Tag: News

Budget. The Romanian government is analysing the state budget and the social security budget for 2025. The two bills comply with the deficit target of 7% of GDP, based on an economic growth forecast of 2.5% and an increase in state revenues of some 10 billion euros. To make sure that additional funds to the state budget will also come from foreign companies in the energy industry, the government wants to issue an emergency order to amend the tax code in order to eliminate the risk of non-payment of turnover tax by foreign legal entities in the field of oil and natural gas that do no have a permanent office in Romania. The latter will be obliged to set up a guarantee of 1 million euros, just like in the case of the contribution to the energy transition fund.

Moldova. Romania’s new foreign minister Emil Hurezeanu is today paying a working visit to the neighbouring Republic of Moldova, Radio Chişinău has reported. The agenda of his trip includes talks with his Moldovan counterpart Mihail Popşoi. Hurezeanu will also be received by president Maia Sandu, Parliament speaker Igor Grosu and the deputy prime minister for European integration Cristina Gherasimov.

Theft. Romanian justice minister Radu Marinescu called on his Dutch counterpart David van Weel to continue efforts to arrive at an effective solution in the case of the theft of Romania’s Dacian treasury objects and offered all necessary support to the Dutch side. The two ministers held a bilateral meeting during an informal meeting of EU justice ministers hosted by Warsaw. So far, three persons have been detained in connection to the theft. A break-in occurred last weekend at Drents Museum during which a golden helmet and three gold Dacian bracelets were stolen, some of Romania’s most important national heritage objects.

Flu. The number of respiratory infections is on the rise in Romania and the health ministry declared a state of epidemiological alert. Official data show that almost 134,000 patients were diagnosed  with respiratory infection symptoms last week, including 11,000 flu cases. Eight people died last week with flu, taking the toll to 22 this season.

Sports. The Romanian football champions FCSB lost 2-nil at home to Manchester United, in the 8^th and final leg of the Europa League. The Bucharest side will go into the playoffs for the Round of last 16, with the draw to be held today. In rugby, Romania are today playing their opening match in the new season of Rugby Europe Championship against Germany, in Bucharest. The latter, alongside Belgium and Portugal, are Romania’s adversaries in the campaign to qualify for the 2027 World Cup. In tennis, the Romanian city of Craiova is today hosting the first singles matches between Romania’s and Bulgaria’s men’s teams in the first round of the Davis Cup World Group I playoffs. The doubles match is due on Saturday. Romania and Bulgaria met only once so far in the Davis Cup, in 1988, when Romania won 5-nil. The winner between Romania and Bulgaria will advance to World Group I, while the other team will play in World Group II.

Theft. Three persons suspected of the theft of Romanian Dacian treasury objects from the Drents Museum in Assen were arrested by the Dutch police in the city of Heerhugowaard, in the province of North Holland. The information was confirmed by Romanian interior ministry officials, who said all three suspects are Dutch citizens. There is no information yet about the stolen items. The artefacts in question are the gold helmet from Coţofeneşti and three Dacian bracelets from Sarmizegetusa Regia, Romanian heritage objects which are also essential parts of the history and identity of the Romanian people, an invaluable cultural heritage not only for Romania, but for the whole world, said the Romanian Culture Minister, Natalia Intotero. She has sacked the director of the National History Museum of Romania, Ernest Oberländer-Târnoveanu, whom she criticised for his handling of the public and institutional communication in the case of the stolen objects. The History Museum is the institution that sent the artefacts to the exhibition in The Netherlands.

Budget. The leaders of the governing coalition in Bucharest discussed the draft budget for 2025. These are the last calculations regarding the distribution of public funds before the budget bill reaches the government on Friday for adoption and Parliament next week for the vote. The largest amounts will be earmarked for the payment of pensions and for the continuation of investments, while the expenses for goods, salaries and services will be reduced in all ministries and institutions, according to the finance minister. The intention is to cut budgets to ministries by 5% compared to last year, except for the Health, Interior, Education, Transport and National Defence ministries. Investments will exceed 7% of GDP in order to boost economic growth and the country’s development. In the field of agriculture, the priorities remain supporting the development of the animal husbandry sector, the continuation of the INVESTALIM program and the financing of irrigation systems. The Economy Ministry will continue the massive support for entrepreneurs through the Start-up Nation and Construct Plus programs, and the defence industry will receive over 2% of GDP this year as well. The Transport Ministry will also go ahead with investments, just like in previous years, to build motorways and express roads and improve the national road network.

EU. The head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has proposed a series of profound economic and legislative reforms to boost the bloc’s competitiveness globally so as not to lose ground to China and the United States. Entitled the Competitiveness Compass, the new strategy brings together industrial policies, investments and reforms. Von der Leyen said the European Union benefits from the most highly educated workforce in the world. She also said the EU economy is the second biggest globally, but that Europe is standing still because of weaknesses, including a business model that relied for many years on cheap labour from China, cheap energy from Russia and outsourcing investment security. These days are over, von der Leyen said. The strategy she proposed is divided into three chapters. The first refers to strengthening competitiveness through innovation, decarbonisation, reducing dependencies and enhancing the security of the supply chain with technology and resources. The second refers to legislative and bureaucratic simplifications and the third is focused on the EU citizens, who, through training and well-paid jobs, are the source and target of this reform.

Iuliu Hossu Year. In a special ceremony on Wednesday, the Romanian Academy inaugurated the Year of Cardinal Iuliu Hossu, a year-long celebration of his life, work, sacrifice, the decisive role in the fulfilment of the Great Union of Romanians and his efforts to save the Jews during the Holocaust. A brilliant Transylvanian intellectual, Cardinal Iuliu Hossu left a mark on Romania’s history. He was arrested and imprisoned by the communist authorities following his refusal to renounce the Greek-Catholic faith and give up his activities to defend Greek-Catholic believers. President Klaus Iohannis issued a statement recalling the words spoken by the cardinal – ‘Our faith is our life!’ – and said that these words could become a strong call to civic consciousness, to unity and courage, to solidarity with fellow citizens and the future of the country.

