* The European Commission pays REPowerEU pre-financing to Romania, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Finland, Greece, Italy, Latvia and Spain under the Recovery and Resilience Facility. Today, 25 January, the European Commission paid the following pre-financing amounts related to REPowerEU funds under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF): EUR 145,1 million to Belgium and EUR 585.1 million to Croatia in the form of grants and loans; EUR 20.9 million to Cyprus, EUR 25.4 million to Finland, EUR 158,7 million to Greece, EUR 551.2 million to Italy, EUR 26.9 million to Latvia, EUR 288 million to Romania in the form of grants and EUR 340 million to Spain in the form of loans. These pre-financing will help accelerate the implementation of the main investment and reform measures presented in each REPowerEU chapter. This will accelerate the achievement of the objectives of the REPOwerEU plan for energy saving, clean energy production and diversification of energy supply, with the aim of making Europe independent of Russian fossil fuels following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Payments made today follow the approval by the Council of the revised plans of these countries, which include a chapter on REPowerEU, and the signing of the financial agreements. Pre-financing, paid in one or two stages, represents up to 20 % of the additional funds requested to finance each country’s REPowerEU chapter. If the pre-financing is paid in two stages, the second part must be paid within 12 months of the payment of the first part.
Romanians and citizens from 11 other countries can benefit from visa-free tourist visits of up to 45 days in Vietnam starting August 15, 2025. The new program is valid until August 14, 2028, according to Agerpres. Passport holders from Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Switzerland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands,...
The Romanian Football Federation (FRF) has unveiled a special tricolor kit designed for dogs, allowing pet owners to cheer for the national team alongside their four-legged friends during this autumn’s matches. Inspired by the team’s traditional colors, the new bright yellow model is made specifically for canine supporters who want to match the rest of […]
Romanian venture capital fund Early Game Ventures has announced a seed investment of EUR 1 million in Orbital Matter, a promising space-tech startup specializing in advanced construction technology for use in space. With the new investment, the startup aims to reach TRL 8, the “flight-qualified” certification, during its next product launch into space. Orbital Matter […]
Local authorities in Buzău, southern Romania, plan to transform green areas into fruit tree orchards, providing people with access to natural, untreated products. The project titled “Orașul Comestibil” (“the Edible City”) is inspired by New Zealand as well as cities of the European Union. Apple, pear, plum, and cherry trees, as well as fruit bushes or […]
This year, a record number of 125 foreign-born American citizens are billionaires and live in the United States. Among them is Ion Stoica, the Romanian founder of the startup Databricks. Stoica, aged 60, is the only Romanian on Forbes’ list of immigrant billionaires living in the United States. In total, the 125 billionaires come from […]
Romanian athletes won one gold medal and one bronze medal on Sunday, August 10, at the Under-19 World Rowing Championships in Trakai, Lithuania. The gold was claimed by Teodora Lehaci and Denisa Mihaela Vasilică in the women’s pair, with two seconds ahead of the silver medalists from Uzbekistan. The bronze medal was won by the […]
