May 6, 2026 UPDATE
The latest news from RRI
Newsroom, 06.05.2026, 20:00
CONSULTATIONS Romania’s president Nicuşor Dan announced he would begin informal consultations with political parties to form a new government, after the cabinet led by the Liberal Ilie Bolojan was dismissed on Tuesday via a no-confidence vote. The president explained that he will organise official consultations only after the options have become clear. The head of state called for calm and stressed that Romania will have a new government with pro-Western values within a “reasonable timeframe.” Nicuşor Dan ruled out the possibility of early elections. The Romanian Parliament withdrew its confidence in PM Ilie Bolojan after a no-confidence vote initiated by the Social Democrats in the former ruling coalition and backed by the opposition parties garnered the most votes in the country’s democratic history: 281 votes in favour and only 4 against. Following Parliament’s decision, Liberal Party leaders decided to no longer participate in the government alongside the Social Democrats. The USR also no longer wishes to partner with the Social Democrats and has proposed closer collaboration with the Liberals. The Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania is yet to make a decision. On the other hand, the Social Democratic Party claims it wants to find a quick solution for the government, for the sake of the country’s stability. AUR party, in opposition, says it wants to participate in the government only if it gets to appoint the new prime minister. From a constitutional standpoint, the government led by Ilie Bolojan may remain in an interim capacity for 45 days, during which time it will not be able to issue emergency orders or introduce new laws.
SAFE On Tuesday, the Romanian government approved a memorandum ratifying the loan agreement between the European Commission and Romania regarding the SAFE programme. The document authorises the finance minister to sign the EUR 16.6 billion loan agreement. Once the agreement is signed, it must be endorsed by Parliament. The EU’s SAFE programme makes EUR 150 billion available to European Union member states in the form of loans on favorable terms, for investments in defence and the procurement of military equipment.
MAGISTRATES The Romanian government and the finance ministry are to pay judges their outstanding salary entitlements resulting from retroactive pay increases ordered by court rulings, the Bucharest Court of Appeals has ruled. The court upheld the claims filed by the High Court of Cassation and Justice and ruled that the decision must be enforced within 10 days of it becoming final, under penalties of 1% and a fine of 20% of the gross minimum wage for each day of delay. The draft budget submitted to Parliament by the finance ministry in March earmarked nearly EUR 1 billion for the High Court in 2026, approx. 50% more than in the previous year, precisely in order to cover these salary entitlements. The government decided, however, to postpone a portion of these payments.
CURRENCY The national currency, the leu, Wednesday dropped against the euro, which reached RON 5.2688, up RON 0.05 compared to the previous rate, the National Bank of Romania announced. It is the weakest rate for the Romanian national currency in history. The leu also lost ground against the US dollar, which reached RON 4.4764.
MOLDOVA The European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, will be in Chişinău on May 7 and 8 for an official visit, the EU Delegation to the Republic of Moldova has announced. Kaja Kallas will discuss security and defence issues with foreign minister Mihai Popşoi and the defence minister Anatolie Nosatyi, and on Friday she will be received by president Maia Sandu and will meet with PM Alexandru Munteanu and other high-level officials. The EU diplomacy chief also plans to hold talks with civil society and will take part in EuroQuiz, a quiz competition on the history, present, and future of the European Union, alongside young Moldovans. The Republic of Moldova is in the process of bringing its national legislation in line with EU standards, having obtained the candidate country status in June 2022.
FESTIVAL The 30th European Film Festival kicks off today in 12 cities across Romania, including Bucharest. Until May 17, a variety of high-quality, recent European films will be screened, according to the Romanian Cultural Institute, a co-organiser of the event alongside the embassies, institutes, and cultural centres of EU member states. The anniversary edition also features short films from the 1990s, which, according to the organisers, deserve to be rediscovered just as much as the achievements of today’s young filmmakers deserve recognition. This year, the festival also has two honorary ambassadors: the producer Ada Solomon, chair of the European Film Academy Board, and the director Igor Cobileanski, whose works are representative of both Romania and the Republic of Moldova.
CELEBRATION Romanian sports fans Thursday celebrate 40 years since Steaua Bucharest won the European Champions Cup in football. On May 7, 1986, in Seville, Spain, the team, comprising exclusively Romanian players, defeated the famous FC Barcelona 2-0 in the final, after a penalty shootout. Steaua’s goalkeeper, Helmuth Duckadam, entered the Book of Records at that time, after saving the Catalans’ all four shots. In February 1987, in Monte Carlo, Steaua also won the European Super Cup, after a 1-0 win against the USSR’s Dinamo Kyiv. Some of the authors of those unique performances in the history of local football include the coach Emeric Jenei, the goalkeeper Helmuth Duckadam, the midfielder Lucian Bălan and the defender Ilie Bărbulescu, who have passed away in recent years. (AMP)
