THE WEEK IN REVIEW

February 17-21, 2025

Corina Cristea, 22.02.2025, 13:00

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.