Category: The Week in Review

  • The Week in Review

    The Week in Review

    Romania’s interim president attends European Council in Brussels

    Romania’s interim president Ilie Bolojan on Thursday in Brussels called for an increased role from Europe in maintaining peace on the continent, supporting Europe and boosting defence spending. He attended an extraordinary meeting of the European Council where EU heads of state and government promised to support Ukraine in the context of the foreign policy pursued by the US president Donald Trump and to spend more on defence. The EU worked out a defence plan agreed by the leaders of the member states and whose priority is strengthening defence on the eastern flank, from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. EU states will have at their disposal a fund of 150 billion euros for defence spending. Here’s Ilie Bolojan speaking about this plan:

    Most certainly, most of this endowment, of these investments, will be focused in this area, and with respect to production, to the consortia, this will be spread out across the entire European Union. I believe this is also an opportunity for our defence industry, for these products to be manufactured in factories in Romania, creating jobs.”

    Romania said it will not send troops to Ukraine, but is willing to become a regional defence centre providing logistics and support for the troops deployed by other states. Ilie Bolojan:

    Romania’s presence will be necessary in terms of planning and elements that have to do with the use of our infrastructure, military bases, for example, or other elements of defence infrastructure like ports and airports.”

    After the summit in Brussels, Ilie Bolojan said Romania cannot double its military spending from one year to the next and recalled that last year, it spent more than 2.2% of GDP on defence, while the European average was 1.9%.

    Romania and NATO’ eastern flank

    Romanian interim president Ilie Bolojan on Monday had a telephone conversation with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, saying the North Atlantic Alliance is the main guarantor of Romania’s security. He insisted on the importance of the transatlantic relationship and the American presence in Europe, which he views as essential for the security of the continent. Romania continues to contribute to the stability and security of NATO’s eastern flank alongside its partners and to support the consolidation of security in the Black Sea region, Ilie Bolojan emphasised. He added that Romania is once again ready to boost its investments in the defence sector. Referring to the situation in Ukraine, he spoke of the need for a fair and lasting peace and the importance of maintaining support for the neighbouring state. Mark Rutte thanked Romania for its contribution as an allied state and for being a member state that acts responsibly, being an important factor of security and stability in the Black Sea area and on the eastern flank.

    Romania rejects Russian accusations

    The authorities in Bucharest have categorically rejected the claims of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service that the European Union blackmailed Romania into blocking the candidacy of independent candidate Călin Georgescu in the presidential elections in May. Without providing any evidence, the Russian service claims that the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, asked the authorities in Bucharest to ban him from participating in the next election, warning that otherwise she would restrict Romania’s access to European funds. The Romanian Foreign Ministry qualifies the accusations of the Russian service as “ridiculous and completely unfounded” and says they are part of a hybrid campaign to undermine democracy and diminish trust in the authorities. In turn, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu considers the comments of a Russian secret service regarding decisions of the Romanian authorities intolerable. Meanwhile, Georgescu remains under judicial control for 60 days, after judges on Thursday rejected as unfounded his complaint against the measure in the case in which he is being investigated for several crimes. Prosecutors accuse Georgescu of plotting to destabilize Romania with the help of mercenaries led by Horațiu Potra, after the Constitutional Court annulled the results of the first round of the presidential election.

    Treason case in Romania

    The Bucharest Court of Appeal ordered the preventive arrest of two members of a group formed and developed on the model of a military structure, accused of treason and ties to Russian agents, as well as the placement of four other members under judicial control for 60 days. Radu Theodoru, a retired major general, aged 101, is also being investigated as a suspect in the case. According to DIICOT, the organized crime service, the group aimed to withdraw Romania from NATO, abolish the constitutional order, abolish parties, adopt a new constitution, and change the flag, anthem, and even the name of the country. Investigators also say that the group members requested support from officers at the Russian Embassy and had several contacts with agents of a foreign power, both in Romania and in Russia. In the meantime, the Romanian authorities declared the Russian military attaché in Bucharest and his deputy persona non grata. The Romanian Intelligence Service stated that the two had collected information from areas of interest, and supported the anti-constitutional actions of the six Romanians accused of treason. Furthermore, recently, the name of the deputy of the Russian military attaché appeared in the criminal file of the former presidential candidate, the pro-Russian extremist Călin Georgescu.

  • THE WEEK IN REVIEW

    THE WEEK IN REVIEW

    Annual meeting of heads of diplomatic missions accredited in Bucharest

    Romania maintains its main foreign policy directions, as a member of the EU and NATO, having a Strategic Partnership with the US and being open to cooperation with all partners who share the same values and principles that Bucharest supports. This is one of the messages sent by the country’s interim president at the annual meeting of heads of diplomatic missions accredited in Bucharest. Ilie Bolojan declared that it is time for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, which began three years ago, to stop. He noted that a ceasefire, followed as soon as possible by a just and lasting peace, is an objective that must be pursued by both the parties to the conflict and the entire international community. Ilie Bolojan asked Romanian diplomats to get more involved in the country’s economic promotion, emphasizing that Romania remains a reliable and willing partner in this regard.

    Romania advocates for cooperation between European countries and the US in resolving the crisis in Ukraine

    On Wednesday, interim president Ilie Bolojan went to Paris, for a new meeting organized by French President Emmanuel Macron, after the one on Monday, which took place in a restricted format. Ilie Bolojan used this opportunity to advocate for cooperation between European countries and the United States in resolving the crisis in Ukraine, given that Washington has begun dialogue with Moscow to end the war. Ukraine’s security is also the security of Europe and Romania, declared the interim president. He also stated that coordination at the EU level is needed in order to have an action plan aimed at continuing support for Ukraine. Ilie Bolojan also had a separate meeting with Emmanuel Macron, during which the two leaders reconfirmed the strategic partnership between the two countries, as well as the stability of the French military presence in Romania, which will be consolidated in the coming period.

    Security decisions in the Parliament in Bucharest

    The Chamber of Deputies adopted, without amendments, as the first party to be notified, the draft law that allows the shooting down of drones that illegally enter the national airspace. These will be destroyed or neutralized if the Romanian or NATO military forces are unable to control them. A favorable vote was also received for the project regarding the peacetime deployment of military missions in the country, and one of the included measures allows, for a limited period, the authority of some structures of the Romanian Army to be transferred to a commander of the allied military forces participating in these actions. The projects were criticized by the sovereignist opposition parties, while the parties in the governing coalition – PSD, PNL and UDMR – and, in the opposition, USR voted in their favor.

    Discussions in Brussels between the Romanian Prime Minister and the head of the European community executive

    The renegotiation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, as well as the global and regional security situation, were included on the agenda of Friday’s talks in Brussels between Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. The government wants Romania to fully absorb the funds made available to it through the European mechanism. In this regard, the Prime Minister announced a broad mobilization to recover the gaps registered so far in attracting European funding. In his opinion, however, there are a number of aspects of the NPRR that require adaptation to current realities and the reprofiling of investments with lower co-financing.

    Election details

    The President of the Constitutional Court of Romania rules out the possibility of a second round of the presidential elections. In an interview with the online publication juridice.ro, Marian Enache defended last year’s decision to annul the electoral process, taken unanimously by the constitutional judges. He explained that the Court’s decision was based on declassified documents in the national security council meeting, which highlighted serious irregularities regarding equal opportunities, financing of the electoral campaign, and influencing the vote. According to the president of the CCR, annulling the election was the only constitutional solution that would guarantee a fair electoral process for all citizens.

    National Constantin Brâncuși Day

    Since 2015, Romania has been marking National Constantin Brâncuși Day annually on February 19, paying tribute to the personality of the great Romanian sculptor, who was born 149 years ago. The Romanian Cultural Institute has scheduled several thematic events. On Tuesday, in Bucharest, the screening of the documentary “Brâncuşi, the Metamorphoses of Sculpture” took place, which used rare video archives featuring the great Romanian sculptor’s studio, while exhibitions, film screenings, or conferences are scheduled abroad in Beijing, Istanbul, Madrid, Tel Aviv, London, Paris, Vienna, Lisbon and Stockholm.

    Romania has a representative in the European football spring season

    Romania’s football champion, FCSB, qualified for the round of 16 of the Europa League, after eliminating, on Thursday evening, at the National Arena in Bucharest, the Greek team PAOK Salonic, coached by Romanian Răzvan Lucescu. FCSB won 4-1 on aggregate against PAOK Salonic: in the first leg, in Greece, the score was 2-1, and, in Bucharest, the Romanian champion won 2-0, in front of over 50 thousand spectators. FCSB will play the first leg of the round of 16 at home on March 6, and the return leg on March 13.

