The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is lending €30.8 million to Moldova and its state-owned electricity company Moldelectrica to link the country’s network to that of its European Union neighbour, Romania, by constructing a high-voltage transmission line between the Moldovan city of Balti and the Romanian border, https://euneighbourseast.eu/ informs. Moldelectrica, which is implementing the European Union’s Third Energy Package, will also use the loan to rehabilitate its internal electricity transmission network and build a 400 kV (kilovolt) substation at Balti. The Balti-Suceava project, costing a total of €77 million, is co-funded by the European Investment Bank (EIB), which is also lending €30.8 million. The European Union’s Neighbourhood Investment Platform (NIP) will provide a €15.4 million grant. The project’s aim is to increase Moldova’s energy security by accelerating the country’s integration with the European grid, ENTSO-E, as well as to strengthen the country’s integration with its European neighbours. According to the EBRD, more than 80 per cent of electricity consumed in Moldova came historically from the unrecognised breakaway region of Transnistria, along with imports from Ukraine via a grid connecting several former Soviet republics. Since 2015, Moldova has been working to diversify sources through closer links with Romania, and has one interconnection line to Romania (the Vulcanesti-Issaccea line). With the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine in 2022, both Moldova and Ukraine quickly synchronised with the European grid. The Balti-Suceava line will further strengthen Moldova’s integration of Moldova with ENTSO-E and increase the country’s energy security.
Two Romanians were arrested during Sunday night, May 11, after robbing empty houses in the evacuated mountain village of Brienz located in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. The village had been evacuated since November due to rock falls. The locality was, however, monitored by the authorities to prevent break-ins. The would-be thieves apparently tried to […]
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, or EBRD, has revised its estimates regarding the evolution of the Romanian economy in 2025 downward to 1.6%. The bank expects Romania’s GDP to grow 0.2% less than the 1.8% estimate made in February, and to increase by 2.4% in 2026. Romania's GDP growth slowed to 0.8% in […]
During a meeting on Monday, May 12, the Cluj-Napoca Local Council approved a draft resolution that imposes smoking restrictions in several public spaces in the city, including public transport stations, parks, and sports facilities. The resolution was adopted with 22 votes in favor and 3 abstentions, and will come into effect 90 days from the […]
An internal survey by Romanian Business Leaders, which does not have national representativeness but was answered by 417 entrepreneurs, shows that 62% of entrepreneurs expect to have to make layoffs, while a third expect the number of employees to remain the same. The expected layoffs are directly connected to the possibility of Romania choosing a […]
Romanian Istvan Kovacs will be the main referee for the UEFA Champions League final between Paris St-Germain and Inter Milan, which will be played on May 31 in Munich. The match will be Kovacs’ third European final in the last 4 years. The 40-year-old referee has previously officiated the UEFA Europa Conference League final in […]
Over 70 museums across Romania will open their doors after hours for the 21st edition of Night of Museums, one of the country's most anticipated cultural events. Held on the night of May 17, the event offers visitors a unique opportunity to explore exhibitions, installations, and creative activities in an unconventional, late-night setting. From major […]