Miners riots. The former head of the Romanian Intelligence Service Virgil Măgureanu is indicted for crimes against humanity as part of the case related to the miners’ riots of 13-15 June 1990. The prosecutors with the military section of the Prosecutor’s Office of the High Court of Cassation and Justice today ordered the start of criminal action, specifying that the criminal classification of the deeds is based exclusively on the evidence recorded post 4^th June 2021, when the case was returned to the Supreme Court Prosecutor’s Office. At the time, the judges moved to cancel all evidence gathered by prosecutors. Also under investigation as part of this case are Romania’s former president at the time of the miners’ riots, Ion Iliescu, the former prime minister Petre Roman, the former deputy prime minister Gelu Voican Voiculescu, the former advisor to the prime minister Adrian Sârbu, the former leader of the miners’ trade union in Jiu Valley Miron Cozma and the reserve military Vasile Dobrinoiu and Petre Peter.

Forestry. The National Forestry Management Romsilva has seven days to present the environment minister Mircea Fechet with a restructuring plan to drastically cut expenses. The minister requested the dismantling of the loss-making forestry divisions and reduction of the number of managers. He also wants the elimination of any form of bonuses and says he sees no reason an employee should receive more than their salaries this year. Romsilva director Marius Dan Siulescu said he would collect proposals from all his teams and will present the restructuring solutions identified. Forestry trade unions believe the ministry’s move is an attack against Rolsilva aimed at dismantling the company.

Football. Romanian football champions FCSB will be playing Manchester United at home on Thursday evening as part of the final leg of the Europa League main phase. Manchester sit in 4^th place in the ranking, with 15 points, while FCSB are in 8^th, with 14 points. The top eight teams qualify straight for the Round of 16, while the teams finishing in 9^th to 24^th place will go into playoffs in order to advance to stat next stage.

Senate. The staff of the Romanian Senate and their trade union representatives are criticising the plans announced on Wednesday by Senate speaker Ilie Bolojan to cut some 180 posts out of almost 800 and downsize the car fleet and the fuel quota by a 5^th. The National Federation of Trade Unions in the Administration is denouncing what it describes as the abusive and non-transparent way in which restructuring measures are adopted and communicated. Trade unions of parliamentary public servants, contractual personnel and drivers in the senate say the reorganisation of the institution is “lacking in transparency and fairness”. They say they welcome any decision to make the activity more efficient, but that they do not understand the haste with which Bolojan wants to show his authority as senate speaker. The leader of the National Liberal Party spoke not only about the reduction of Senate staff, but also about the reorganisation of the Chamber of Deputies and a cut in the number of under-secretaries. The information was confirmed by the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Ciprian Şerban, who explained that over 200 posts would be cut and that exterior and interior lighting would be reduced.

Budget deficit. The Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) on Tuesday approved Romania’s 7-year fiscal structural plan to reduce the country’s budget deficit. The plan is designed to stabilise public debt as Romania remains among the top EU member states in terms of public investment – over 7% of GDP, bringing the budget deficit below 3% in 2025-2031, the finance minister Tánczos Barna explained. The decision comes as several countries, including France, Spain, Italy and Finland, are facing similar challenges and have requested an extension of the fiscal adjustment period from 4 to 7 years, until 2031. Other topics on the ECOFIN meeting agenda include the current impact of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the priorities of the Polish presidency of the EU Council, the 2025 European Semester and the endorsement of the revised recovery and resilience plans for Greece, Cyprus and Spain.

Poll.  90% of Romanians reject the idea of ​​leaving NATO, a record level of approval for the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, an INSCOP survey made public on Tuesday indicates. According to the poll, based on data collected at the end of last year, Romanians’ support for the West in terms of political and military alliances has increased by 10% over the past 3 years. The poll also shows that Romania’s European Union membership is seen by almost three-quarters of respondents as an advantage in terms of its effects on economic and social life, on family and personal life. Only 55% of Romanians believed this 3 years ago.

Protest. The Bucharest metro trade unionists on Wednesday staged a protest in front of the Government headquarters, following a similar action outside the finance ministry on Tuesday. They demanded pay raises and more appropriate financing for their company. Metro employees also announced work-to-rule and token strikes to protest against measures adopted by the new government at the end of last year to cut budget expenditures.

Release. A Romanian citizen who was part of the Galaxy Leader crew captured by the Houthi rebels in Yemen more than a year ago was released on Wednesday, the foreign affairs ministry said. The entire crew of the ship flying under a Bahamas flag was freed, the ministry statement also says, adding that the Romanian national is now in a safe location. The ministry thanked all foreign partners, especially the authorities in Oman and Bulgaria, for the support to solve this case, which it describes as “complex and extremely difficult”.

US. The US president Donald Trump said new sanctions against Russia are “possible” if Moscow does not negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, AFP reports. He added the United States would consider continuing military aid to Kyiv, which has amounted to tens of billions of dollars since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Trump had previously said that Russia was heading for disaster if it refused to negotiate and sign a ceasefire or peace agreement with Ukraine. As for the Ukrainian president, Trump expects Zelensky to be willing to sign an agreement. 

Cinema. A film directed by the Romanian filmmaker Radu Jude was selected to run in the competition of the Berlin International Film Festival. This is his latest work entitled Kontinental 25, a low-budget production, a black comedy about the real estate crisis and the rise of nationalism. Radu Jude says the film was shot with a mobile phone. The official selection brings together 19 titles for this year’s edition, which is taking place between the 13^th and the 23^rd February.

Elections. The Permanent Electoral Authority in Bucharest said political parties may begin to collect signatures for the candidates they will support in the presidential elections in May. The signatures can be collected only in physical format and a voter can support more than one candidate. The ruling coalition, formed by the Social Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, is yet to kick-start the election period and to officially endorse the former Liberal leader Crin Antonescu as their joint candidate in their respective leadership bodies. The Social Democratic leadership met today and in principle endorsed Crin Antonescu as presidential candidate in May and decided to hold a party congress on 2^nd February to give the final vote on his candidature.