  • February 9-13

    February 9-13

    100 days with Ilie Bolojan, after 10 years with Klaus Iohannis

    This Wednesday, Klaus Iohannis ended his second and last term as President of Romania. Ilie Bolojan, who stepped down as Senate Speaker and president of PNL took over the position of interim head of state. The Constitutional Court took note the presidency was vacated after Klaus Iohannis announced his resignation on Monday and established that the head of the Senate should step in as interim president. Ilie Gavrilă Bolojan was born 1969, in Bihor County (west). He studied mechanics and mathematics. He joined PNL in 1993. He is considered one of the best local specialists in local public administration. Over 2008-2020, he was mayor of Oradea, holding three mandates. Since 2020, he has been president of the Bihor County Council, a position he held until last year, when he became a senator. As interim president, an office he will hold for about a hundred days, Bolojan will have limited powers: he cannot address Parliament on key political issues, he cannot dissolve Parliament and he cannot call a national referendum. On December 21, 2024, Klaus Iohannis was supposed to end his term in office, but his stay at the Presidency was extended after the Constitutional Court annulled the entire process for the election of a new president. A new presidential election is slated for May, with the first round on the 4th and the second round on the 18th.

     

    The state budget for 2025, ratified on the last day of Iohannis term in office

    A few hours before announcing his resignation, President Iohannis signed the decrees for ratifying the State Budget Law for 2025 and the State Social Security Budget Law. The two bills were voted last week in a joint Parliament sitting. The budget is based on an economic growth rate of 2.5% and a budget deficit target of 7% of GDP. Finance Minister Tanczos Barna stated, before the plenary sitting, that the state budget is “moderate” and based on a prudent increase in revenues, “without exaggerations”. The Romanian official pointed out that the State Social Security Budget Law focuses “primarily on the payment of pensions”.

     

    A no-confidence vote is in the making

    The three parties in the self-proclaimed sovereignist opposition, AUR, SOS Romania and POT, have announced their intention to call for a vote of no-confidence against the PSD-PNL-UDMR ruling coalition. The motion could also be voted by MPs from the pro-European opposition party USR. Social-Democrat Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu claims he has no reasons to be afraid and that he is “confident” that “the government will not fall”. Political pundits do not rule out, however, possible defections within the majority and are skeptical about the chances of Ciolacu’s Cabinet staying in power.

     

    A new Russian attack

    The Romanian Foreign Ministry firmly condemns the irresponsible attack by Russian forces on February 13, when two drones carrying explosives violated the airspace and fell on Romanian territory, near the border with Ukraine. By order of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Emil Hurezeanu, the ad interim charge d’affaires of the Russian Federation in Bucharest was urgently summoned to the headquarters of the Ministry, where the Romanian side firmly condemned the repeated violations of Romania’s airspace. These illegal and irresponsible attacks must cease, while Romania has the right to take the necessary response measures, the Ministry said. Attending the 61st edition of the Munich International Security Conference, in Germany, organized over February 14-16, Minister Emil Hurezeanu calls for a just, comprehensive and sustainable peace in Ukraine The head of diplomacy from Bucharest also advocates for the continued provision of solid support for increasing the resilience of the Republic of Moldova.

     

    Bloody brawl in Urziceni

    Interior Minister, Cătălin Predoiu, states that the involvement of several state structures is needed to combat organized crime and dismantle underworld clans. According to the Romanian official, although hundreds of organized crime groups have been dismantled in recent years, they are regenerating, and solving the problem may take a long time. At the end of last week, in Urziceni (south), two people died and five were injured, following a street brawl seasoned with gunfire, involving a few dozen people. Some of the combatants were arrested and charged with aggravated murder, brawl, disturbing public order and peace, failure to comply with the weapons and munitions legislation, unauthorized use of a weapon, attempted aggravated murder. Street brawls are uncommon in Romania, generally considered a safe country.

     

    Romania secures Rugby World Cup qualification

    Romania qualified for the 2027 World Cup in Australia after grabbing victories this month against Germany, 48-10, and Belgium, 31-14, in Rugby Europe Championship 2025. The Oaks have only missed out on the World Cup once, in 2019, when they were disqualified for fielding a naturalized but ineligible Tongan player. In football, Romanian champions FCSB from Bucharest defeated Greek side PAOK Thessaloniki 2-1 on Thursday night in the first leg of their Europa League round-of-16 play-offs. The return leg against the Greeks, coached by Romanian Răzvan Lucescu, is scheduled for next week in Bucharest. Also on Thursday, in handball, the defending champions Dinamo Bucharest lost 26-33 the home match against the Hungarian side One Veszprem HC, in Champions League Group A. (VP)

  • The Week in Review (03-07.02.2025)

    The Week in Review (03-07.02.2025)

    The 2025 budget, adopted

    Romania’s state and social security budgets were adopted on February 6 by the Bucharest Parliament, shortly after being greenlit by the expert committees. The budget is built on an economic growth rate of 2.5% and a deficit of 7% of GDP. Last year, the deficit was close to 9%, prompting the new PSD – PNL – UDMR ruling coalition to make efforts for its gradual reduction. The government has promised that investments will not be affected by the budget rebalancing. According to the finance minister, Tánczos Barna, conditions are met to support the country’s development through record investments and to ensure the financial resources for the payment of salaries and pensions and the protection of the vulnerable categories. The opposition USR criticized the new budget provisions, for what they see as overestimation of income, indebtedness of Romanians through the measures adopted and the elimination of some tax facilities.

     

     

    Huge real estate scam with political overtones

    The vote on the state budget was not the only important event that took place on Wednesday, in Parliament. Representatives of both opposition groups in Parliament, the pro-Europeans and the sovereigntists, loudly demanded the resignation of the Social-Democratic prime minister Marcel Ciolacu. The reason is the insufficiently clarified connections which he allegedly has with the former Social Democratic MP Laura Vicol, who headed the Chamber of Deputies’ legal committee for four years, and with her husband, Vladimir Ciorbă. The Prosecutor’s Office accuses the two of having developed a financial scam through which they collected from clients, individuals and legal entities, over 195 million euros, without delivering the apartments and parking lots which their clients had paid for. The Vicol-Ciorbă couple and three other people with positions within the Nordis group of companies have been arrested this week after extensive searches carried out in Romania and abroad. The investigation targets 40 individuals and 32 companies. According to investigators, there were also cases of the same apartment being sold to different clients. The prosecutor’s office seized hundreds of apartments and houses, commercial spaces, land, cars and shares and blocked dozens of bank accounts of the individuals and companies involved. The tax office announced an internal control, after prosecutors claimed that four of its inspectors could be charged with favoring the criminal. The latter allegedly took no measures against the Nordis group, although they had already discovered irregularities three years ago. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, who traveled on planes rented by Nordis, claims that he paid for his flights himself. He is not being accused of any crime, but his image is tainted by his presence, alongside other PSD leaders, in the company of such people.

     

    A new attempt to suspend the president

    Prime Minister Ciolacu is not the only one whose resignation is being requested. One of the three sovereigntist parties in the Romanian Parliament on Wednesday submitted a new request, the third, for the suspension of President Klaus Iohannis. The previous request had been rejected by the Permanent Bureaus. The new request is also signed by the Save Romanian Union (USR) whose members said they would vote for it if it reached the plenary session. The opposition claims that the presence of Iohannis at the helm of the state is illegitimate. However, Iohannis repeatedly ruled out the option of his resignation, arguing that the Constitution requires him to remain in office until the future president is sworn in. Iohannis remained in office although his second and last term expired on December 21, after the Constitutional Court annulled last year’s presidential election. A new vote will take place on May 4 and 18. The former liberal leader Crin Antonescu will also enter the race for the supreme office. Last Sunday he received the validation as a joint candidate of the coalition government (PSD-PNL-UDMR) also from the social democrats, after he had previously been confirmed by the liberals and ethnic Hungarians.

     

    Again, about the theft of the Dacian treasure pieces

    The prime minister’s control body has found deficiencies or legislative gaps in terms of protecting the cultural heritage, and failures of compliance with the legal framework that regulates the temporary export of classified movable cultural assets. This is the result of checks undertaken in relation to the conditions in which some of the artefacts from the Dacian treasure were exhibited in the Dutch Drents Museum in Assen. The control body also found that the security and anti-burglary security measures and conditions proposed by the foreign entities to which the assets were lent were not analyzed by specialists. Four of the most important artefacts from Romania’s national heritage have been recently stolen from the Drents Museum in the Dutch city of Assen, namely the gold helmet from Coţofeneşti, dating from the period between the 5th and 4th centuries before Christ, as well as three Dacian gold bracelets from Sarmizegetusa Regia, from the second half of the first century before Christ. The pieces, of inestimable historical value, were part of the Exhibition “Dacia – The Kingdom of Gold and Silver” which opened on July 7, 2024 and was to be closed on January 25.

