June 18, 2026
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 18.06.2026, 13:55
SUMMIT The EU summer summit, which will also be attended by Romania’s President Nicusor Dan, is expected to kick off in Brussels today. High on the agenda, and also in Romania’s attention, there are, the multi-annual budget for the period 2028-2034, strengthening the anti-drone defence and the accession talks of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. Radio Romania’s correspondent recalls that Romania and 16 other states have obtained several wins in terms of securing the money for the cohesion policy and agriculture. Romania and the less developed countries in eastern and southern Europe are now lobbying for the distribution of competitiveness funds, taking into account not only the excellence criteria but also that of equity. Another issue is the European Defence and here Romania and its neighbours on the eastern flank want the urgent implementation of measures and equipment to be able to handle drone incidents. Romania is also interested in the EU accession of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. The two countries have just opened the first negotiation chapter after a deadlock that lasted for two years.
TALKS Sorin Grindeanu, president of the PSD, the biggest party in Romania, says that the Social-Democrats will decide on Sunday whether they are going to join the government proposed by the Liberal Adrian Vestea. The Prime Minister-designate is to submit his ruling programme and the list of the new cabinet in Parliament today. Vestea has voiced confidence the country will soon have a functional government, one capable of ensuring stability, predictability and concrete solutions for citizens. The PNL, USR and UDMR, which are presently part of the interim government, sacked through a censure motion last month are not going to endorse the Vestea cabinet. The ultra-nationalist populist AUR has announced it will not vote for the new cabinet. In order to get invested, the government needs 233 yes votes.
THEATRE Over 5 thousand artists from 83 countries and 848 events are on the agenda of the International Theatre Festival due to kick off in Sibiu, central Romania, on Saturday. This is the 33rd edition of the festival, which is believed to be the most important of this kind in Romania and the third in Europe.
INFLATION Romania is once again the country with the highest inflation in the European Union, with an annual rate almost three times higher in May, compared to the 3.3% average in the community. Data presented on Wednesday by the EU Statistical Office (Eurostat) show an annual price increase of 9.7% for Romania, up from 9.5%. In Bucharest, the governor of the National Bank, Mugur Isărescu, says the state cannot intervene excessively in the economy, as it risks distorting market mechanisms, but sometimes central banks are forced to take measures to maintain financial stability. The BNR has revised upwards, from 3.9% to 5.5%, the inflation forecast for the end of the year and anticipates that it will reach 2.9% by the end of 2027.
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