Congratulations. Romania’s acting president Klaus Iohannis has congratulated the new White House leader Donald Trump on his investiture. “Romania, a close strategic partner of the US, wishes you the best of success for this important new mandate. We need a strong and vibrant transatlantic link, to the benefit of our joint EU-US security and prosperity”, president Iohannis posted on social media. The leaders of Romania’s biggest parties also congratulated Donald Trump on the inauguration of his second term in office on Monday.

Donald Trump. A few hours after taking office, Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the World Health Organisation and the Paris Agreement on climate. He also signed an executive order on an Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development global tax arrangement and asked the Department of Energy to resume processing export applications for liquefied natural gas. He declared an energy emergency in the US and revoked a number of orders introduced by the Biden administration, including one on the risks of artificial intelligence. Trump also lifted the sanctions imposed by Biden on the Jewish settlers who committed violence against the Palestinians in the West Bank. He told the Justice Department to dismiss the cases connected to the attack on Capitol and pardoned 1,500 of his supporters who took the building by storm in 2021 and reduced and commuted the sentences of others. Trump declared the illegal immigration on the border with Mexico as a national emergency and the drug cartels as terrorist organisations and signed a document affecting the granting of birthright citizenship. Donald Trump also suspended refugee programmes for four months, which led to the cancellation of flights to the US for over 1,600 Afghans, including relatives of US soldiers.

Airports. Passenger traffic on Romania’s airports grew in 2024 by almost 6%, following the lifting of air borders with Schengen at the end of March last year. According to the Airport Association, more than 26 million passengers transited Romanian airports last year, compared with 23.2 million in 2023. Out of the total number of passengers who transited Romanian airports after Romania’s accession to the Schengen area, 70% travelled within Schengen, and 30% travelled from or to non-Schengen destinations, the association also wrote.

Festival. The 27^th edition of the George Enescu International Festival will place special emphasis on cultural events and concerts all across Romania and for all Romanians to enjoy, the festival’s artistic director, the Romanian conductor Cristian Măcelaru, told a press conference held on Monday in Bucharest. He said this year’s edition will see a number of special events, including the commemoration of 70 years since the death of George Enescu. The festival will take place between 24^th August and 21^st September and will feature 80 symphonic, chamber, choir and instrumental ensemble performances from 28 different countries.

Tennis. The Romanian-Ukrainian doubles pair Gabriela Ruse and Marta Kostiuk lost to the Taiwanese-Latvian pair Su-Wei Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko in three sets in the women’s doubles quarterfinals at the Australian Open. Ruse and Kostiuk together played two Grand Slam semifinals in women’s doubles, one in Melbourne in 2023 and the second at Roland Garros in 2024.

Budget. The draft of this year’s budget is not considering changing the VAT level, says finance minister Tanczos Barna. He added that there are no plans, either, to tax labour, or to make any changes to the current structure. He said the most important goal for 2025 is paying pensions and salaries at the level of 2024. Earlier, the minister gave assurances that this year’s budget bill will comply with the deficit ceiling of 7% of GDP, as agreed with the European Commission. For this year, he estimated an economic growth level of 2.5% and an inflation rate of 5%. Prime minister Marcel Ciolacu said the government must approve the budget by 27^th of January at the latest and called on ministers to take into account the restructuring of unjustified positions, both in the central administration and in subordinated state companies. The budget bill is to be approved by Parliament in the first week of February.

Elections. The Romanian government will officially set the date of the presidential elections this week, after the leaders of the governing coalition, formed by the Social Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, decided last Wednesday, during their first meeting this year, that the presidential elections would take place on May 4^th and 18^th. A large protest was staged on Sunday, in Bucharest, by the Alliance for the Union of Romanians, in opposition, demanding a rerun of the second round of the presidential elections and the resignation of President Klaus Iohannis. The leader of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians, George Simion, said the protests would continue. The Constitutional Court annulled last year’s presidential elections on the grounds that the entire election process had been corrupted.

Visa waiver. Romanian citizens will be able to travel to the United States, after March 31, through a simplified procedure, after the American authorities granted Romania the status of a country participating in the Visa Waiver Program. According to a statement from the Romanian embassy in Washington, Romanians will be able to go to the USA based on an electronic authorisation called ESTA, this being applied to all trips for tourist or business purposes whose duration does not exceed 90 days. The authorisation will be valid for two years, with unlimited entries or exits from the US. To participate in the Visa Waiver Program, a country must meet requirements related to counterterrorism, immigration enforcement, document security and border management. The requirements also include a visa refusal rate of less than 3%.

Culture Day. As every year on January 15, Romania will mark the National Culture Day on Wednesday. This is also celebrated in the Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova, as well as in the diaspora, in the context of the anniversary of 175 years since the birth of Romania’s greatest poet Mihai Eminescu. Cultural and educational institutions, NGOs and the authorities will be staging various events in different venues, both conventional and less so, in order to bring culture closer to the public. On Tuesday evening, a National Culture Awards Gala will be held in Botoşani (north-east), during which prizes will be awarded for excellence in culture, for the promotion of Eminescu’s work and of Romanian culture in general or for the development of Romanian literary studies internationally.

Tennis. The Romanian tennis player Jaqueline Cristian defeated Croatia’s Petra Martic in three sets, on Monday, in Melbourne, in the first round of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year. Also on Monday, another Romanian player, Sorana Cîrstea, lost to Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina 6-4, 6-4. Svitolina has won all four head-to-head matches against Cîrstea so far. Qualifier Anca Todoni also lost her first round match on Sunday to China’s Qinwen Zheng. The other two Romanian players in the women’s singles, Irina Begu and Gabriela Ruse, are playing each other on day two of the Australian Open.

Elections. The parties in the ruling coalition in Romania, namely the Social Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, as well as the representatives of national minorities, have agreed that the first round of the presidential elections will take place on May 4, and the second round on May 18. The coalition also confirmed their nomination of the former Liberal leader Crin Antonescu as their joint candidate for president. In the meantime, the Bucharest Court of Appeal has published its justification for its rejection, on December 31, of a legal action against the Central Electoral Bureau in connection with the annulment, last year, by the Constitutional Court, of the electoral process for the election of president.

