The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, the prolongation and amendment of a Romanian scheme to support the production of electricity and heat from high-efficiency cogeneration installations connected to district heating networks in Romania. The scheme was originally approved in September 2022 and is due to expire on 30 June 2024. It aims at promoting the construction of new high-efficiency cogeneration plants. Romania notified the Commission of its intention to: (i) prolong the measure until 31 July 2028; (ii) increase the budget by €362 million, bringing the total budget to €752 million; and (iii) support the installation of at least 200 MW of additional cogeneration power capacity. The Commission assessed the amended scheme under EU State aid rules, in particular under Article 107(3)(c) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and the 2022 Guidelines on State aid for climate, environmental protection and energy. The Commission found that the amended scheme remains necessary and appropriate to promote energy-efficiency cogeneration installations in Romania and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, the Commission found that the aid is proportionate and any negative effect on competition and trade in the EU will be limited. On this basis, the Commission approved the amendment under EU State aid rules.
June is the richest month. The most awaited two weeks in my annual festival pilgrimage. The route starts with Romania’s Transilvania International Film Festival (TIFF), followed by Italy’s (and the world’s) most comprehensive festival for restored and archival film: Il Cinema Ritrovato. To shake up the traditional article on the two, I’ll start with the […]
Different Beauty, a recently opened exhibition of works by Czech photographer David Těšínský, offers a glimpse into everyday life in the war-torn region of Donbas in 2017. The photos were taken within the span of only a few days, as Těšínský traveled to eastern Ukraine to document the lives of women impacted by war. In […]
Different Beauty, a recently opened exhibition of works by Czech photographer David Těšínský, offers a glimpse into everyday life in the war-torn region of Donbas in 2017. The photos were taken within the span of only a few days, as Těšínský traveled to eastern Ukraine to document the lives of women impacted by war. In […]
Roughly 70% of Romanians are “very” or “moderately” concerned about how AI accesses and uses their data, according to the latest survey conducted by RoCoach in partnership with Novel Research between May and June 2025. Distrust in automated decision-making and the demand for regulation are becoming more pronounced, as Romania rolls out major digitalization projects […]
The Armenian Street Festival returns for a 9th edition between August 1 and 3, 2025, in the “Dimitrie Brândză” Botanical Garden in Bucharest. The festival brings into focus the living heritage of the Armenian community in Romania and the diaspora. According to the organizers, this year’s edition aims to strengthen the Bucharest–Chișinău–Yerevan cultural axis, articulated […]
The Romanian mergers and acquisitions market registered a total of 122 announced transactions in the first half of 2025, with a value exceeding EUR 2.7 billion, marking a slight increase of 6% in volume and 4% in value compared to the same period last year, according to an analysis by George Ureche, partner at PwC Romania. […]