     

    Retirement of a great champion

    “My body can no longer sustain the effort it takes to get back to where I once was, and I know what that requires.” This is how Simona Halep, the most valuable tennis player in the history of Romania, with the most titles, explained her retirement. The announcement was made on Tuesday, almost a year after returning to professional competitions, which she had been banned from due to doping allegations. Simona Halep was in first place in the WTA ranking for 64 weeks. Her record includes two Grand Slam titles – Roland Garros and Wimbledon – as well as three other finals played, two at Roland Garros and one at the Australian Open. She has won 24 titles and won more than 40 million dollars from tennis, being third on the all-time list of WTA earners, behind Serena and Venus Williams. (EE, LS)

  • THE WEEK IN REVIEW

    THE WEEK IN REVIEW

    Romanian presidential election calendar

    The PSD-PNL-UDMR coalition government in Bucharest has adopted the presidential election calendar. According to the document, the first round of voting will take place on May 4, and the second – on May 18. Candidacies are submitted to the Central Electoral Bureau by March 15. The electoral campaign will begin on April 4 and end on May 3, at 7:00. While the actual voting on Romanian territory will begin on May 4, at 7:00, and end at 9:00 p.m., voting abroad will take place for three days, starting on May 2, at 7:00 a.m. local time. On the third day, voting will end at 21:00, Romanian time, but, as within the country, there is the possibility of extending this interval until 23:59, Romanian time, if there are still voters in the polling station or waiting in line. The second round of voting will begin in the country on May 18, while voting abroad will also last three days, and will begin on May 16, following the same rules as in the first round. We recall that, on December 6 last year, after validating the first round, and the second round was already underway in polling stations abroad, the Constitutional Court of Romania annulled the presidential elections, citing interference by a state actor. The CCR then decided that the electoral process should be resumed in its entirety.

    The Venice Commission and the Romanian elections

    The Venice Commission published its report on Monday on the annulment of the Romanian presidential elections by the Constitutional Court. The recommendations that were made state that such a decision should not be based exclusively on classified information, which does not guarantee the necessary transparency, but should precisely indicate the violations and evidence. In addition, the power of the Constitutional Court to invalidate the elections should be limited to exceptional circumstances and clearly regulated. Independent constitutional law experts also argue that proving violations of the law through online campaigns and social media is particularly difficult. Finally, the Venice Commission declines its competence to rule on the decision of the Romanian Constitutional Court to annul the presidential elections. In Bucharest, political parties in opposition today, namely the pro-European USR and the sovereignist AUR and the Young People’s Party, reacted immediately, emphasizing that, in effect, the consultative body of the Council of Europe confirmed that the Constitutional Court’s decision was illegal and abusive. Former Justice Minister Tudorel Toader explained, however, that this commission issued opinions, not a decision, and that the suggestions made are not binding.

    Romania’s draft state budget for this year has been finalized

    Romania’s draft state budget for 2025 is going through the final stages before the Government sends the document for debate in Parliament, where Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu expects to receive the final vote next week. The executive promises a frugal budget, based on realistic estimates of revenues and better collection of taxes and duties by the tax authorities, with sizable allocations for investments. The budget is built taking into account an economic growth of 2.5% in 2025, and an average inflation of 4.4%, with the deficit being set at 7% of the Gross Domestic Product. The funds allocated to the Presidential Administration, the Senate, and the Chamber of Deputies will decrease, and the budgets of some ministries, such as environment, health, education, or transport, will increase. The largest increases are observed, according to a draft of the project, at the ministries of education, health, environment, and transport, but, by far, the most significant increase will be at the Ministry of Energy, with 153%.

    Three suspects arrested in the case of the theft of the Romanian Dacian treasure from the Netherlands

    Three people suspected of stealing the Romanian Dacian treasure 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 representatives of the Romanian Ministry of the Interior, who specified that all three are Dutch citizens. However, there is no information about the location of the stolen artifacts. These are the golden helmet from Coţofeneşti and three Dacian bracelets from Sarmizegetusa Regia – heritage objects, but also essential parts of the history and identity of the Romanian people, an invaluable cultural heritage not only for Romania, but for the entire world, specifies the Minister of Culture in Bucharest, Natalia Intotero. The minister dismissed the director of the National Museum of History of Romania, whom he criticized for the way he communicated publicly and institutionally in the case of the theft of the treasure items. We recall that the History Museum is the one that sent the artifacts to the exhibition in the Netherlands. In the meantime, several investigations are underway in the country regarding the way the exhibition in the Netherlands was organized, and whether all legal provisions were complied with.

    Romanian football champion FCSB will play in the Europa League play-off

    Romanian football champion FCSB was defeated by the English team Manchester United with a score of 2-0, Thursday evening, at the National Arena in Bucharest, in the eighth and final round of the Europa League football competition. The Bucharest team will play in the play-offs for the round of 16. The Romanian champion ranked 11th. The top eight qualified directly for the round of 16.

  • January 19-25

    January 19-25

    Deficit

    Romania’s plan to reduce the budget deficit was approved on Tuesday by the European Finance Ministers, along with the finance ministers of seven other states for which the European Commission opened the special procedure for excessive budget deficit. Romania’s fiscal budget plan aims to stabilize the public debt and reduce the deficit below 3% of the GDP in the period 2025-2031. Romanian Minister Tánczos Barna stated that reducing the deficit over a period of seven years, instead of four, will allow the economy to maintain an adequate level of public investments. It is, at the same time, the minister claims, a premise for avoiding imbalances and sustainable economic growth. On the sidelines of the Council in Brussels, Commissioner Valdis Dombrolskis had a separate meeting with the Romanian Minister of Finance to discuss the details of the plan. Tánczos Barna says that in the next seven years, Romania will receive financial and technical support to restore the macroeconomic balance. The parameters indicated by the European Commission aim, as a whole, to keep public expenses under control and ensure economic growth through investments.

    Parliament Reorganization

    The President of the Romanian Senate, Ilie Bolojan, announced on Wednesday that the Senate posts would be reduced from almost 800 to just over 600, and the car fleet of the legislative forum and the fuel quota would also be reduced. Bolojan has given assurances that the process will be fair and transparent, with the aim of ensuring a more efficient activity and reducing costs. Senate staff and union representatives criticize the approach, and several employees protested spontaneously, right during the announcement. The trade union federations have denounced what they call the “abusive and opaque method” through which restructuring measures are adopted and communicated and claim that the reorganization of the institution is “lacking transparency and fairness”.

    The Liberal leader has also announced the reorganization of the Chamber of Deputies and the reduction of the number of secretaries of state. Here, more than 200 positions will eliminated out of around 1,100, confirmed the president of the Chamber, Ciprian Şerban. Energy efficiency measures, such as reducing the lighting of the building, are also being considered. The reorganization plan will be finalized next week. The announcements related to the reorganization of central public institutions and state companies come in the conditions where the Bucharest Government is trying to reduce the budget deficit, including public spending. From the opposition, the Save Romania Union requests the leaders of the governing coalition to publicly present the complete list of institutes and agencies that they will abolish or merge, as well as the criteria for selecting employees.


    Presidential Elections

    In Bucharest, the central board of the Social Democratic Party(PSD) validated on Tuesday the former Liberal leader Crin Antonescu as the joint candidate of the governing coalition PSD-PNL-UDMR for the presidential elections in May. The decision made by the Social Democrats comes after the analysis of the sociological studies carried out in the last two weeks regarding the Romanians’ voting intentions in the presidential election. Also on Tuesday, the date of the party’s extraordinary congress was set, on February 2, when the former Liberal leader’s candidacy will be fully validated. The National Liberal Party (PNL) is going to validate Crin Antonescu’s candidacy on Sunday, at the meeting of the National Political Council, and the UDMR will present its decision early next week. The presidential elections are scheduled for May 4 and 18. At the beginning of the week, the Permanent Electoral Authority in Bucharest announced that the parties can start collecting signatures for the candidates they support in the May presidential elections. Signatures can only be collected in physical form, and one voter can support several candidates.

