April 2, 2026 UPDATE
The latest news from RRI
Newsroom, 02.04.2026, 20:00
Heritage – “The golden helmet from Coţofeneşti and the Dacian bracelets, treasures of Romania’s heritage, 2,500 years old, are returning home” confirmed on Thursday the Romanian FM, Oana Ţoiu, after the Dutch press had already announced the recovery of the artifacts, stolen at the beginning of last year from a museum in the Netherlands. Ţoiu specified that next the Romanian state will assess the state of conservation of the artifacts and will establish the calendar for their restitution to the Romanian state, with a view to reintegrating them into the heritage of the National Museum of History of Romania. “Following the activation of international insurance and compensation mechanisms, Romania has collected the sum of 5.85 million Euros, funds that will be returned after the specialized expertise confirms the state of conservation of the objects. The information received during the day regarding the integrity of the pieces is encouraging and we hope that they can soon be admired at home by all those who experienced with emotion the period in which we feared that we had lost them” the Minister of Foreign Affairs also said. According to her, the cooperation to solve the case at the Drents Museum took place under the aegis of EUROJUST, through the establishment of a Joint Investigation Team (JIT), made up of prosecutors, judges and police officers from both states.
Excise – The Romanian government decided on Thursday to reduce the excise duty on diesel by 30 bani (the equivalent of about 6 eurocents) per liter. Only one daily update of prices at the pump will be allowed. According to a press release, following discussions with operators in the field, it was concluded that other working options could not have been applied uniformly and would have caused distortions in the supply of fuel. The decision also takes into account budgetary limitations, and will be implemented through an emergency ordinance, which will be adopted in an extraordinary meeting of the Government, most likely on Friday.
Football – The proposals for the new coach of Romania’s national team will be established by the members of the Technical Commission of the Romanian Football Federation (FRF), who will meet on Friday, the FRF announced in a statement published on the institution’s official website. The Federation announced on Thursday that the octogenarian coach Mircea Lucescu has ended his mandate as coach. His record on the bench of the national team in his last term includes 11 wins, 1 draw and 6 defeats. After failing to qualify for this summer’s World Cup, 0-1 against Turkey, away, in the semi-finals of the play-off, Lucescu suffered a medical incident during a training session, which led to his hospitalization, before the friendly match with Slovakia, lost, also away, score 0-2. According to some sources, the leadership of the Romanian national team is to be taken over by the former international player Gheorghe Hagi.
Solidarity – The Romanian government on Thursday adopted the solidarity package that comes with financial support for low-income pensioners, as well as for children with disabilities. The pension benefits will be transferred in two installments, in May and December, amounting to between 600 lei (120 euros) and 1,000 lei (200 euros). “We are talking about over 2.8 million pensioners, that is, a very large number of citizens, people with low pensions not because they did not work and contribute, but because they retired after periods when salaries in Romania were very low” said the Labor Minister, Florin Manole, after the government meeting.
OECD – The Governor of the National Bank of Romania, Mugur Isărescu, warns that the instability in the Middle East is worsening Romania’s financial vulnerabilities, with simultaneous effects on the budget and trade deficits. And in this unstable context, joining the OECD could help the state balance the situation, the Central Bank official said at a specialized conference. On the other hand, the current growth model of Romania’s economy, based on European funds, low labor costs and remittances from the Diaspora, has reached its limits and must be restructured, said Deputy Prime Minister Oana Gheorghiu. Also important is Romania’s accession to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, expected to be completed this year. (LS)
