Romania’s Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare told Euronews that he supports various measures being floated in the European Union to ensure the bloc can regain its competitive edge and boost investments.

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Nazare’s comments came days following an informal EU summit focused on finding new ways to revive the bloc’s stagnant economy. One of the proposals at the forefront of this meeting was a two-speed union that allows at least nine countries to join forces and adopt initiatives that could not otherwise be approved due to a lack of consensus.

Nazare threw his support behind this measure.

“Romania supports the Capital Markets package [aimed at creating a single, integrated market for capital], Romania supports the Saving and Investments union,” he said on Euronews’ 12 Minutes with.

“I have always said we need to accelerate this package. If this format (two-speed union) will accelerate some of the files that we already have in EcoFin (Economic and Financial Affairs Council), I think that’s a good idea,” he said.

This legal tool of enhanced cooperation rose to prominence last year after EU leaders decided to issue a €90 billion loan to Ukraine without the approval of Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, a shift which seems to indicate leaders now favour speed over unanimity.

E6 could be ‘very good’ for Europe

Nazare backed the new elite club of the EU’s economies dubbed “the E6”, which hosts Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Poland.

This formation met for the second time on Monday on the sidelines of the Eurogroup meeting, this time to discuss how to speed up plans to integrate the bloc’s capital markets. But this spurred fears, including in Ireland, that smaller countries’ interests could be bulldozed.

“I think we should see what will eventually come out of the E6,” the Romanian minister said, adding that he discussed this with his French and German counterparts on the fringes of the EcoFin meeting on Tuesday.

“I don’t think they plan to leave anybody behind,” he said. “I think they planned to solve some of the critical issues that are on the table. And if they succeed, it’s a very good thing for Europe.”

Nazare also supported French-backed proposals for a “Made in Europe” strategy, which would introduce minimum European content requirements for goods produced locally, a topic also raised at last week’s summit.

“It (‘Made in Europe’) supports the strategic autonomy that we’re discussing,” he said. “I mean, this should be a European project. And this is the core of the project. […] Ever since the European Union was created, this was the entire idea behind it, that it should be one powerful, pan-European bloc.”

Asked whether this could damage Romanian and European relations with key trading partners like the United States, Nazare emphasised the importance of an investment-friendly environment in Europe.

“Now we have €300 billion of our savings that are invested abroad. If we ensure that these billions invested abroad are invested in Europe, this is very good for Europe,” he said. “So we don’t necessarily have to look at the competitiveness. We have to look at how to better use the savings that we already have.”

Another idea on the table in Brussels, also pushed by the French, is issuing common EU debt — Eurobonds — aimed at boosting investment in strategic sectors such as green tech, defence and security.

Nazare defended this proposal, pointing to the fact that the EU had used it in the past for NextGenEU (to reboot the European economy after the COVID-19 pandemic).

“I think this is aligned with our strategic priorities, and definitely it responds to the investment the European economy needs in certain strategic fields like AI, for instance,” he said.

The idea of using joint debt to boost competitiveness was also supported by former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, who authored an influential 2024 report on competitiveness. However, it is now facing stiff pushback from Germany and some of the generally frugal northern member states.

Romania’s sky-high deficit

Nazare also reflected on the fact that Romania has the highest budget deficit in the EU, arguing that the situation had improved in recent months.

“I would say that conditions related to Romania […] and the way Romania is perceived in the Council are much better now,” he said. “We gained trust. We not only met the deficit targets for 2025, but we overperformed by 0.7%.” The budget deficit target for 2026 is around 6%.

The coalition government led by Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan took tough measures in the second half of last year to bring down its budget deficit, including austerity packages which will put a 10% cut on the salary fund of public institutions. The move has sparked protests.

The country of almost 19 million is under intense pressure from the European Commission to bring the deficit below 3% of GDP. Because it currently exceeds this value, Romania is under the EU’s excessive deficit procedure (EDP), a mechanism designed to bring discipline to governments’ budgets.