Commissioner. During his trip to Romania, Stéphane Séjourné, executive vice-president of the European Commission, responsible for prosperity and industrial strategy, today visited Romanian factory supplying last-generation lithium-ion batteries and customised energy storage systems for sectors and businesses from all over Europe. The visit is an opportunity to present the indispensable role played by batteries in the decarbonisation of supply chains in Europe. Séjourné also discussed the challenges facing the batteries sector, as well as Europe’s response in this regard. He will end his trip with a visit to the National Aerospace Research and Development Institute, the main research centre in the field of aerospace science in Romania. This will be an opportunity to discuss China’s unfair competition in the drone market and the increasingly relevant use of drone technologies in both civilian and military applications. On Wednesday, the European official met the minister for economy, digitalization, entrepreneurship and tourism Bogdan-Gruia Ivan, as well as Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu and senate speaker Ilie Bolojan.

Exercise. Around 15,000 Romanian and allied soldiers will participate, in the first half of the year, in the multinational training operations due take place at the training grounds and military facilities in Romania, as part of the Dacia 25 and Dacian Spring 25 exercises, the defence ministry said on Wednesday. The Dacian Spring 25 exercise is the first time that France, the framework nation of the NATO Battle Group in Cincu, will deploy a multinational brigade-level structure consisting of around 4,000 soldiers and combat equipment. The Dacia 25 exercise is a major operational and tactical training operation providing the necessary framework for the integration of national and allied forces, through connection with other multinational exercises planned by the Supreme Command of the Allied Forces in Europe.

Road accidents. In Romania, speed ​​is the second most frequent cause of serious road accidents, after irregular crossings by pedestrians. The police began to install fixed speed cameras on dozens of roads around the country. The devices will work permanently and drivers who exceed the speed limit will receive the fine at home, by mail. Such devices are already in place on the A1 and A2 motorways, as well as on national road DN2.

Tennis. The Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea will face Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina in the first round of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, which will get under way on Monday, in Melbourne. Irina Begu will face qualifier Gabriela Ruse in the first round. Jaqueline Cristian, who went straight into the main draw, will face Croatia’s Petra Martic in the first round. Qualifier Anca Todoni will play world number five and last year’s Melbourne finalist Qinwen Zheng, of China, in the opening round.

Epiphany. Christians celebrated on Monday the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord or Epiphany. Priests blessed the water, in commemoration of Christ’s baptism in the river  Jordan. After 30 years of living in anonymity, Jesus Christ, son of God, began his mission on the banks of the Jordan River, where the prophet John was baptizing those who repented of their sins. According to the Gospel, at the time of the baptism of Jesus, a supernatural phenomenon occurred, whereby a voice from heaven was heard, saying: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” The heavens opened and the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus in the form of a dove. Christian theology interprets this as the manifestation of the Holy Trinity, confirming the identity of Jesus as the Son of God. The faithful who went to church on Monday received holy water blessed during a special service officiated after the Liturgy in front of churches or on the banks of watercourses. The blessed water is reminiscent of the consecration of the river Jordan when Jesus descended into the river to receive baptism.

Border. The Romanian border police have conducted over 32,000 checks in the eDAC application since the beginning of this year, when Romania fully entered the Schengen area. Although travel documents are no longer checked at the borders with Hungary and Bulgaria, mobile border police units carry out checks near the crossing points, within 30 km of the borders. Cars can be stopped to identify people and their legal status and to prevent and combat migration and other illegal actions. The eDAC application is a tool that allows checks to be carried out in a short time in the relevant databases of the Romanian authorities, as well as those of the Schengen area. On Monday morning, in Giurgiu (south), a bus traveling on the Bulgaria-Germany route was stopped for inspection. Its 12 passengers, Syrian nationals, who wanted to reach Germany, did not have all the necessary papers, but only the right to stay temporarily in Bulgaria. They were taken over by the authorities from the neighboring country.

Budget. The government wants to finalize the state budget by the end of this month, so that the new Parliament can debate it and vote on it, most likely, in an extraordinary session. The new budget will be based on a deficit of no more than 7% of GDP, as agreed with the European Commission, with no other fiscal measures envisaged. However, major spending cuts in the public sector and the reforms laid down in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan are needed. These include freezing public sector wages as well as state child benefits. The subsidy allocated to political parties will also be reduced by 25% compared to the level granted last year. New hirings in the public sector will also be frozen and certain public institutions will be reorganized and merged. The tax on dividends is also expected to go up from 8% to 10% and a new tax will be introduced, targeting special buildings. Pensions will not go up this year, either. The Government aims to reduce budget waste by 1% of GDP, that is by some 3.8 billion euros, and to increase budget revenues.

Bridge. The Bulgarian authorities will resume, from Wednesday, the major repair works on the Giurgiu-Ruse bridge (south), with traffic to take place on a single lane, the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Repairs to the Friendship Bridge began in July 2024 and were temporarily stopped during the winter holidays. Romanian citizens travelling to Bulgaria still have to stop to pay for the bridge toll, despite border checks being lifted as a result of the two countries’ full Schengen entry on 1^st January. The Road Company is trying to find a solution for the toll to be paid online.

Golden Globes. The Romanian-American actor Sebastian Stan won the Golden Globe award for the best leading role in the film “A Different Man”, where he plays a man struggling with a genetic condition that causes skin and bone tumors. The role also earned Stan the Silver Bear trophy at the Berlin International Film Festival last year. At the Golden Globes, Sebastian Stan was also nominated for his role in “The Apprentice”, in which he plays the billionaire Donald Trump. Stan was born in Romania, but left the country when he was only 12 years old.

