the Superior Council of Magistracy, also known as CSM, operating in the public interest or in the interest of a group inside the legal system?” Dan says that “if the magistrates’ answer is ‘the public interest’, the legislative talks will carry on. But if the majority mentions a guild’s interest, the CSM will have to go immediately.” The Romanian president says that after reading the magistrates’ notifications, the conclusion is that there is a certain category of magistrates inside the CSM who aren’t acting in the public interest but are representing a certain group. The president says he has read nearly two thirds of the two thousand pages of a notification report he received from the magistrates. President Dan on Monday invited all the magistrates who want to report on the system flaws to a round of talks at the Presidential Palace.

GASTRONOMY The County of Harghita in central Romania has been designated European Region of Gastronomy 2027 by the International Institute for Gastronomy, Culture, Art and Tourism. In preparation of this moment, the Intercommunity Development Association Harghita launched a survey to put up a list of 12 dishes representative for the county. The survey focuses on various tastes, the ingredients used and the region’s traditional dishes, project manager Biro Robert told Radio Romania. According to him the survey is targeting both the locals and tourists familiar with the local cuisine. A questionnaire is available in Romanian and Hungarian and can be filled in until January 8. Sibiu county, also in central Romania, was designated European Region of Gastronomy in 2019.

POLL According to a Eurobarometer conducted over October 9 and November 3, 60% of the Romanians are satisfied with their life, against a European average of 86%. A higher degree of satisfaction, over 70%, has been reported among the younger generations with ages between 25 and 39. The survey says the main concerns of the Romanians are related to the latest price hikes, inflation and the cost of living in equal numbers, 39%, followed by the economic situation, 24%, and the government debt, 16 percent. At European level, most of the respondents, 21%, are concerned with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the general international situation, 20 percent, and the economic situation of the EU, 17%. According to the same survey, 54% of the Romanians trust the bloc, more than the European average of 48%. For half of the Romanians, the EU’s main accomplishments are the free movement of people, goods and services.

EVENTS Romanian President, Nicusor Dan, on Sunday laid a wreath of flowers at the Monument of the Heroes of the 1989 Revolution in the University Square in Bucharest. On this occasion Romania’s Prime Minister, Ilie Bolojan, conveyed a message saying that Romania is a free country today thanks to the courage of those who rose against the dictatorship. The Prime Minister cautioned against a dangerous type of nostalgia or the attempts to downplay the crimes of the communist dictatorship. Romania’s capital city, Bucharest, on Sunday saw a series of events marking 36 years since the 1989 anti-communist Revolution. A commemoration march passed through the University Square where a moment of silence was observed, candles were lit and a religious service was conducted. On December 21, 1989, the communist regime staged a meeting in Bucharest to condemn the anti-communist protests that had taken place in Timisoara, western Romania, a couple of days before. During the meeting the participants started booing and dictator Nicolae Ceausescu froze in mid-speech. At night groups of people gathered in the city center and started building barricades. Riot police opened fire killing and wounding hundreds. The anti-communist uprising reached its climax on December 22, when the dictator and his wife fled in a helicopter. They were caught and three days later executed following a brief trial by a military court. Over 1000 people were killed and 3 thousand wounded in the only communist country where the regime was overthrown through bloodshed.

(bill)