“Our ambition regarding where we want to see the Romanian economy needs to change,” Nazare said. “To do this, of course, we need to exit the excessive deficit procedure, where we spent too much time in the last five years.” He said he hopes to exit this procedure by 2029 or 2030.

He added that exiting the procedure is also crucial for Romania’s progress toward adopting the euro.

“We cannot discuss the euro before we get out of the procedure,” he said. “So this is a prerequisite and this is very important project for Romania that fiscal discipline comes back, [that we put in place] measures to support the economy and to support growth.”

The industry is getting “nervous about telling important stories.”

“It’s becoming extremely safe,” said Andri Omársson, CEO of the Icelandic production company Glassriver.“The line I always get is that ‘the news is horrifying to watch, so our productions should be entertaining and glossy.’ In Iceland, we are telling non-English stories, which makes it even harder to finance internationally.”

Opening up during the Berlinale Series Market panel “Changing the Narrative: Gender Balance in the Industry,” presented in partnership with Variety, Alicia Remirez said: “In Germany, if you develop a show, there’s a good balance of female and male producers and writers. But it’s mainly male producers who get commissioned. We need to take a closer look at who’s behind producing the shows. It’s not as balanced as it could, or should, be.”

Remirez, CEO of Constantin Film, agreed with Omársson. Wars, the pandemic and ongoing crises have convinced decision-makers that audiences need “light entertainment.” But it shouldn’t come at the expense of the female perspective. 

“You can have ‘Barbie’ or ‘Bridgerton,’ which has a strong female perspective and is also very successful,” she pointed out. 

New series “Monyová,” about a famous Czech writer who was murdered by her husband, combines entertainment and social issues. Just like Simona Monyová’s books. 

“She wrote romantic novels, but she was actually very self-deprecating. After her murder, it became clear she was writing about her relationship and what she endured,” explained Barbora Námerová, one of the series’ creators.

“Her voice [in the books] was so strong it allowed us to portray her as more than a victim. I feel we gave Simona her voice back.”

Námerová, also behind features “Filthy” and “Nightsiren,” admitted it has become easier to tell stories about women and the violence they experience. 

“When we were working on ‘Filthy’ it was before #MeToo and no one wanted to hear about rape or its aftermath. With “Monyová,” [co-creator and creative producer] Klára Follová had to be really brave. Not only because we wanted to talk about femicide, but also because she wanted to have an almost entirely female team,” she recalled.

“I think things are slowly changing. But we still needed this woman to push us through.” 

Even in Iceland, which elected the world’s first female president, Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, gender balance remains a “big topic,” noted Omársson.  

“Every producer, male or female, needs to constantly keep an eye on it. We need to ask ourselves: How can we nurture the female narrative and ensure that it thrives? Five years ago, we established strict guidelines in our company. We now have gender balance in our overall cast and crew, as well as in our higher-level roles.”

Certain storylines, especially those involving gender violence, require a more balanced group of collaborators. While Omársson-produced series “Cold Haven” was originally developed in Portugal by two female writers, the team has expanded. 

“We added a male writer from Iceland and, once the storyline became abusive, we needed an Icelandic female perspective as well. We also had seven external editors to provide creative notes on this topic in particular. It took some time, but it felt important,” he said.

“In Iceland, two of our three commissioners are women. It’s a great shift, but we’re influenced by what the market is buying. We divide our slate into two categories: one that caters to market demand and the ‘passion projects.’ We shouldn’t forget the important stories we want to tell.” 

While it’s easier to point out the lack of gender balance in certain societies, most problems –the lack of equal pay or male dominance in technical departments – persist. 

“I’m of a Spanish background, and it’s easy to say that a ‘machismo’ society isn’t right for women. It’s so obvious. But just because things are more subtle, like in Germany, doesn’t mean they are any less painful,” noted Remirez.