Tennis. Romanian tennis players Anca Todoni, Gabriela Ruse and Miriam Bulgaru on Monday won their first qualification matches for the main draw in the singles competition at the Australian Open, which will go under way on January 12 in Melbourne. Anca Todoni defeated Victoria Jimenez Kasintseva from Andorra and will face the Spanish player Leyre Romero Gormaz. Elena-Gabriela Ruse took 50 minutes to defeat the Swiss player Leonie Kung and will next be playing Germany’s  Anna-Lena Friedsam. Miriam Bulgaru defeated Italy’s Giorgia Pedone and will next play the winner between Croatia’s Lea Boskovic and Argentina’s Julia Riera. Ana Bogdan, however,  lost to Australia’s Destanee Aiava. Three Romanian players will play straight into the main singles draw at the Australian Open, namely Sorana Cîrstea, Jaqueline Cristian and Irina Begu. In the men’s singles, Romania’s Filip Cristian Jianu lost in the qualifiers to Mitchell Krueger of the US.

Epiphany. Christians celebrate today the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord or Epiphany. Priests bless the water, in commemoration of Christ’s baptism in the river  Jordan. After 30 years of living in anonymity, Jesus Christ, son of God, began his mission on the banks of the Jordan River, where the prophet John was baptizing those who repented of their sins. According to the Gospel, at the time of the baptism of Jesus, a supernatural phenomenon occurred, whereby a voice from heaven was heard, saying: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” The heavens opened and the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus in the form of a dove. Christian theology interprets this as the manifestation of the Holy Trinity, confirming the identity of Jesus as the Son of God. The faithful who go to church today receive holy water blessed during a special service officiated after the Liturgy in front of churches or on the banks of watercourses. The blessed water is reminiscent of the consecration of the river Jordan when Jesus descended into the river to receive baptism.

Budget. The government wants to finalize the state budget by the end of this month, so that the new Parliament can debate it and vote on it, most likely, in an extraordinary session. The new budget will be based on a deficit of no more than 7% of GDP, as agreed with the European Commission, with no other fiscal measures envisaged. However, major spending cuts in the public sector and the reforms laid down for in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan are needed. These include freezing public sector wages as well as state child benefits. The subsidy allocated to political parties will also be reduced by 25% compared to the level granted last year. New hirings in the public sector will also be frozen and certain public institutions will be reorganized and merged. The tax on dividends is also expected to go up from 8% to 10% and a new tax will be introduced, targeting special buildings. Pensions will not go up this year, either. The Government aims to reduce budget waste by 1% of GDP, that is by some 3.8 billion euros, and to increase budget revenues.

Elections. The interim president of the National Liberal Party, Ilie Bolojan, has warned that the presidential elections could be postponed until May if the ruling coalition parties don’t come up with an election timetable next week. The Liberals are in favour of holding the elections before Easter. Speaking about the nomination of the former Liberal leader Crin Antonescu as the coalition’s joint candidate for president, Bolojan explained that the nomination could officially approved by each party’s leadership as spoon as the election timetable is established. He called for coherence and unity in supporting the joint candidate. The leader of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, Kelemen Hunor, said the date of the presidential elections should be set as soon as possible and that the ballot should take place before Easter. He added that a decision should be made this week. The leader of the Save Romania Union, Elena Lasconi, accused the parties in government that they are only interested in holding on to power and privileges and are not interested in the stability of the country.

Candidate. The former president of the National Liberal Party, Crin Antonescu, says he no longer considers himself the joint candidate for president on behalf of the ruling coalition. He explained that he made this decision unilaterally, not withdrawing his candidacy, but realizing that the four political leaders who nominated him did not have the full backing of their parties. The Constitutional Court annulled  the presidential elections at the end of 2024, against suspicions of Russia’s meddling  in the election process. On December 23, the ruling parties, namely the Social Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, as well as the group of ethnic minorities, agreed to support a joint candidate for president and nominated Crin Antonescu, with the decision to be later put to the vote by each party’s leadership boards. On December 28, they established that the first round of the presidential elections would take place on March 23, followed by the second round on April 6. In order for the two ballots to be held on these dates, the government must issue an order to this end by January 7.

Golden Globe. The Romanian-American actor Sebastian Stan won the Golden Globe award for the best leading role in the film “A Different Man”, where he plays a man struggling with a genetic condition that causes skin and bone tumors. The role also earned the Silver Bear trophy at the Berlin International Film Festival last year. At the Golden Globes, Sebastian Stan was also nominated for his role in “The Apprentice”, in which he plays the billionaire Donald Trump. Stan was born in Romania, but left the country when he was only 12 years old.

Budget. Romanian finance minister Tanczos Barna said the state budget for this year will be drafted by the end of the month. He explained that the next budget will be based on a 7% deficit of GDP, as agreed with the European Union, with no other fiscal measures. We can no longer afford increases and further costs and institutions need to implement more efficient management and internal reorganisation to cut costs on wide scale, said Barna. For 2025, he estimated an economic growth rate of 2.5% and an inflation rate of 5%.

Defence. The Pentagon has awarded an American defence company  a contract worth around 950 million dollars to supply Patriot air defence systems to Romania. The deadline is 31^st December 2029. The defence news service The Defence Post notes that the contract marks Romania’s third order of Patriot systems, following previous acquisitions in 2017 and 2020. Last autumn, Bucharest donated one of its ground-to-air Patriot systems to Ukraine, worth 60 million dollars. The Romanian defence ministry said at the time that a similar system would be purchased from the US government, to be financed mainly from non-reimbursable external sources.

Schengen. The Romanian border police are conducting daily checks near the borders with Bulgaria and Hungary, following Romania’s full entry into the Schengen free-movement area on 1^st January. While checks are no longer conducted when crossing the border, hundreds of police and gendarmerie forces are conducting random inspections of papers and goods in order to prevent illegal migration and smuggling. A spokesman for the Romanian Police said Romania will be working more closely with international partners to combat cross-border crime, including people trafficking, smuggling and economic and judicial crimes. 40 customs points have been eliminated across Romania following the country’s Schengen entry, and their staff assigned elsewhere.

