December 30, 2025 UPDATE
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 30.12.2025, 19:50
Magistrates’ pensions. The Constitutional Court of Romania will debate a notification regarding the new reform of the magistrates’ pensions on January 16, although the law should have entered into force on the first day of next year. The deliberation was postponed on Monday, due to lack of quorum, after four judges proposed by the Social Democratic Party (PSD) were absent from the meeting. The four reject accusations of boycott and claim that their absence was a procedural gesture, citing irregularities and accelerated deadlines. The former president of the Constitutional Court, Augustin Zegrean, considers their request for postponement justified, but says that their absence could be considered a disciplinary offense. An impact study – as the four requested – is not the subject of the file and is not a criterion of constitutionality, explains the president of the Constitutional Court, Simina Tănăsescu, while the justice minister emphasises that he has not received any official request in this regard. On the political front, the National Liberal Party and Save Romania Union are demanding penalties for blocking the Court’s decisions, while the opposition accuses them of maintaining certain privileges.
Deficit. Romania ended the first 11 months of the year with a budget deficit of 6.4% of GDP, down as compared to the same period in 2024, when it was 7.15%. The finance minister Alexandru Nazare says that reducing the deficit means that the state is spending more responsibly, is borrowing less and has more financial stability. Over the same period, revenues increased by 13%, being supported by higher revenues from taxes, social contributions and European funds, while expenditures also grew by 9.9%. According to official data, investments continue to grow compared to the same period last year, with over 100 billion lei allocated to the development of infrastructure and projects financed from European funds. In a Facebook post, minister Nazare says Romania will enter 2026 with better balanced public finances, growing revenues and a healthy basis for a responsible and balanced budget next year.
Defence. Romania and The Netherlands will continue their “close” cooperation to consolidate defence and deterrence on the eastern flank and in the Black Sea, said prime minister Ilie Bolojan on Tuesday. Bolojan visited together with his counterpart from the Netherlands, Dick Schoof, the 71st General Emanoil Ionescu air base in Câmpia Turzii (in northwestern Romania) on Tuesday, where they met the troops, discussed the missions carried out and the operational conditions. According to a government statement, the visit provided the opportunity to hold bilateral consultations on the security situation in the region and cooperation within NATO, amid the Russian Federation’s war of aggression against Ukraine. The two also discussed the support provided to Kyiv, underlining the need for a unified approach at allied level, within NATO, as well as for close cooperation with the United States. According to the statement, the two officials also tackled issues related to the current negotiations to achieve peace in Ukraine, as well as the coordinated response to hybrid threats and Russia’s disinformation campaigns.
EU funding. The transport ministry absorbed a record amount of European funds in 2025, almost 28 billion lei, which is 24% more than last year, said minister Ciprian Şerban. In a Facebook post quoted by the media, he said that 146 kilometers of motorway and expressway were opened this year, and the contracts for design and execution covered over 150 kilometers. Also, the Passenger division of the Romanian railways Company received 13 new electric trains, 20 engines and 44 modernised carriages. Metrorex also received seven new trains, and several preojects were carried out in the Port of Constanţa, worth a total of 130 million lei.
Visit. The Minister Delegate to the Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans of France, Alice Rufo, said on Tuesday, in Sibiu (central Romania), that in these times of great volatility and uncertainty in Europe, it is essential to show that we are strong and robust together. The French official is visiting the French military deployed at the Cincu base, in Braşov County, and talks focused on their daily mission and their commitment in the service of France and for the security of the eastern flank of Europe. The French official expressed her appreciation for the way in which the multinational exercise Dacian Fall 2025 was carried out and said that during her visit to Romania she would also discuss with the Romanian authorities the consolidation of the bilateral partnership in the field of defence. “Defend the border of NATO and Europe, your security is our security”, said Alice Rufo.