“There’s still a lot of work to be done in Germany and diversity is an even larger issue. So many people are excluded from our industry. I really want us to grow, even if worldwide politics are so conservative right now. I think we are on our way – I just hope we don’t stop.”

With “Monyová” expanding into the documentary series “Love Doesn’t Hurt” about domestic violence, as reported exclusively by Variety, it’s also necessary to think about “who owns the stories,” said Námerová. Especially when it comes to true crime or trauma.

“There’s a huge debate about this in Czech Republic [connected to the film ‘Broken Voices’]. We need to think about the families of the victims, or even the perpetrators. I hope we will be more sensitive.” 

Via a statement shared during the panel, the show’s director Zuzana Kirchnerová admitted she wanted the audience to experience Monyová’s emotions “alongside her”: “That’s why I often used close-ups of the lead actress’s face, keeping the camera in intimate proximity. The physical closeness of the camera reflects the character’s vulnerability and fragility.”

Remirez also noticed a shift in how sensitive or violent scenes are depicted. 

“I was just talking to two young men, one a director and the other a screenwriter. They’re struggling to understand how they can become good partners to women in the industry. There is a movement, I feel. Open-minded men want to be allies, and this is the way to do it. You include people,” she observed. But having female commissioners is key. 

“I am keen to speak to our commissioners and say: ‘You have to invest into female producing.’ The content might not be utterly different, but it might be different enough to actually make a difference.” 

Omársson added: “I would also love it if we could normalize good behavior.” 

“Even shows that aren’t gender-balance themed should be developed with these metrics in mind. It would be good for everybody.”

A Christian pastor arrested in Bristol, England, in November on suspicion of “inciting religious hatred” after delivering a street sermon is still awaiting a decision on whether he will face criminal charges, according to a legal advocacy group supporting him.

Pastor Dia Moodley, 58, was detained for eight hours and released on bail conditions that temporarily barred him from entering the city during the Christmas period.

ADF UK, the British arm of the faith-based legal organization Alliance Defending Freedom, is representing Moodley.

The group advocates for religious freedom and free speech rights and argues that the pastor’s case reflects what it describes as a broader pattern of police action that risks criminalizing lawful religious expression.

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Although the initial bail restrictions were later dropped, police visited Moodley again in January and invited him to attend a voluntary interview under caution as they continued to investigate the November incident.

The case marks the second time he has been arrested over his street preaching, ADF UK said, and follows previous disputes with police over restrictions placed on his public comments about other religions.

Avon and Somerset Police told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that they could neither confirm nor deny the identity of anyone arrested but, based on the date and location provided, issued the following statement:

“A 58-year-old man was arrested at about 2.30pm on Saturday 22 November in Broadmead, Bristol, on suspicion of assault by beating and of a racially/religiously aggravated public order offence,” police said. “He was later released on police bail until the end of December, with a condition not to attend areas of Bristol city centre including Broadmead. These conditions however were ultimately lifted by a supervisory officer in mid-December following representations from the arrested man.”

The agency said the man is no longer on bail after being released under investigation in early January, adding that a counter-allegation has been recorded and inquiries are ongoing. The statement did not provide further details about the alleged assault.

The public order offense referenced by police falls under the Public Order Act 1986.

It’s defined by the government under Section 29B as, “A person who uses threatening words or behaviour, or displays any written material which is threatening, is guilty of an offence if he intends thereby to stir up religious hatred [or hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation].”

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Jeremiah Igunnubole, legal counsel for ADF International, said Pastor Dia’s arrest for “peacefully commenting on Islam and transgender ideology” shows police are using public order legislation to impose “de facto blasphemy laws” in the UK.

“This is far from an isolated incident,” Igunnubole said. “It is part of a clear pattern of behaviour from Avon and Somerset Police, who for years have targeted Pastor Dia for his peaceful expression in the public square and have failed in their duty to investigate serious crimes committed against him by those who objected to his speech.”