Police. More than 15,500 missing persons, including almost 10,000 minors, were found last year by the police officers working for the Directorate for Criminal Investigations. The General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police says some 3,500 wanted persons were tracked last year, of whom around 2,700 had prison convictions and 430 were on temporary arrest warrants. Also, almost 280 persons were found for whom European arrest warrants has been issued.

Golden Globes.  Romanian-American actor Sebastian Stan has two nominations to this year’s edition of the Golden Globes for his roles in “The Apprentice”, where he played Donald Trump, and in “A Different Man”. Stan became famous after playing Bucky Barnes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Golden Globes are awarding the film and television industry in the United States and are considered a preview to the Oscars.

Handball. After winning their opening match against Turkey 35-26, on the first day of the Carpaţi Trophy held in Mioveni, in southern Romania, the national men’s handball side drew 31-all against Serbia on Saturday. They will next play Georgia on Sunday. Romania will also play a number of friendly matches with Spain between 8^th and 11^th January. The World Championship is taking place between January 14^th and February 2^nd,  but Romania failed to qualify, being eliminated in the play-off by the Czech Republic. Romania last participated in a World Championship in 2011, when it finished in 19th place, the lowest ranking in the 14 times it took part in a final tournament. Romania won the world title four times in their heyday, in 1961, 1964, 1970 and 1974, but the last time it has won a medal was in 1990, when it came in third.

Budget. Romanian finance minister Tanczos Barna said the state budget for this year will be drafted by the end of the month. He explained that the next budget will be based on a 7% deficit of GDP, as agreed with the European Union, with no other fiscal measures. We can no longer afford increases and further costs and institutions need to implement more efficient management and internal reorganisation to cut costs on wide scale, said Barna. For 2025, he estimated an economic growth rate of 2.5% and an inflation rate of 5%.

Defence. The Pentagon has awarded an American defence company  a contract worth around 950 million dollars to supply Patriot air defence systems to Romania. The deadline is 31^st December 2029. The defence news service The Defence Post notes that the contract marks Romania’s third order of Patriot systems, following previous acquisitions in 2017 and 2020. Last autumn, Bucharest donated one of its ground-to-air Patriot systems to Ukraine, worth 60 million dollars. The Romanian defence ministry said at the time that a similar system would be purchased from the US government, to be financed mainly from non-reimbursable external sources.

Schengen. The Romanian border police are conducting daily checks near the borders with Bulgaria and Hungary, following Romania’s full entry into the Schengen free-movement area on 1^st January. While checks are no longer conducted when crossing the border, hundreds of police and gendarmerie forces are conducting random inspections of papers and goods in order to prevent illegal migration and smuggling. A spokesman for the Romanian Police said Romania will be working more closely with international partners to combat cross-border crime, including people trafficking, smuggling and economic and judicial crimes. 40 customs points have been eliminated across Romania following the country’s Schengen entry, and their staff assigned elsewhere.

Handball. After winning their opening match against Turkey 35-26, on the first day of the Carpaţi Trophy held in Mioveni, in southern Romania, the national men’s handball side are facing Serbia today, before taking on Georgia on Sunday. Romania will also play a number of friendly matches with Spain between 8^th and 11^th January. The World Championship is taking place between January 14^th and February 2,  but Romania failed to qualify, being eliminated in the play-off by the Czech Republic. Romania last participated in a World Championship in 2011, when it finished in 19th place, the lowest ranking in the 14 times it took part in a final tournament. Romania won the world title four times in their heyday, in 1961, 1964, 1970 and 1974, but the last time it has won a medal was in 1990, when it came in third.

Budget. Romanian finance minister Tanczos Barna said the state budget for next year will be drafted within the following three weeks. He explained that the next budget will be based on a 7% deficit of GDP, as agreed with the European Union, with no other fiscal measures. For 2025, he estimated an economic growth rate 2.5% and an inflation rate of 5% and added that the new government will not raise the VAT this year. Despite the high deficit, he says the money will be covered by better tax collection.

Salaries. Employees in agriculture and the Romanian food industry will lose money and compensating for the salary cuts will lead to higher food prices, Sindalimenta, the national federation of trade unions in the field has warned, after the government passed an emergency order to reduce budget spending. Representatives of the food industry point out that the elimination of tax incentives in their field and in agriculture will mean substantial salary cuts for employees, who will look for work in other, better-paid sectors. To keep the staff, employers will have to compensate for the reduction in incomes, something that will be reflected in the price of products on the shelf and which will ultimately be covered by all consumers. The federation also points out that the substantial increase in the price of Romanian food products will make them much more difficult to sell compared to similar imported products, which will have lower prices. In addition, the elimination of tax incentives will lead to the bankruptcy of companies unable to withstand the impact and to an increase in the number of unemployed people, leading to further budget expenses.

Energy. Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja says Romania is exporting electricity and natural gas to the Republic of Moldova on ​​a commercial basis and only after covering national needs. He mentioned that Nuclearelectrica has concluded a contract for the supply of energy to neighbouring Moldova and that discussions are underway with OMV Petrom and the Oltenia Energy Complex. In total, the technical capacity for exporting electricity from Romania to the Republic of Moldova is 430 megawatts, Burduja said. In the natural gas sector, Chisinau can cover all its domestic needs from Romania, the Minister explained. These clarifications come in the context in which Russian gas supplies to Europe, through Ukraine ceased on January 1, when a transit agreement between the two countries expired. The Republic of Moldova used to receive a significant part of its energy supply through the Cuciurgan power plant, in the pro-Moscow separatist region of Transdniester, which operated exclusively on gas from Russia.

President. The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis made 22 official trips by private jet in 2024, to 11 countries in Europe, Asia and North America, 7 fewer than in 2023, according to the Bucharest media. The number of flights for these visits was 51, compared to 90 in 2023. The president’s office rented planes for these trips from only two private companies, one of which was Romanian. The total amount paid for President Iohannis’ official trips remains unknown. The president’s office refuses to make these data public, although Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced in October 2024 that he would declassify them. According to experts, the president’s most expensive trips were the visit to South Korea in April and the three trips he made to the United States in May, July and September.

