Experts from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are recommending modifications to the recently adopted pension law by the Government. According to government sources cited by Agerpres, the IMF estimates that the expenses resulting from the implementation of the new pension law will be approximately 0.5% of the GDP in 2024 and an additional 1% of the GDP starting in 2025. The IMF mission, following its visit to Romania, is preparing the final Article IV report on the financial situation of Romania, which will be presented to the board. In light of the new pension law, the report will include a paragraph emphasizing that “the projection presented in the report does not include the expenses resulting from the application of the new pension law, estimated at approximately 0.5% of GDP in 2024 and an additional 1% of GDP starting in 2025,” as stated by the source cited by Agerpres. Additionally, it will be mentioned that these additional expenses imply a deficit trajectory inconsistent with fiscal consolidation and achieving the 3% of GDP target. The cited source further highlighted that IMF representatives emphasize the need for the component of the law involving these expenses to be “reconsidered, or the implementation of the law in the proposed form to be reconsidered.” The controversial pension law project, approved by the Executive on Thursday, has sparked debates within the Coalition. According to the Minister of Labor, Simona Bucura Oprescu, 2024 will be the first year in which a government will grant two pension increases—one based on inflation plus 50% of the real increase in the average gross wage, and the other through recalculation. She stated on Thursday that the additional impact compared to the increase in the current law, with recalculation from September to December 2024, amounts to 10 billion lei.
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. […]
