Category: Uncategorized

The Ministry of Development, on August 7, published for consultations the draft bill for local administration reform, part of the second package of reforms, besides the state-owned enterprises (SOE) reform and the special pension reform. While the SOE reform was left without a coordinator after deputy prime minister Dragos Anastasiu resigned, the special pension reform…

The Romanian Railway Reform Authority – ARF and French manufacturer Alstom unveiled on August 7 at Bucharest North Railway Station the first Traxx 3 MS electric locomotive from a batch of 16 to be delivered under the “LE1” acquisition contract.  According to ARF, it is the first new, modern locomotive purchased by the Romanian state…

Romanian authorities are reportedly investigating a potential case of Russian sabotage involving the deliberate contamination of Azerbaijani crude oil intended for OMV Petrom’s Petrobrazi refinery, G4media.ro reported, citing sources familiar with the matter. The oil shipment, transported via the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline through Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey before being shipped to Romania, was found to contain…

Romania’s minister of environment Diana Buzoianu appointed two controversial members to the board of directors of Romsilva, the state forestry management company, on August 7, despite public concerns over their integrity, G4media.ro reported. The appointments of Mugur Cozmanciuc and Speranța Georgeta Ionescu drew criticism due to their past associations with corruption cases. Minister Buzoianu, a…

Romania’s banking sector has recorded the highest profitability in the European Union, despite maintaining one of the lowest loan-to-deposit ratios in the bloc, Ziarul Financiar reported, citing a report by the National Bank of Romania (BNR) based on European Banking Authority (EBA) data. According to the report, Romanian banks lend only 63% of their deposit…

Non-EU e-commerce platforms that sell directly to consumers in Romania may generate tax losses of about RON 10.86 billion (some EUR 2.12 billion) per year by 2027 if their expansion continues at current rates, according to an impact analysis published by the Romanian Association of Online Stores (ARMO) and carried out by independent analyst Iancu…

Nofar of Israel, which already operates the largest photovoltaic park in Romania, may receive a loan of EUR 68 million from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for three large photovoltaic parks that it is developing in the south of the country. The EBRD’s project is in the exploratory stage. The total capacity…

Romania’s foreign minister Oana Țoiu was in Kyiv on Thursday, August 7, where she held a series of high-level meetings, including with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. According to the Romanian ministry, the visit marks the first bilateral trip by a Romanian foreign minister to the Ukrainian capital since the Russian invasion in 2022. In the…

The health sector, public administration, and the energy industry are the most targeted by cyber threats in Romania, according to the National Cyber Security Directorate (DNSC) in its 2024 activity report.  The health sector faces significant threats due to the large volume of sensitive data and underfunded critical infrastructure. Public administration is often the target…

The funeral service of Romanian former president Ion Iliescu was performed on Thursday, August 7, an official mourning day in Bucharest. Among those present were family, friends, former allies, and political opponents. Those absent, namely the former president Klaus Iohannis and current president Nicusor Dan, were also notable. Ion Iliescu, Romania’s first president after the…