Spending. In Romania, the new year has come with new price hikes and a series of tax measures aimed at cutting budget spending. The latter include a government emergency order to freeze pensions and budget sector salaries, as well as child allowances. A freeze on new hires in the public sector is also in place, and a number of public agencies and institutions will be dismantled or merged. The emergency order also eliminates tax reliefs for the employees in the IT, constructions, agriculture and food industry sectors. The new order also raises dividend tax from 8 to 10% and introduces a new tax on special constructions. The ceiling for small enterprises will be reduced from 500,000 euros at present to 250,000 euros. Students will benefit from discounts on railways tickets only on journeys from home to university.

Drugs. More than 1,600 people were detained and 1,400 others held in temporary custody as part of actions carried out by the Romanian police last year to combat drug trafficking. The Romanian Police said it conducted over 3,000 home searches and dismantled 43 organised crime groups numbering hundreds of members. More than 1,000 kilograms of risk and high-risk drugs and more than 1.2 million pills were seized.

Incomes. 1.8 million Romanian employees will see their salaries go up from 1^st January with the increase in the minimum wage to some 810 euros. Fines for traffic offenses were increased, as well, and fuel has become more expensive following the rise in excise duties. The price of underground transport, beer and sparkling wine has also gone up.

Travel. Romania is one of the 25 best places to visit in 2025 according to CNN Travel. The list, which entails exotic destinations from Asia, Latin America, Africa and Europe, is not a classification, but an account of tourist sites in alphabetical order, from Almaty in Kazakhstan, to Vancouver Island in Canada. “There aren’t many places left in Europe that still have that undiscovered vibe, but Romania comes close”, writes CNN Travel, adding: “That’s a gift in these days of overtourism — for here’s a country that has everything, from the beach resorts of the Black Sea to the drop-dead gorgeousness of the Carpathian Mountains, and is reputedly trying to grow visitor numbers sustainably. Yes, there’s the Dracula thing at Bran Castle for other gothic medieval treats in wider Transylvania and beyond, try Timișoara, Cluj Napoca, Sibiu, Brasov and Sebes. Capital Bucharest has a charming Old Town, now a bit overloaded with tourist bars and restaurants, but the city’s recent history is still a major draw”, end of quote. The Romanian countryside is also mentioned, with CNN Travel noting: “There’s probably no better way to explore this than the recently launched Via Transilvanica, an 870-mile (1,400-kilometer) hiking trail through rural landscapes and villages seemingly frozen in time.”

Weather. The weather will become very cold in the next 24 hours, especially in the south-west, west and north-east of the country. On Thursday, an orange code warning for blizzard was issued until Friday morning in the mountain regions in ten counties across Romania, as well as two yellow code alerts for wind in place in the centre, north-west, east and south. In the regions in question, wind speeds are expected to pass 110-120 km/hour, and strong blizzards and low visibility of under 50 metres are forecast. Precipitation, including snow, is expected until Saturday in most regions.

Cuts. In Romania, the new year has come with new price hikes and a series of tax measures aimed at cutting budget spending. The latter include a government emergency order to freeze pensions and budget sector salaries, as well as child allowances. A freeze on new hires in the public sector is also in place, and a number of public agencies and institutions will be dismantled or merged. The emergency order also eliminates tax reliefs for the employees in the IT, constructions, agriculture and food industry sectors. The new order also raises dividend tax from 8 to 10% and introduces a new tax on special constructions. The ceiling for small enterprises will be reduced from 500,000 euros at present to 250,000 euros. Students will benefit from discounts on railways tickets only on journeys from home to university.

Drugs. More than 1,600 people were detained and 1,400 others held in temporary custody as part of actions carried out by the Romanian police last year to combat drug trafficking. The Romanian Police said it conducted over 3,000 home searches and dismantled 43 organised crime groups numbering hundreds of members. More than 1,000 kilograms of risk and high-risk drugs and more than 1.2 million pills were seized.

Trade. German Conservative leader Friedrich Merz, who is tipped to succeed Olaf Scholz as chancellor, told the German news agency dpa that he would support a new attempt at talks on a free trade exchange with the United States, in response to the tougher trade conditions. Europe’s economy will face difficult conditions under Donald Trump’s administration, said Merz in an interview published on Thursday, but the response of Germany and of the entire Europe should be to restore competitiveness, not imposing tariffs. A new Euro-American initiative on free trade could prevent a dangerous spiral of tariff hikes, he added. Trump, who is taking over about a month before federal elections in Germany, suspended talks on a trade exchange between the European Union and the US during his first term in office and opened a series of trade disputes with the EU.

Attack. Twelve persons, including two children, were killed by a man who carried out an armed attack in a restaurant in the south of Montenegro, said the prosecutor in charge of the case, quoted by France Presse. The perpetrator then committed suicide by shooting himself in the head while surrounded by the police. The police ruled out the theory of a clash between organised crime groups and said the weapons used are illegal. The government ordered a three-day period of mourning.

Weather. An orange code warning for blizzard is in place until Friday morning in the mountain regions in ten counties in Romania, as well as two yellow code alerts for wind in place in the centre, north-west, east and south. In the regions in question, wind speeds are expected to pass 110-120 km/hour, and strong blizzards and low visibility of under 50 metres are forecast. Temperatures today are higher than usual at this time of the year, with highs between 4 and 14 degrees Celsius and 9 degrees in Bucharest at noon.

Deficit. Romania’s budget deficit went up to 7.12% of GDP after the first 11 months of the year, from 6.19% after ten months and compared with 4.58% in the same period last year, according to data published by the finance ministry today. Total revenues accounted for 523.94 billion lei in the first 11 months of the year, up by 12.7%, while general consolidated budget expenses amounted to 649.66 billion lei, up by 20.6% compared with the same period last year.

