Hungarian PM Viktor Orban will hold talks with Bulgarian leaders in Sofia on Friday and then come to Bucharest, where he will meet with Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, Bertalan Havasi, the Hungarian prime minister’s spokesman, announced on Wednesday, as quoted by the state agency MTI. Hungarian premier Orban is to speak about the results of the Hungarian presidency of the EU Council at a joint press conference with the presidents of the European Council and the European Commission. On Friday, the Hungarian prime minister will hold talks in Sofia with Bulgarian leaders, before continuing his tour to Bucharest to meet with his Romanian counterpart Marcel Ciolacu, the same statement said. The visit to Romania and Bulgaria comes in the context of the two states achieving full Schengen accession during Hungary’s mandate at the head of the EU Council. According to the official program presented by Havasi, Orban will travel to Brussels on Wednesday, where the summit of the European Union and the Western Balkan countries will take place, and on Thursday he will participate in the European Council meeting. At the closing press conference of the summit, Viktor Orban, who will also be joined by the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission, will provide information on the results of the six months of the Hungarian EU presidency, said Bertalan Havasi. Viktor Orban will then travel to Bulgaria and Romania, states that have achieved full membership, as of 1 January 2025, during Hungary’s mandate at the Council of the European Union. Hungary has set the goal of completing the accession of the two states to Schengen upon taking over the mandate. “It is in Hungary’s national interest,” Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said in October about Romania and Bulgaria’s accession to Schengen. EU interior ministers voted on December 12 for Romania and Bulgaria to join Schengen with land borders from January 1. The two states had already been in Schengen with sea and air borders since March. “Signed and initialed – dear Bulgarian and Romanian friends, welcome to the Schengen area!” was the message of the Hungarian EU presidency, immediately after the unanimous vote on accession.
Romanian authorities are reportedly considering imposing an access fee for the Transfăgărășan mountain road. The funds would be used for setting up decent parking areas, selecting merchants, and similar initiatives. The beautiful, winding road is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the country. Local authorities say the funds from an eventual toll would […]
Colombian reggaeton superstar J Balvin will perform in Dubai for the first time this November, headlining Untold, the globally recognized festival born in Romania. The event will take place from November 6 to 9 at Dubai Parks and Resorts, featuring more than 100 international acts across five stages. The festival is staged in partnership with […]
More than 17% of Romania’s population faced severe material and social deprivation last year, which was one of the highest shares in the EU, according to the statistical bureau of the European Union - Eurostat. In 2024, 6.4% of people in the European Union faced severe material and social deprivation, a slight decrease compared to […]
The Freedom and Respect for Every Earthling association will hold the March for Animal Rights in Bucharest on October 4, to mark International Animal Day. The march will start at 11 AM at the National Theater Park, and will go on to Piața Victoriei. Organizers say they aim to bring to the forefront the suffering […]
Several Israeli citizens got into a fight on a plane flying from Israel to Bucharest on Monday, September 15. Upon landing, Romanian police issued several fines. The scandal reportedly broke out for religious reasons. The argument involved roughly 30 passengers of the flight from Tel Aviv to Bucharest. At one point, seven passengers started to […]
Only 145 companies in Romania, out of more than 800,000 active businesses, managed to grow their revenues and remain profitable every year between 2008 and 2024, according to an analysis published by business intelligence platform Termene.ro. The study found that these firms, representing just one in every 5,500 companies (or 0.02% of the total), generated […]