    INSCOP Survey

    An INSCOP survey, published on Tuesday, shows that 90% of Romanians reject the idea of leaving NATO, a record level of adherence to the North Atlantic Organization. According to the research, based on data collected at the end of last year, in the last three years there has been a 10% increase in Romanians’ adherence to the Western direction from the point of view of political and military alliances. The survey also shows that Romania’s membership in the European Union is seen as an advantage in terms of the implications on economic and social life, on family and personal life, by almost three quarters of the respondents. Three years ago, only 55% of Romanians believed this. At the same time, 88 percent believe that Romania should remain in the EU, and 78% that the country’s economic future depends on its EU membership. Three years ago, a quarter of the population said that Romania would be better off leaving the Union. Finally, the research also shows, more than half of Romanians believe that the country should put national interests first, even if this means violating EU rules.

    George Enescu Festival

    The program of this year’s George Enescu International Festival was published, and on Tuesday the subscriptions for this event went on sale. The 27th edition of the Festival will mark 70 years since the death of the great Romanian composer. Approximately 4,000 Romanian and international artists, 80 orchestras and musical groups from 28 countries have already announced their presence, which will bring to the fore both the artistic legacy of George Enescu, and his impact on universal classical music. This anniversary edition will have an original program, which will attract the traditional music-loving public, but also the young, with almost 100 concerts and shows, grouped into seven large series, for all categories of classical music lovers. The festival will take place between August 24 and September 21, 2025, under the high patronage of the President of Romania. (MI)

  • THE WEEK IN REVIEW

    THE WEEK IN REVIEW

    Presidential elections redux

    The first round of the presidential elections will take place on May 4, and the second round on May 18 – the PSD-PNL-UDMR coalition government in Bucharest established on Thursday. Romanians in the country will vote during a single day, and those in the diaspora will have three days, but on the last day, Sunday, the polling stations will close at 9:00 PM Romanian time, regardless of the local time zone. The decision was made to avoid leaving a time gap to influence the vote when it would have closed in Romania, but would have remained open abroad, in the polling stations to the west of the country. The authorities have also imposed stricter rules for the electoral campaign, especially on the internet, non-compliance with which can be fined up to 50,000 lei (about 10 thousand euros), and, in the case of large online platforms, up to 5% of turnover.

    The government decision setting the date of the presidential elections was published in the Official Gazette. Representatives of several non-governmental organizations stated that it is unacceptable to adopt such a normative act without a real public debate and without an analysis of the aspects that affected the previously canceled election. We recall that, after validating the first round of the presidential elections on November 24, the Constitutional Court of Romania canceled the presidential elections in their entirety on December 6, while voting for the second round had already begun in the diaspora.

    The CCR made the decision after the Supreme Council for National Defense published a report that spoke of external interference in the electoral process, unconfirmed, however, for now, by judicial investigations. Tens of thousands of people from all over the country took to the streets on Sunday, most of them in Bucharest, to demand the resumption of the second round, which they consider to have been unjustly canceled. Many also called for the resignation of Klaus Iohannis, who is still president, although on December 21 he had completed his second and last term to which he was entitled. 161 opposition MPs signed for the suspension of the president, and the AUR party officially requested the convening of an extraordinary session of Parliament between January 20 and 24, in order to begin the suspension procedure. For this purpose, the vote of 234 MPs is needed.

    NBR decisions

    The National Bank of Romania maintains its cautious attitude and decided this week to keep the monetary policy interest rate unchanged, at 6.5% per year. The reference interest rate has not been changed since August, amid efforts to reduce inflation. According to the NBR, it increased more than expected in the last quarter of 2024, due to fuel prices and the summer drought. Experts are cautious about a possible decrease in the monetary policy interest rate this year. They believe that if the domestic economic context does not improve after the presidential elections, there may also be great pressure on the exchange rate of the national currency. On the other hand, the Romanian Government is working on the draft budget for 2025. The deficit target of 7% established with the European Commission will be maintained, as well as a target of 7% of GDP for investments.

    Again, about the Mineriadă

    Former Romanian President Ion Iliescu and former Prime Minister Petre Roman were indicted again this week in the Mineriadă case (the miner raids) of June 1990 for crimes against humanity. Prosecutors must start the investigation from scratch after the evidence they had previously collected was annulled in court. They claim that in June 1990, decision-makers in the Romanian state launched a policy of repression against the civilian population in the capital, resulting in the killing of 4 people, the rape of 2, physical and/or mental harm to over 1,300 people, and the unlawful imprisonment of over 1,200. Starting in April 1990, a protest took place in Bucharest for several weeks, in opposition to the power that had just been established after the anti-communist Revolution.

    According to prosecutors, on June 13, 14 and 15, repressive action was taken against the demonstrators, in which forces of the Ministry of Interior, Defense Ministry, the Romanian Intelligence Service, as well as over ten thousand miners, and other workers from several areas of the country were illegally involved. The miners brought to Bucharest devastated the headquarters of the newly founded or re-established political parties after the Revolution and which were in opposition, as well as the homes of the main political leaders in the opposition, the headquarters of independent press publications and of some educational institutions.

    National Culture Day

    Since 2011, Romania celebrates National Culture Day every year on January 15, the birthday of national poet Mihai Eminescu. This year, it was the celebration of 175 years since the birth of the person who is considered the greatest Romanian poet. Dedicated to Romanian culture, art, and academic effort, National Culture Day was celebrated, through numerous events, in all communities inhabited by Romanians inside and outside the country’s borders. However, there were also protests by members of the Federation of Culture and Press Unions, CulturMedia, who wanted to draw attention to the underfunding of the sector and the wage inequities that affect employees in museums, libraries, and cultural centers.

  • THE WEEK IN REVIEW

    THE WEEK IN REVIEW

    Calendar of the new presidential elections in Romania

    The political parties that make up the ruling coalition in Romania, together with representatives of national minorities, agreed on Wednesday the calendar of the new presidential elections. The first round will take place on May 4, and the second round on May 18, with the decision to be legally implemented next week through normative acts adopted by the Executive. The decision comes after the Constitutional Court annulled the presidential election process last year due to foreign hybrid interference, and the undeclared financing of the electoral campaign of one of the candidates. Specifically, the independent candidate Călin Georgescu, an ultranationalist and admirer of Vladimir Putin, who surprised everyone by managing to collect the most votes in the first round of the elections on November 24. In its first meeting this year, the governing coalition also established that former PNL president Crin Antonescu would be validated, in February, in the leadership forums of the component parties as a common presidential candidate. Until then, an opinion poll will be organized to find out the mood of the population and its real problems. Announced, on December 23, as the sole representative of the coalition in the race for president, a few days ago Crin Antonescu had suspended himself from the agreement, citing the lack of a concrete date for the presidential elections, as well as the lack of support from the political forces that proposed him. Wednesday was also the day when the Bucharest Court of Appeal published the reasoning for the decision by which the legal action opened on December 31 by Călin Georgescu and the Coalition for the Defense of the Rule of Law against the Central Electoral Bureau in connection with the annulment of the presidential elections was rejected. The decisions of the Constitutional Court of Romania are final and binding, therefore they cannot be analyzed in court – writes the Bucharest Court of Appeal in its argumentation document, which also specifies that, by annulling these elections, no civil and fundamental rights of citizens were violated, as provided for in the Constitution.

    Visit to Bucharest of the Executive Vice-President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy of the European Commission, Stéphane Séjourné

    Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu received, this week, the Executive Vice-President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy of the European Commission, Stéphane Séjourné, with whom he discussed the status of the European economy, and the need to continue investing in common recovery and development. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu believes that, despite the current European and global economic challenges, the Romanian economy will develop, counting on the support of the European Commission in increasing the absorption of European funds and in protecting the living standards of Romanians. The European Commissioner also met with the President of the Senate, Ilie Bolojan. Also, together with the Minister of Economy, Bogdan Ivan, he visited the Romanian factory Prime Batteries Technology, which produces state-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries and customized energy storage systems. The two also visited aerospace and jet engine research institutes, where they discussed the use of drones for civilian and military purposes, as well as the impact of global competition in this field. Commissioner Stéphane Séjourné stated that Bucharest is the first European capital he is visiting as part of a tour, the purpose of his visit being to support Romania’s industrial development and to underline the strategic importance of this sector.

