October 28, 2025
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 28.10.2025, 13:55
Protests – Trade unions in Romania are preparing for a new protest. The leaders of the main confederations have announced their intention to take people to the streets on Wednesday to express their dissatisfaction with the government’s policies, which they accuse of contempt for work and those who work. The trade unionists have several demands, including an increase in the minimum wage and pensions, fair taxation and the protection of jobs. The President of the “Cartel Alfa” National Trade Union Confederation, Bogdan Hossu, stated that these are only austerity measures for the ordinary citizens, having no beneficial effect in reducing the excessive budget deficit. He also says that in the last three and a half months – through insolvency, closures or the reorganization of some companies – over 7,500 jobs have been eliminated from the economy. The union leader added that preparations are underway to eliminate almost 14,000 jobs in the public administration. For his part, the president of the Federation of Free Trade Unions in Education, Simion Hăncescu, said that the government is systematically pushing education personnel towards an all-out strike, after all the measures that have affected teachers and students.
Domestic violence – The Romanian Senate adopted, on Monday, a legislative proposal aimed at discouraging acts of domestic violence by increasing the punishment limits for habitual offenders. The document also establishes that provisional protection orders remain valid until the court resolves the request for the final order. The draft law received a unanimous vote from both the government and the opposition. It is going to be debated in the Chamber of Deputies, which is the decision-making body.
Patriarch–The Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan is meeting today with the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, and with Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church (majority denomination). On Monday, Bartholomew I, present in Bucharest for the consecration of the painting on the walls of the National Cathedral, was decorated by President Nicuşor Dan with the National Order “Star of Romania” in the rank of collar, the highest distinction of the Romanian state. The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople said that the church must participate in the contemporary dialogue on justice, peace and the defense of human dignity. In parallel, on the Metropolitan Hill in Bucharest, the pilgrimage to the relics of Saint Demetrius the New and those of Saint John Jacob of Neamţ continues until Friday. The relics of Saint Demetrius the New, which are in the Patriarchal Cathedral, arrived in Bucharest in 1774, during the Russo-Turkish war. Since then, he has been the spiritual protector of Bucharest and the province of Wallachia (south). Believers from all over the country are waiting many hours to reach and pray at the reliquary.
Meeting – “Romania has made remarkable progress since joining the European Union in 2007. The Gross Domestic Product per capita has more than doubled, and foreign investments have tripled,” the European Commissioner for the Economy, Valdis Dombrovskis, wrote in a post on social media, ahead of today’s meetings with officials in Bucharest. He will meet with President Nicuşor Dan and Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan. The PM also discussed yesterday with Dan Jorgensen, European Commissioner for Energy and Housing, on which occasion he stated that, in order to balance production and consumption, Romania must invest in storage and in connecting energy networks with Western Europe – projects that will reduce costs and increase energy security.
Management – Romanian managers estimate, for the period October – December 2025, a relative stability of the economic activity in the manufacturing and services industry, as well as an increase in prices in all areas of activity of the economy, according to data published on Tuesday by the National Institute of Statistics (INS). According to the opinions expressed by managers in October, the volume of production in the construction sector will have a downward trend in the next three months (short-term balance -20.2%). A downward trend is also expected in the number of employees (-11.4%). Price increases are estimated by 42.3% of the respondents and only 4.6% say that prices will decrease, the short-term balance thusbeing +37.7%. In the services sector, the number of employees is expected to remain almost unchanged, with a short-term balance of -2.0%. The short-term balance indicates the perception of business managers on the dynamics of a phenomenon, which should not be confused with the rate of increase or decrease of any statistical indicator produced by the INS.
Tourism – The digital platform of the national cultural tourism program ‘Attractive Romania’ has become accessible in six languages and has been expanded with 450 new tourist attractions, on the 12 thematic routes that cross the entire country, according to information provided by the program’s representatives. Thus, the over 2,000 multimedia materials, including texts, photos, videos, audio guides, 3D animations and virtual tours are available to more tourists interested in discovering Romania. The platform integrates the Google Maps service, giving users the opportunity to combine the main objectives to create their own route. ‘Attractive Romania’, the first national program to support cultural tourism, was launched in May 2024 and will be completed in June 2026. (LS)