Schengen. The Romanian Border Police is ready for Romania’s full entry into the Schengen area on 1^st January 2025, when border controls will be lifted on 40 border crossings, by road, rail and port. According to a statement from the Border Police General Inspectorate, from next year, travels from Romania to and from other Schengen member states will be similar to any other local trip. However, people wishing to travel to another Schengen country must have on them a valid travel card, namely passport or identity card, as the Romanian border police will conduct random checks, the statement also reads.

Spending. The Romanian government adopted an emergency order aiming to reduce public spending in 2025. The government wishes to diminish budget spending by 19 billion lei, while raising budget revenues by implementing the reforms laid down in Romania’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan. These tax and budgetary reforms have come under criticism from a number of trade unions’ and employers’ associations. The lack of social dialogue and the haste with which the emergency order has been promoted have also caused dissatisfaction among trade unions in the education, public administration and social assistance sectors, as well as the Energy Employers’ Association.

Price rise. Petrol and diesel oil will cost more in Romania from 1^st January 2025, owing to a 6% increase in excise duties on fuel, according to a report published by the finance ministry. A litre of petrol will cost 0.17 lei more and that of diesel oil by 0.16 lei more. Excise on spirits and sparkling wine will go up by 4.4% from 1^st January. Duties and local taxes will be indexed to catch up with the inflation rate, with the decision to be taken by each individual city hall. In Bucharest, the General City Council has raised taxes by 10.4%.

Elections. Romania may hold new presidential elections on 23^rd of March and 6^th April, according to the Bucharest media quoting political sources from the government coalition formed by the Social Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania. The first round held on 24^th November was annulled by the Constitutional Court based on intelligence provided by the country’s Supreme Defence Council indicating interference from a state-actor. The second round, initially scheduled for 8^th December, was to be a runoff between the nationalist Călin Georgescu, accused of links with Russia, and Elena Lasconi, the leader of the Save Romania Union, in opposition. The second term of the incumbent president Klaus Iohannis was to come to an end on 21^st December, but his stay was extended until the election of a new head of state.

EU. Poland is taking over from Hungary the 6-month rotating EU presidency from 1^st January. The international media expect Poland to be much more focused on cooperation than Hungary, in an effort to press ahead with European issues such as support for Ukraine. Poland is one of Kyiv’s strongest supporters, while Hungary’s nationalist leader Viktor Orban vexed Brussels by travelling to Moscow in July to meet Russian president Vladimir Putin. The Polish presidency gets under way against the backdrop of Donald Trump’s return to the White House, with the Europeans fearing a disengagement with Ukraine from the US and commercial tensions with the US, commentators also note.

Tennis. The Romanian tennis player Jaqueline Cristian reached the round of last 16 at the WTA 250 tennis tournament in Auckland, New Zealand, worth more than 275,000 US dollars. She will next meet the winner between top seed Madison Keys and Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti. Former world no. 1 Simona Halep got a wild card for Auckland, but had to pull out because of an injury. In Brisbane, Romania’s Anca Todoni defeated Spain’s Cristina Bucşa to reach the second round of the WTA 500 tournament hosted by this city and will next face Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic.

Parliament. Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday signed a decree to summon the new Parliament, the president’s office said. The new Parliament will meet for the first time on 20^th December, following parliamentary elections on 1^st December. The leaders of the pro-European coalition, made up of the Social Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party, the Save Romania Union, the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania and the group of national ethnic minorities again met on Wednesday for further talks on the make-up of the future government, political sources have said. The latter also said the future government may have 16 ministries and fewer under-secretaries of state and that its membership is to be finalised this week. The four parties and the national minorities, which together hold about two-thirds of the seats in Parliament, will work on a common governing programme based on development and reforms aimed at reducing public spending and bureaucracy in the public sector. They also agreed to increase the current pace of investments and reforms as part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. With respect to the presidential elections, the pro-European parties have pledged to support a possible common candidate.

Schengen. The full accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area from January 1 will be on the agenda of Thursday’s meeting of the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council. Austria has recently announced that it will give up its right of veto that blocked the Schengen accession of the two countries with land borders as well. The argument was that the Austrian authorities’ insistence on combating illegal immigration led to a decrease in the number of migrants intercepted near the border of Austria with Hungary, the most frequent entry route into the country. The only uncertain thing is the maintenance, after January 1, of controls at the land borders between Hungary and Romania and between Romania and Bulgaria for a period of at least six months. These controls would be necessary to mitigate a possible change in migratory routes and to prevent any serious threat to public order and internal security. We remind you that Romania and Bulgaria partially joined Schengen with air and sea borders at the end of March this year.

Inflation. The annual inflation rate went up in November to 5.11%, from 4.67% in October, as the price of food and non-food products rose by over 5%, and that of services by over 7%, according to data published by the National Institute of Statistics. The National Bank of Romania has revised upwards to 4.9%, from 4% previously, its inflation forecast for the end of 2024. The national bank also expects the inflation rate to reach 3.5% at the end of 2025.

NATO. Romania remains firmly committed to its Euro-Atlantic path, and the decision to make our own contribution to strengthening security in the region remains solid, said the country’s Defence Minister, Angel Tîlvăr. Together with the United States ambassador in Romania, Kathleen Kavalec, he visited the Mihail Kogălniceanu air base (in the south-east), where he met a delegation made up of defence attachés from NATO countries accredited in Bucharest and allied military stationed at this base.

Moldova. The pace partnership between the Republic of Moldova and NATO “contributed to creating a safer environment for citizens, strengthening the army’s defence capacities and the resilience of our society in general”, said the Moldovan president Maia Sandu on Tuesday during a visit to the NATO headquarters. She met NATO secretary general Mark Rutte to discuss regional security, hybrid threats and the need for joint action to protect democracies in the region. Speaking to the North Atlantic Council, NATO’s principal decision-making body, Maia Sandu emphasised her country’s efforts to maintain peace and stability while a war is being waged near its borders and to consolidate its resilience to hybrid threats, a statement from the Moldovan president’s office reads. Maia Sandu also met the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels, with the latter announcing support worth 60 million euros for the Republic of Moldova for the reform of its justice system and economic stability.