    Event organized in Washington to mark Romania’s inclusion in the Visa Waiver Program

    An event to mark Romania’s entry into the US Visa Waiver Program was prepared on Friday at the headquarters of the Department of Homeland Security in Washington, in the presence of the Secretary of Homeland Security of the United States, Alejandro Mayorkas, and the Romanian Ambassador to the United States, Andrei Muraru. In Bucharest, Foreign Minister Emil Hurezeanu previously announced that Romanians will be able to travel without a visa to the United States starting in March, after the US authorities will update the ESTA electronic travel authorization platform. Thus, Romanian citizens will no longer have to undergo interviews at the US consulate. The travel authorization will be valid for two years, with an unlimited number of entries or exits from the US. The authorization can be used for visits of up to 90 days, and the cost is 21 US dollars, unlike the cost of issuing visas, which is 185 dollars. Romanians can still apply for American visas, which have the advantage of being valid for 10 years, and the duration of a trip is a maximum of six months. The head of diplomacy from Bucharest also highlighted the economic advantages of Romania’s inclusion in the Visa Waiver Program. Beyond the improvement in the number of tourists, there will be more business trips, investors who travel more easily, which will lead to an increase in trade – says Emil Hurezeanu. As a result of the decision of the US federal government, Romania becomes the 43rd participant in the American visa waiver program.

  • The Year 2024 in Review

    The Year 2024 in Review

    Electoral marathon abandoned before the end

     

    2024 was announced as a complicated political year from the very beginning, with elections of all types, local, European Parliament, presidential and legislative, but no one anticipated what was going to happen at the end of the year and of the electoral marathon. In June, local elections were held together with the European Parliament elections. The common list for the European Parliament proposed by the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the National Liberal Party (PNL), the parties in the governing coalition, prevailed over the other competitors. At the local elections, the social democrats and the liberals won, in that order, the most town halls and county councils. The increasingly heated pre-election speech caused a cooling of relations between the Prime Minister and PSD leader, Marcel Ciolacu, and the PNL leader Nicolae Ciucă, both running for president. And then came the shock of the first round of the presidential election, from November 24, when the political system received a severe blow: Ciucă obtained a single-digit score, Ciolacu came only third, an unwanted scenario and a first for the PSD, the head of the Save Romania Union (USR), Elena Lasconi, was ranked second and the winner was an independent who was not very well known, Călin Georgescu. The general astonishment was followed by concern because the latter’s statements betrayed a pro-Russian and anti-Western extremist, an admirer of the fascist, anti-Semitic leaders of interwar Romania and a promoter of a self-sufficient economic system after the model promoted by Ceausescu. Then, the intelligence services, that had kept silent until then, offered what they consider to be the explanation of Georgescu’s unbelievable score: he would have been aggressively promoted on TikTok, in defiance of electoral laws, and the activity of the TikTok accounts that gave him a strong exposure was financed with a lot of money. Everything would have allegedly happened with the involvement of a state actor. Romania, the Foreign Intelligence Service said, was a target of the aggressive Russian hybrid actions. The Constitutional Court canceled the election, which was an unprecedented decision, on the grounds that the entire electoral process was flawed. In Washington, the bipartisan US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations issued a statement condemning Russia’s involvement in the presidential election in Romania. Vladimir Putin’s attack on the Romanian elections is yet another example of the hybrid war he is waging on our European allies and partners, US senators said. In Brussels, the European Commission announced that it would launch official proceedings against TikTok, after interference in the presidential election in Romania, to find out if the platform violated its legal obligation to assess and mitigate risks to the integrity of the elections. 35 years after the collapse of the communist regime, the still young democratic state called Romania is discovering its major vulnerabilities, which requires, according to analysts, adjustments or even deep institutional and constitutional reforms.

     

    A new fragmented Parliament, a coalition government

     

    Bolstered by Georgescu’s success, three self-styled sovereigntist parties, a sweetened formula that covers ultranationalists, populists, isolationist anti-globalists, detractors of the EU and NATO, extremists or conspirators, entered the Romanian Parliament following the December 1 elections and hold a third of the seats. The representative party of this group is the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR). Alerted by the prospect of an anti-Westerner, supported by sovereigntists, winning the presidency, the pro-European parties PSD, PNL, USR and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) made a pact against extremism after the first round. And after the cancellation of the presidential election, they decided to form a governing coalition. Following tough negotiations and the elimination of USR from the government formula, PSD, PNL and UDMR agreed on a government, led by the same Marcel Ciolacu, and on a common candidate for the upcoming presidential election in the person of the former liberal leader Crin Antonescu. The current president, Klaus Iohannis, is challenged, with arguments, by politicians, and also by experts, who considered the Constitutional Court of Romania – CCR’s decision to cancel the presidential election questionable, on the grounds that it was not based on proven facts. Organizing new elections is a priority. However, the urgency of the moment is the budgetary-fiscal recovery of the country. At the end of the year, Fitch Ratings confirmed Romania’s long-term currency rating at ‘BBB minus’, but worsened the assigned outlook from stable to negative, which means that another downgrade is possible. The revision of the outlook reflects the political uncertainties, which affect the fiscal outlook, the increase in public debt and the high budget deficit.

     

    Criticized measures to reduce budget expenses

     

    In the last meeting of 2024, the Romanian government adopted an emergency ordinance that provides for measures to ensure economic stability, to responsibly manage the budget resources and to maintain control over public spending in 2025. The document provides for the suspension of state employment, as well as the freezing of pensions and of state employees’ salaries at the level of 2024. Overtime will no longer be paid, and extra pay or bonuses will no longer be granted. The government claims that, through these measures, it wants to reduce budget expenditures by 1% of the GDP, but not to give up improving people’s lives and investments. The government approved the increase from 8% to 10% in the tax on dividends and the reduction of the taxation ceiling for micro-enterprises from 500,000 Euros to 250,000 Euros. Transportation facilities for students were also restricted and fiscal facilities for some categories of employees were eliminated. The major trade union federations, employers’ organizations and student associations harshly criticized the measures taken by the Government.

     

    Very good news regarding the freedom of movement

     

    From January 1, Romania entered the European free travel area with land borders too, after, in March, it had entered Schengen with air and sea borders. The full accession of Romania and Bulgaria was possible because Austria and the Netherlands gave up their opposition. However, for 6 months, alternative or random controls will be maintained. The Romanian authorities say that the country’s Schengen accession means faster movement for citizens, lower logistics costs for companies, increased competitiveness of Romanian products and services on the European market, business opportunities and jobs. The good news from Brussels was doubled by the one from Washington: the Department of State announced that Romania fell below the threshold of 3% rejected visa applications, a threshold imposed by American legislation to access the Visa-Waiver program that allows visa-free travel to the US.

     

    A successful sporting year

     

    2024 was a good year for Romanian athletes, who returned from the Paris Olympics with 9 medals, three gold, four silver and two bronze. World swimming star, David Popovici lived up to his status, winning the Olympic title in the 200 meters freestyle and the bronze in the 100 meters event. In football, things went well too: the national team passed the groups at Euro 2024 in Germany and qualified for the eighth finals. The national team footballers also had a great game in the League of Nations, which gave them chances in the drawing of lots for the World Cup in North America. (LS)

  • 2024 in review – Roundup of global events

    2024 in review – Roundup of global events

    The rise of the far-right in Europe

    Parliamentary elections this year confirmed the rise of right-wing nationalist or radical parties in countries such as France, Germany, Belgium, Austria, the Netherlands and Italy. At the end of October, in Austria, the Parliament elected a far-right politician as its leader for the first time, after the historic victory of the Freedom Party in the September parliamentary election. In France, a republican front formed ahead of the early parliamentary election in summer managed to block the ruse to power of the nationalist National Assembly party (Rassemblement National), but the absence of a clear majority has since triggered a political crisis. In September, the anti-migration Alternative for Germany (AfD) won a regional election for the first time and obtained historically high scores in two others. Against this background, MEPs approved, on November 27, a new European Commission. The European Commission started its activity on December 1, and President Ursula von der Leyen, having secured a second term in office, promised major projects in the first 100 days.

     

    Donald Trump returns to the White House

    Republican Donald Trump won the United States presidential election on November 5, securing a second term at the White House, owing to a spectacular political comeback. In 2016, he had achieved a surprising victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton, the favorite in the polls at the time. This year, he defeated Kamala Harris, who was endorsed by the Democratic Party in July after the withdrawal of the 80-year-old incumbent president Joe Biden from the race. Despite polls predicting a very close fight between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, the Republican won the seven most contested states. At 78 years old, Donald Trump, whose election campaign was marked by two assassination attempts, four indictments and a criminal conviction, will be inaugurated on January 20, 2025.

