The joint standing bureaus of the Chamber and Senate took note on Tuesday of President Klaus Iohannis' letter informing Parliament that he approved the participation of Romania's Army in EU's maritime security operation EUNAVFOR ASPIDES and asking approval for the participation of Romania's Army in PROSPERITY GUARDIAN (OPG) coalition-type maritime operation.In the document, Iohannis brings to mind that amid the conflict in the Gaza Strip and the intensification of the actions of the Yemeni rebel group Al-Houthi against targets and interests related to Israel, including the commercial maritime traffic in the Red Sea, the security situation in the area of the Yemeni coasts and the Bab-al-Mandeb Strait has constantly deteriorated, with negative repercussions on the European and world economy.In this context, the president added, on 18 December 2023, the United States of America took action against the Al-Houthi rebels by launching the PROSPERITY GUARDIAN (OPG) coalition maritime operation and called on the international community to get involved in resolving the security situation in the Red Sea by participating with staff and naval capabilities and by intensifying information exchange.At the same time, on 29 January this year, the European Union took steps to launch an operation to ensure freedom of navigation in the context of this crisis, in close cooperation with PROSPERITY GUARDIAN. To this end, the Crisis Management Concept for a new maritime operation, EUNAVFOR ASPIDES, has been approved with the objective of protecting maritime security on the main shipping routes in the Bab-al-Mandeb Strait, the Strait of Hormuz, international waters of the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf.Operation EUNAVFOR ASPIDES was launched on 19 February at the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union.The president mentions that he approved, after consultation with the Supreme Council of National Defence, the participation of the Romanian Army in EUNAVFOR ASPIDES, in order to ensure freedom of navigation in the Bab-al-Mandeb Strait, the Strait of Hormuz, the international waters of the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf, starting in 2024, with up to five military."Also under the provisions of Article 7 para. (2) of Law no. 121/2011 on the participation of the armed forces in missions and operations outside the territory of the Romanian State, as amended and supplemented, I request the approval of the Romanian Parliament for the participation of the Romanian Army in the PROSPERITY GUARDIAN (OPG) coalition maritime operation, under US command, in the area of responsibility in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the territory of Bahrain, starting in 2024, with up to three military. The participation of personnel in this operation, within the command deployed on the territory of Bahrain, will be done after the legal status of the Romanian military on the territory of this state has been regulated. The financial funds necessary for the participation in the missions are provided from the budget allocated to the Ministry of National Defence in 2024," reads the president's letter, which was sent to the parliamentary defence committees.
Romania will celebrate its National Day on December 1 with a large military parade in Bucharest featuring Romanian and allied troops. The event will also showcase an extensive display of military equipment and aircraft at the Arch of Triumph. More than 2,900 servicemembers and specialists from the Ministry of National Defense, Interior Ministry, Romanian Intelligence […]
Romania’s leading bank, Banca Transilvania, announced the successful completion of its first AT1 (Additional Tier 1) bond issuance on the Dublin Stock Exchange. The final volume of subscribed orders reached over EUR 2.65 billion, representing an oversubscription 5.3 times higher than the amount BT intended to raise. More than 180 investors, a record in Banca […]
During the Executive Committee meeting on Thursday, November 20, the Romanian Gymnastics Federation decided to dissolve the national teams after a series of public accusations of harassment. The accusations are not new. At the end of October, upon returning to the country after the World Gymnastics Championships in Jakarta, 23-year-old athlete Denisa Golgotă revealed that […]
Chinese electronic giant Xiaomi has opened its first physical store in Romania as part of a broader strategy to strengthen its presence on the local market, with additional retail expansion planned for 2026. The new Xiaomi Store, located in Bucharest’s ParkLake Shopping Center, is the company’s first directly operated retail space in the country and […]
Romania will introduce new penalties for retailers that refuse to replace defective products, under a new law recently promulgated by president Nicușor Dan. The measure requires traders to provide a replacement within 30 days when customers report that a purchased item is faulty, whether the purchase was made in-store or online. The retailers that fail […]
Romanian saber fencer Vlad Covaliu was named the best in the world in the junior category for the second consecutive year, according to a press release from Bucharest-based CS Dinamo. The winners of the 2024–2025 World Cup were awarded over the weekend at the International Fencing Federation 2025 Congress held in Manama, the capital of […]
