March 19, 2025

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 19.03.2025, 13:55

A roundup of local and international news.

TOURISTS – The number of foreign tourists staying in hotels and guesthouses in Romania in 2024 was almost 2.2 million, and they spent over 1.3 billion euros, according to the National Institute of Statistics. Slightly over 50% of the trips were made for private purposes, but the higher share in total expenses – 56% – was made by foreigners coming to the country for business. Most foreign visitors travelled to Romania by plane, almost 78%, while 15% came by car.

BUCHAREST – In Bucharest, forestry unions are protesting against the measures taken by the Government targeting this sector. These include a 25% reduction in salaries and cuts in related rights, such as the wood quota for forestry personnel. The protesters are also demanding the amounts necessary for the administration of the state-owned forests, from the state budget. A delegation of union members is meeting with Government representatives today to discuss their claims. If no consensus is reached, unionists say they are ready to launch an all-out strike.

CIVIL PROTECTION – A Romanian Air Force aircraft configured for medical transport carried out a humanitarian mission on Tuesday, transporting four patients with severe burns from Skopje to Brussels. Earlier, on Monday, a Romanian military aircraft had transported four patients to Vilnius, Lithuania. The missions are part of the European Civil Protection Mechanism, established in 2001 by the European Union to allow participating countries (EU and non-EU) to coordinate their assistance in the event of a large-scale emergency that cannot be resolved by a country’s civil protection system alone. North Macedonia activated this Mechanism, requesting assistance for the evacuation of 15 patients with serious burns following the fire in a nightclub on Sunday, which killed 59 people and injured over 150.

COURT – The Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR) is meeting again today to analyze the latest appeals and to register or reject some candidacies for the presidential elections in May. The Central Election Bureau has already validated 12 candidacies, some of which, however, have been challenged at the CCR. On Thursday, the candidacies remain final. On Saturday, their order on the ballot paper will be established. The election campaign begins on April 4, and ends on the morning of May 3. The first round of the presidential elections will take place on May 4, and the second has been scheduled for May 18.

EDUCATION – The Parliament’s Committee for the Investigation of Abuses, Combating Corruption and Petitions staged on Tuesday, the debate “The Drug Epidemic in Schools and High Schools”. The purpose of the meeting was to improve the legislation regarding the reduction of drug consumption and trafficking among students. Attending the event, the Minister of Education, Daniel David, said that, although Romania has regulations in the field, there is a lack of prevention, specialists and appropriate treatments for drug addicts. According to an emergency order approved by the Senate, as the first chamber notified, people addicted to narcotics will be able to follow recovery programs in mental health centers.

GAUDEAMUS – Radio Romania opens the country’s book fair season today, by organizing the Gaudeamus Caravan in Craiova. Until Sunday, the city hosts the most prestigious national publishing houses, as well as music and educational game distributors. Readers have more than 10,000 titles to choose from, some for the first time at a book fair. The public is also invited to 20 book launch and presentation sessions, debates and numerous competitions with prizes. For those who cannot physically make it to the fair, there is also an online version of the event, on the gaudeamus.ro page – virtual stands, events broadcast live and up-to-date information about editorial news. The Honorary President of this year’s edition of the Gaudeamus Radio Romania Caravan in Craiova is the renowned Romanian-French playwright, poet and journalist, Matei Vişniec.

COMPANIES – Businessmen have asked the Government in Bucharest for a predictable tax system and have told Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu that labor taxation is too high in Romania. Representatives of the Concordia Employers’ Confederation discussed with the Prime Minister economic, administrative and sectoral aspects of national interest, with an emphasis on the need to ensure the predictability of government measures that have a significant impact on the business environment. They were given assurances that nothing in the tax field would change without prior consultation.

ATHLETS – Swimmer David Popovici and rower Simona Radiş, Olympic champions at the Paris Games, were named the male and female athletes of the year, respectively, on Tuesday evening at the 2024 Romanian Sports Gala organized in Bucharest by the National Agency for Sports. During his acceptance speech, David Popovici once again emphasized the precarious situation of swimming pools in Romania. In turn, Simona Radiş said that she wants, through her results, to inspire as many young people as possible to practice sports. The winners also included the best male and female coaches, the athlete of the year in Paralympic disciplines and the best teams. A special award for the entire career was given to former  footballer Ladislau Boloni. (EE)