May 4, 2026 UPDATE
The latest news from RRI
Newsroom, 04.05.2026, 20:00
Motion – On Tuesday, the Romanian Parliament will vote on a motion of no confidence filed by the Social Democrats, until recently part of the pro-European governing coalition, and the ultra-nationalist populists of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) against the cabinet led by the Liberal Ilie Bolojan. The initiators argue that Romania does not need a prime minister who promotes austerity policies for the population, refuses dialogue, blocks economic recovery measures, and is preparing to sell off strategic state assets. The National Liberal Party (PNL) and Save Romania Union (USR), former partners of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), emphasize that the PSD will no longer be considered a pro-European party if it votes alongside AUR to dismiss the cabinet. If the motion passes, the parties will be summoned for consultations by President Nicuşor Dan, after which the head of state will appoint a prime minister and task him with forming a new government. The Bolojan cabinet, which will be considered dismissed, will remain in office on an interim basis until Parliament approves a new executive.
Depreciation – The Romanian national currency, the leu, continued to depreciate against major currencies amid the political crisis in Bucharest. On Monday, one euro was trading at 5.1998 lei, 5.81 bani higher than the rate on Thursday, the last trading day before the May 1 mini-holiday. This is the weakest national currency (leu) in history. The Romanian currency also started the week down against the U.S. dollar, which was quoted at 4.4376 lei, 4.11 bani more than on Thursday. Prior to the release of the exchange rates, Dan Suciu, spokesperson for the National Bank of Romania, stated that the foreign exchange market had been very volatile, as is typical during periods of uncertainty, but that the situation was beginning to stabilize.
PNRR – A draft emergency ordinance submitted for approval by the Romanian government on Monday outlines measures aimed at accelerating the implementation of investments funded through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) at the local government level, by providing temporary liquidity through short-term loans granted by the Ministry of Finance. Romania has August 31 as deadline for completing the reforms it has committed to, and any project not completed by then means money lost for good. Recently, the Minister of Investments and European Projects, Dragoș Pîslaru, has announced that Romania has managed to recover 350.7 million Euros from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, which had initially been suspended, but is definitively losing 458.7 million Euros from payment request number 3.
Summit – Disinformation, cyber attacks, and foreign interference are interconnected threats that require a coordinated European response, President Nicuşor Dan said Monday in a Facebook post. He co-chaired, during the European Political Community summit, a roundtable on “Strengthening Democratic Resilience and Addressing Hybrid Threats” alongside the President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatovic. “We need stronger institutions, cross-border cooperation, media literacy, and monitoring of technological developments, including in the field of artificial intelligence,” the Romanian head of state emphasized. Nicuşor Dan participated on Monday in Yerevan in the 8th edition of the European Political Community summit. On the sidelines of the meeting, the Romanian president organized a meeting dedicated to the Vertical Gas Corridor, a strategic infrastructure project for Central and Eastern Europe. Those present agreed that diversifying supply sources and transit routes is not optional, but a strategic necessity. Established in 2024 at the joint initiative of Romania and France, this group aims to strengthen international support for the Republic of Moldova. On Sunday, Nicuşor Dan traveled to Armenia together with the President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu. (LS)
