December 22, 2025

A roundap of local and international news.

Newsroom, 22.12.2025, 13:55

COMMEMORATION – The series of public events marking the 36th anniversary of the December 1989 Revolution continues today in the capital Bucharest. Military and religious ceremonies are scheduled at the Monument Honouring the Heroes of the Revolution, at the Romanian Public Radio and the Romanian Public Television. Events commemorating those who lost their lives during the Revolution also took place on Sunday across the country.  At the Heroes’ Cemetery in the capital, a religious service was held and all those who died for freedom 36 years ago were commemorated. Relatives of the heroes, revolutionaries and representatives of state institutions participated in similar events in Bucharest.

JUSTICE – The President of Romania, Nicuşor Dan, is expecting, today, at the Cotroceni Palace, magistrates who wish to publicly discuss problems facing the justice system. The head of state claims that he was informed that there is a category of magistrates, members of the Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM) or of the management of some courts, who do not act in the public interest, but in the interest of a small group. Nicusor Dan said that in January he will initiate a consultation among magistrates, in the form of a referendum, to find out whether the CSM is serving public interest or  the interest of a group within the judicial system. If the magistrates say that the CSM is working for the good of the community, the discussions will continue in the legislature, but if, on the contrary, the answer is that it is acting in the interest of a small group, then the CSM will leave immediately, the president pointed out. Excerting constitutional powers by public authorities must be carried out in strict compliance with the principle of separation and balance of powers within the state, as enshrined in the Constitution, said the CSM judges, in response to the president’s initiative. The CSM stressed that, in its constitutional capacity as guarantor of the independence of the Judiciary, it exercises its powers autonomously and will not tolerate any form of interference, direct or indirect, in the activity of the judicial authority.

DIPLOMACY – Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Ţoiu is paying a working visit to the neighboring Republic of Moldova today, at the invitation of her counterpart from Chisinau, Deputy Prime Minister Mihai Popşoi. The visit’s agenda includes of the two ministers, as well as with the President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, and Prime Minister Alexandru Munteanu. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Chisinau, Oana Ţoiu’s visit is taking place in the context of participating in the Meeting of Heads of Diplomatic Missions and Consular Offices of the Republic of Moldova Abroad.

POLL – Three-quarters of Romanians say that the country is heading to the wrong direction, while only 21% believe that the direction is right, according to an opinion poll conducted by CURS in December. About a third of Romanians say that their financial situation has worsened to some extent, and 23% say that it has worsened significantly. Over half of respondents, respectively 51%, anticipate significant price increases in the coming year. In terms of positive image, the Army ranks first, with 81%, followed by the church, 76%, and the fire department, 65%. At the opposite end, the Justice Department is positively assessed by only 24% of respondents, the Parliament by 25%, and the Government and the Constitutional Court by 26% each. The research was conducted on a representative sample of 1,067 adults, aged 18 and over, through face-to-face interviews at the respondents’ homes, over December 10-19, 2025.

MOTIONS – Two simple motions initiated by AUR (the nationalist opposition) against the ministers of Justice, Radu Marinescu, supported by PSD, and the Minister of the Interior, the Liberal Cătălin Predoiu, are debated and voted on Monday in the Parliament in Bucharest. The signatories say that the ministry led by Predoiu is politicized, has overlapping attributions and powers and does not observe its international obligations assumed in relations with foreign partners. There is direct interference in the competitions organized for management positions – the initiators also claim. In the other motion, the Social Democrat minister Radu Marinescu is asked to resign with honour, because he has not restored citizens’ trust in justice. AUR want him gone for his failure to ensure an efficient, predictable and fair act of justice, the excessive duration of the trials, as well as the lack of any firm reaction to the problems in the system. (EE)