     

    Elections and repression in Russia, war in Ukraine

    In Russia, Vladimir Putin began his 5th term as president in June, after winning an election denounced by the West as a sham. Earlier, in February, his famous opponent, Alexei Navalny, aged 47, had died suddenly, under suspicious circumstances, in a prison in the Arctic Circle, where he was serving a sentence for alleged extremist actions. Meanwhile, Ukraine, invaded by Russia in February 2022, launched a surprise attack against the Kursk border region in Russia in summer. In November, Kyiv for the first time used American and British long-range missiles against targets on Russian territory, after Washington and London gave their consent. Moscow retaliated by striking Ukraine with a state-of-the-art, non-nuclear, medium-range ballistic missile and vowed to increase such attacks if Ukraine continued to target Russia with Western missiles. Vladimir Putin even mentioned the possibility of resorting to nuclear weapons.

     

    The war in the Middle East

    Israel continued its military offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, following the Palestinian Islamist group’s unprecedented attack on Israeli territory in October 2023. This year, several important Hamas leaders were killed, most notably the movement’s leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in July in Tehran. Negotiations for a ceasefire produced no results, and the Palestinian territory, where over 44,000 people, mostly civilians, have died, continued to struggle with a serious humanitarian crisis. At the same time, after about a year of cross-border clashes with the Lebanese Hezbollah, Hamas’ Iran-backed ally, in September, the Israeli army launched bombings against the Islamist movement in southern, eastern and northern Lebanon, as well as in the capital Beirut. Israel also undertook a ground offensive against Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon. In response to the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut in September, and of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh earlier, Iran also launched hundreds of missiles on Israel, which responded with strikes on Iranian military bases, raising fears of a wider regional conflict. Also in the Middle East, towards the end of the year, a rebel offensive led by radical Islamists forced Syria’s President, Bashar al-Assad, to flee the country, putting an end to the five-decade Baath Party regime.

     

    Extreme weather conditions

    Heatwaves and droughts, on the one hand, and catastrophic rains, on the other, have also wrought havoc around the world this year. A world atlas published by the UN shows that record-breaking drought episodes are about to become a habit. Meanwhile, floods have devastated many regions of the world. In Europe, southeastern Spain faced historic floods in the fall. According to the authorities, 230 people lost their lives, of whom 222 in the Valencia area alone. The desperate victims criticized the chaotic way in which the authorities managed the crisis, from the late alerting of people to the delayed delivery of aid.

     

    The Paris Olympics

    2024 was also the year when the 33rd edition of the Summer Olympic Games was held, the largest multi-sport event organized every four years. The competition took place in Paris, after an opening ceremony on the Seine River that was as lavish as it was controversial. After hosting the 1900 and 1924 Olympics, the French capital became the second city, after London, to play host to the Olympics three times. Also in Paris, on December 7, world leaders, but also ordinary people, attended the reopening ceremony of the famous Notre-Dame Cathedral, restored after a fire that had destroyed the Gothic monument five years earlier.

     

    The world has lost…

    We cannot end this roundup of the most important global events of 2024 without honoring the memory of personalities who passed away. Thus, in 2024, we said goodbye to international actors Alain Delon, Anouk Aimée, Donald Sutherland or Maggie Smith, to writer Ismail Kadare, to singer Françoise Hardy or to musician, composer and producer Quincy Jones. (VP)

  • THE WEEK IN REVIEW

    THE WEEK IN REVIEW

    Rating

    The Fitch rating agency has changed Romania’s outlook from ‘stable’ to ‘negative’ on its long-term foreign currency credit rating. The assessment reflects the major risks Romania faces due to political instability, fiscal imbalances, and rising public debt, and could lead to higher interest rates on loans the Bucharest government intends to take from the foreign market. The new assessment was made public by the agency two months ahead of schedule, amid severe political instability in the country. Fitch analysts mention the additional political tensions that emerged on the political scene after the cancellation of the presidential elections on November 24, due to external interference, presumably Russian. They also write about the results of the December 1 election, which led to a fragmented Parliament, with a significant increase in the influence of the so-called anti-European and extremist parties (AUR, SOS Romania, and POT). Another reason for concern are the large deficits and the fiscal situation, which continues to deteriorate.

    Politics

    Meanwhile, the self-declared pro-European parties, PSD, PNL (former sworn enemies, but associated in government for three years, in the name of so-called stability and combating extremism), USR and UDMR (currently, in opposition), have not yet managed to agree on a new executive coalition, which would have a majority of over 60% in the Parliament inaugurated on December 20. USR blamed the sins of the past and the lack of appetite for reforms of the potential governing partners, and quickly left the negotiations. Offended, PSD announced that it was withdrawing from the combination, but that it would vote for a minority right-wing government. Without a government with full powers, the state budget for next year cannot be drawn up either. City halls cannot prepare their own budgets, and citizens will immediately feel the effects – warn local economic analysts.

    Timișoara

    In Timișoara (west), the 35th anniversary of the outbreak of the Revolution that led to the fall of communism in Romania was marked throughout the week. On December 16, 1989, parishioners gathered in front of the Reform parish to support pastor László Tőkés, who was threatened with eviction by the political police, the Securitate. Their protest turned into a popular uprising. The repression unleashed by the security forces resulted in over 100 deaths and hundreds of injuries. Timișoara became, on December 20, the first city free from communism in Romania, and from here the flame of the revolution spread throughout the country. Under the theme “35 years of freedom”, ample commemorative events were scheduled, dedicated to the martyred heroes, conferences, exhibitions, shows, concerts and film screenings. The inauguration of the Freedom Portal, a light installation that reproduces sounds from the Revolution, followed by the traditional march entitled “Heroes Never Die”, took place. Tuesday was a day of mourning, and on Friday the Rock for Revolution concert was scheduled.

    Concert

    Two Romanian musicians, violinist Diana Jipa and pianist Ştefan Doniga, performed for the first time in Antarctica. They played in front of over 70 people, researchers and staff from eight science stations. Their performance was the second largest musical event ever organized in that part of the world, after the 2013 concert of the famous rock band Metallica. The two musicians are also the first in the world to have managed to hold professional concerts on all seven continents in less than 100 days. The Romanian artists are now waiting for their performance to be endorsed by the book of world records.

    Football

    The main shareholder of the Rapid Bucharest football club, one of the most popular in Romania, businessman Dan Şucu, has also become the majority shareholder of the Italian club Genoa – the Series A group announced on its official website. The source states that, following a capital inection, of which 40 million euros were paid on December 14, the Board of Directors approved the offer of the Romanian investor. He subscribed to the entire capital increase, obtaining, in return, a stake in the share capital of about 77% in Genoa CFC and leaving the previous shareholders in the minority – the press release also shows. As president of the Concordia Employers’ Confederation, Şucu (61 years old) is a prominent figure in the Romanian economy. He is the founder of Mobexpert, the largest furniture brand in Romania, with over 2,200 employees. He is also involved in the real estate sector and in the media, with a key role in the business daily ”Ziarul Financiar”. Genoa is one of the traditional teams in Italian football. It holds nine Italian championship titles, the first won in 1898, and the last exactly a century ago, in the 1924 season. Rapid, in turn, is, closer to our times, a triple national champion – 1967, 1999 and 2003 –, having won the Romanian Cup 13 times and the Super Cup four times.

  • The Week in Review

    The Week in Review

    A look at the headline-grabbing events of the past week.

     

     Schengen members, at last

     

    The good news of the week, officially confirmed on Thursday, has been Romania’s full accession, alongside with Bulgaria, to the European ​​free movement area. At the end of March, the European partners had agreed to welcome the two states into Schengen with air and sea borders. After the Netherlands and especially Austria decided to no longer oppose, the Justice and Home Affairs Council unanimously approved on Thursday the accession of Romania and Bulgaria with land borders to the Schengen area, as of January 1. Starting with this date, there will be no more checks except at Romania’s borders with Serbia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. However, in the first six months after accession, there will still be alternative or random checks, a security measure to see how the free movement works. Such temporary checks have also been initiated on various internal borders in Schengen, amid an increase in illegal migrants. The authorities in Bucharest welcomed the country’s acceptance into Schengen, emphasizing that the decision translates into faster movement for citizens, lower logistics costs for companies, increased competitiveness of Romanian products and services on the European market as well as business opportunities and jobs.

     

     

    Unfinished election marathon

     

    At the beginning of the week that is ending, Romanians should have known the name of their next president. The second round of the presidential elections had been scheduled for December 8, and should have marked the end of the electoral marathon that began in June with the local and European parliamentary elections. On December 6, however, the Constitutional Court cancelled the election for president, after finding that the electoral process was flawed by multiple irregularities and violations of the electoral legislation. The direct beneficiary of this electoral process, hijacked by Russia’s hybrid attacks, according to intelligence services, would have been the winner of the first round, the independent candidate Călin Georgescu, a pro-Russian extremist, who is also anti-West and an admirer of the fascist leaders of the Romanian interwar period. The Prosecutor’s Office is now investigating two of his close associates, former mercenaries. One of them, suspected of planning to cause unrest in the capital Bucharest, is being investigated for failing to comply with the arms and ammunition laws, operations with pyrotechnic objects and public incitement, and the other for using legionary symbols, which had been used by the anti-Semitic and criminal extreme right of the 1930s. The Financial Times carries the opinion of analysts, according to whom the attractiveness of paramilitary groups in Romania, with very “macho” visions, which combine religion with ultra-nationalism, has increased because the authorities have not intervened.

     

     

    Pro-Europeans in the future Parliament negotiate on a joint government

     

    President Klaus Iohannis, whose mandate will be extended until the election of his successor, convened the new Parliament on December 20. Four pro-European parties, PSD, PNL, USR, UDMR and three self-proclaimed sovereignists, AUR, SOS Romania and POT, will be part the future Parliament, following the December 1st elections. With almost two-thirds of the mandates, the pro-Europeans, joined by the deputies of national minorities, other than the Hungarian one, have began negotiations this week for a broad coalition government. We recall that, before the second round of the presidential elections, PSD, PNL, USR, UDMR and the group of national minorities had signed the pact for a pro-European and Euro-Atlantic coalition. The document was aimed at blocking Călin Georgescu’s access to the highest position within the state. After the election was cancelled, the signatories of that document renewed their commitment and now promise a governing program focused on development and reforms, which will take into account the priorities of citizens. They agreed that a clear plan is needed to streamline and reduce public spending and bureaucracy in public administration. They also agreed to increase the current pace of investments and reforms under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.

     

     

    Inflation, the never-ending problem

     

    The future executive in Bucharest will face a number of challenges, including restoring trust in the political class and reforming state institutions and, last but not least, economic problems. One of the latter is generated by inflation. Fueled by price increases in postal services, fresh fruit and margarine, the inflation rate increased again compared to the previous month. The annual inflation, reported in November 2024 in comparison with the one November 2023, increased again for the second consecutive month, reaching 5.11% from 4.67% in October. One of the causes of the increase in inflation is the high budget deficit, which the Government is struggling to finance, analysts explain. The latest forecast of the Central Bank shows that inflation will fall below 3.5% per year only in 2026.

     

     

    Sports week

     

    Romania’s football champion, FCSB (Bucharest), drew an equal score with the German team Hoffenheim, on Thursday evening, away, in the 6th round of the Europa League. The Bucharest team is ranked 10th in the group and is very close to qualifying for the European spring. They still have two matches to play in January, the last of which is at home against the famous English team Manchester United. In handball, the Romanian women’s national team ranked 11th at the European Championship hosted by Austria, Hungary and Switzerland.

  • The Week in Review

    The Week in Review

    Constitutional Court of Romania cancels presidential elections

    The Constitutional Court of Romania unanimously voted on Friday in favour of a ruling to cancel the entire election process for the presidential elections. The results of the first round of voting are annulled and the presidential elections will be resumed from the start, including the election campaign. “The election process to elect the president of Romania will be resumed entirely and the government will establish a new date for the election of the president of Romania, as well as a new timetable for the necessary actions”, the Court said in its ruling. The ruling is final and mandatory. Information initially circulated in the media that the Constitutional Court judges would meet on Friday in an informal meeting, to discuss whether they would hold an official meeting to debate the requests to cancel the first round of voting. Later, the judges officially ruled to cancel the presidential elections. The decision comes after the independent candidate Călin Georgescu unexpectedly won the first round held on 24th November. Georgescu was accused of benefiting from Russia’s interference with the election process, mainly through an aggressive and concerted manipulation campaign on TikTok. Georgescu was accused of pro-Russia and far right, fascist sympathies. The Supreme Council of National Defence declassified the intelligence received from the secret services and the relevant ministries relating to Călin Georgescu’s election campaign. The intelligence presented by the Romanian Intelligence Service, the Foreign Intelligence Service and the Ministry of Home Affairs indicates that funding for Călin Georgescu’s TikTok campaign amounted to 1 million euros, that actions by a state-sponsored cyber actor targeted IT&C support infrastructure for the election process and that Romania is a target of aggressive hybrid actions from Russia.

    Romania hit by a cyber attack

    A number of documents presented at a meeting of the Romanian Supreme Council for National Defence were declassified on Wednesday by president Klaus Iohannis. These include intelligence reports referring to the failure to comply with electoral advertising rules ahead of the first round of the presidential elections on 24th November. The reports also indicate that an aggressive promotion campaign was conducted that eluded national election legislation and which made use of social media platforms in order to boost the popularity of Călin Georgescu. The increase in the number of accounts promoting him was not organic, and the activity of these accounts was allegedly coordinated by a state-sponsored actor, which used an alternative communication channel to spread the messages on TikTok. The report of the Romanian Intelligence Service also notes that Romania is a target for aggressive hybrid actions from Russia, including intelligence leaks and sabotage.

    The General Prosecutor’s Office announced that it is opening a criminal investigation based on the information contained in the documents of the Supreme Council for National Defence. The inquiry concerns suspicion election crimes that may have influenced the voting process through methods such as corrupting voters, including online. The investigation also concerns money laundering crimes, in relation to the origin and use of the money used for the illegal financing of a candidate’s electoral campaign and computer crimes aimed at influencing voters.

    Political uncertainty has affected the economy, with confidence among the business community and investors falling to fallen to pandemic levels, according to CFA Romania. The Stock Exchange opened in the red. In Washington, the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said the Romanian authorities have revealed a large-scale and well-financed Russian effort to influence the presidential elections. In response, Russia rejected the accusations, which it considers unfounded. In the context of the Romanian elections, the European Commission has intensified its monitoring of the TikTok platform, asking it to take steps to secure information related to all EU elections in order to study them in depth.

    The results of the parliamentary elections 

    The future Parliament from Bucharest resulting from the elections held on December 1, on Romania’s National Day, will be made up of seven political parties. The ruling Social Democratic Party got the most votes and therefore the largest number of seats in Parliament, followed by the sovereigntist Alliance for the Union of Romanians, which has doubled its vote share compared to previous elections four years ago. On the third and fourth places, respectively, are the National Liberal Party, which have been in power with the Social Democrats, and the centre-right Save Romania Union. Other parties that passed the minimum required threshold of 5% were the extremist and sovereignist S.O.S. Romania party, led by the controversial MEP Diana Șoșoacă, the newly established Young People’s Party (POT), led by a former member of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians, and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania.

    With the final results published, talks have begun to form a majority. On Wednesday evening, the pro-European parties, namely the Social Democrats, the Liberals, the Save Romania Union and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians, and the group of other national minorities, signed a joint resolution committing to form a coalition in the future Parliament. According to their leaders, this will be a coalition aimed at ensuring the country’s stability and modernisation and isolating the forces considered extremist.

     

    Football hero passes away

    Football hero Helmut Duckadam, who, together with his side Steaua Bucharest, won the European Champions Cup in 1986, passed away this week, at the age of 65. In the final against FC Barcelona on May 7 that year, Helmut Duckadam saved all four penalty kicks, an achievement which made its way into the Book of Records. Health problems forced him to give up football for good at only 27 years old. For ten years, Duckadam was in charge of public relations at FCSB, and President of Romania awarded him the Sports Merit Order.

    The Gaudeamus Book Fair

    For four days, Bucharest is playing host to the 31st edition of the Gaudeamus Book Fair, organised by Radio Romania. The fair brings together around 200 participants, thousands of titles, special offers and over 600 editorial events. The honorary president of this edition of the Gaudeamus Fair is Mircea Cărtărescu, one of the most well-known and appreciated contemporary Romanian writers and recipient of many national and international awards.

  • THE WEEK IN REVIEW

    THE WEEK IN REVIEW

    Elections with surprises and ruckus

    The organization, in Romania, in a single year, of all types of elections – presidential, parliamentary, European Parliament and local, as well as three consecutive Sundays – November 24, December 1 and 8 – reserved for the election of the president and the Parliament represented, even if only theoretically, a real test for the authorities and society as a whole. After the first round of the presidential elections on November 24, the logistical challenges were overlaid, however, by a surprise of great proportions and a huge political and social scandal. Contrary to all predictions, in first place in the voting options of Romanians was the independent so-called ‘sovereignist’ Călin Georgescu, perceived as a pro-Russian extremist, followed by the USR (opposition) candidate, Elena Lasconi. She overtook the incumbent social-democratic prime minister Marcel Ciolacu by less than 3 thousand votes, after a night of upheaveal. What followed? Prime Minister Ciolacu resigned as PSD leader, as did Nicolae Ciucă, leader of the PNL (in co-government), after he came in fifth in Romanians’ voting options. The Constitutional Court, which was supposed to validate the first round result on Thursday, has requested a re-verification and recount of all ballots after receiving a complaint that votes obtained by a candidate who withdrew from the race in the last stretch, had been turned over to Elena Lasconi. The Constitutional Court’s decision was criticized by most of the candidates involved in the electoral competition, who warned that a possible cancellation of the November 24 election would generate tensions and instability. Meanwhile, also on Thursday, the Supreme Council for National Defense met, and found that cyber attacks had been carried out with the aim of influencing the fairness of the electoral process. At the same time, one of the candidates – a statement from the SCND also states – benefited from preferential treatment and massive exposure on TikTok. The Chinese-owned platform rejected the accusations that indirectly targeted Călin Georgescu, stating that most of the candidates campaigned on its platform, and those who won also campaigned on other digital platforms, as well as in traditional media. In turn, the Special Telecommunications Service reported that, for the organization of the November 24 election, proactive measures were implemented to prevent and counter cyber-security risks, and the IT systems functioned within optimal parameters.

    Parliamentary elections as if on mute

    The infernal “noise” after the first round of the presidential elections made the parliamentary election scheduled for December 1, on National Day, fade in importance. However, the vote of the Romanians is essential insofar as the configuration of the future legislature, as well as the formation of the Government, depends on its result. At the end of an electoral campaign until the morning of November 30, over 8,000 candidates from 31 parties and alliances and 19 national minority organizations hope to obtain the vote of the Romanians to enter Parliament. While the election in Romania takes place over a single day, Sunday, in almost 19,000 polling stations, Romanians abroad are expected to vote in 950 stations over two days: Saturday – November 30 and Sunday – December 1.

    Referendum for Bucharest

    Concurrently with the first round of the presidential elections on November 24, a referendum was also organized in Bucharest, desired by Mayor General Nicușor Dan. When asked whether they agreed with the General Council of the City Hall taking over the distribution of income taxes, local taxes, and duties by sectors, over 64% of Bucharest residents answered “Yes”. Currently, this distribution is made by the government and Parliament. Also, more than 66% of the capital’s residents agreed that the General Mayor should issue all building permits. Finally, to the third question of the referendum, proposed by the PSD, over 84% of Bucharest residents answered that they agree that City Hall should finance a program to combat drug use in schools. The turnout at the referendum was almost 41%. In order to be applied, the vote must be confirmed by the legislature.

    Romanians and free movement

    Bucharest welcomed the decision of the Committee of Permanent Representatives of the Governments of the Member States of the European Union, which gave a favorable opinion on the entry of Romania and Bulgaria into the Schengen Area and with land borders starting with January 1, 2025. The decision was taken unanimously in Brussels. The agreement will go to the Justice and Home Affairs Council for approval in mid-December. On the other hand, Romania has met the visa refusal rate criterion essential for qualifying for the Visa Waiver Program, which allows visa-free travel to the United States. The US State Department published the report according to which Romania has fallen below the 3% threshold imposed by US legislation. More specifically, this year, Romanians have submitted approximately 80,000 visa applications, of which US diplomatic offices have accepted a record number of over 78,000.

    A new European Commission ready to begin work

    The new European Commission received a favorable vote from the European Parliament on Wednesday. One of the vice-presidents of the executive, also led by Ursula von der Leyen, will be Romanian Roxana Mînzatu. The first initiative of the team she is part of will be the adoption of a strategic plan for the growth of the European economy and its competitiveness. In fact, Roxana Mînzatu will also indirectly coordinate this area, because she will deal with social policies and the professional training of European workers. She will also be responsible for the broader spectrum of preparing society for moments of crisis, which refers not only to wars or climate catastrophes, but also to the green transition, digitalization, and social problems. The new European Commission begins its term on December 1.

  • THE WEEK IN REVIEW

    THE WEEK IN REVIEW

    Romanians elect new president

    The first voting station abroad for the first round of the Romanian presidential elections opened on Friday, at 12:00 local time, in Auckland, New Zealand. Australia, and Japan, and other countries in the region followed.

    Voting abroad takes place over three days (November 22, 23 and 24). All Romanian citizens with the right to vote abroad, who have an identity card issued by the Romanian authorities and which is within the validity period, are expected to vote. Voting on Romanian territory is only on Sunday. About 19 thousand polling stations have been set up in the country and 950 abroad. There are 13 candidates remaining in the race for head of state. The decisive round of voting, which will be contested by the top two, is scheduled for December 8, a week after Romanians will also elect a new Parliament, on the 1st, which is also the national day,.

    Epilogue to the Iohannis decade

    Next month, President Klaus Iohannis will end his second and final five-year term granted to him by the Constitution. The joint plenary session of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies approved the establishment of a joint commission of inquiry to verify the expenses incurred by and for the Presidential Administration between 2014 and 2024. The commission is to establish the reasons that led to the secrecy of documents regarding the Presidential Administration’s expenses, as well as the legal basis on which this secrecy was established. At the same time, it will determine, among other things, the amounts paid for the rental of luxury private planes used during the president’s foreign and domestic trips, the expenses for paying for accommodation abroad under premium conditions, and with special amenities upon request, as well as the total number of foreign trips made by the president, and the total expenses for them.

    F-35 for Romania

    Bucharest’s decision to acquire advanced F-35 fighter jets represents an important step in the ongoing modernization of its military and will significantly contribute to NATO’s long-term defense and collective security. This is the message conveyed by the United States Ambassador to Bucharest, Kathleen Kavalec, at the launch of the Romanian Air Force’s transition program to the 5th generation aircraft, the F-35. The 32 aircraft for which the acquisition contract was signed, between the Romanian and American governments, represent the peak of aviation performance at this time – according to the Minister of Defense in the Bucharest government, Angel Tîlvăr.

    Support for Chișinău

    Romanian Foreign Minister Luminița Odobescu paid an official visit to the neighboring Republic of Moldova, together with the Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs of the United Kingdom, David Lammy.

    The two were received by pro-Western President Maia Sandu and held trilateral consultations with her counterpart Mihai Popşoi. The discussions focused on long-term support for the stability and resilience of the Republic of Moldova, the reform agenda for the continuation of Chisinau’s European integration process, and the regional security situation in the context of the continued Russian aggression against Ukraine. Minister Odobescu also participated in the inauguration ceremony of the new building of the Mihai Eminescu Theoretical High School in Comrat (in the south, with a majority Gagauz population – ethnic Turks of Christian Orthodox confession – ed.). It was built with funding provided by the Government of Romania and the Ministry of Education in Chisinau. She emphasized that support for the education sector and for studies in Romanian represent investments in the European, democratic, and prosperous future of the Republic of Moldova.

    The fictitious Russians from Vârfu Câmpului

    The Prosecutor General’s Office ordered the detention of 12 people, most of them civil servants from the commune of Vârfu Câmpului and the town of Bucecea, in Botoşani County (north), accused of issuing fake Romanian identity documents for the benefit of citizens from the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, and the Russian Federation in exchange for money. Those detained are accused of aggravated bribery, forgery, conspiracy to commit bribe taking, IT fraud, and conspiracy to bribery. Investigators discovered that in the commune of Vârfu Câmpului, which officially has around 7,000 inhabitants, there are around 10,000 citizens originally from the former Soviet space.

    Football: Romania-Kosovo, 3-0 at the green table

    The Romanian national football team won the match in Bucharest with Kosovo, in the League of Nations, with a score of 3-0, at the “green table” – announced the European Football Association (UEFA), the organizer of the competition. The match, clearly dominated by the Kosovars, marked by shoving between players and booing by fans, but lacking major incidents on the pitch or in the stands, should have ended in a few dozen seconds, at the score of 0-0, when the guests left the field without a plausible reason. After an interruption of about 70 minutes, the referee returned to the field and whistled the end of the match, in the presence of only the Romanian players. Following UEFA’s decision, Romania finished in first place in Group C2 of the Nations League, with 18 points out of a possible 18, and was promoted to League B. Along with Spain, Greece, Cyprus, and Slovakia, Romania is among the European Union member states that have not recognized the independence of Kosovo, a former Serbian province with a majority Albanian population.