April 27, 2026
A roundup of domestic and world news
Newsroom, 27.04.2026, 13:55
Consultations – The Social Democratic Party (PSD), which last week withdrew its support for the Liberal prime minister and pulled its ministers out of the cabinet, announced today that, together with the populist Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), it is filing a motion of no confidence against the Bolojan administration. The announcement was made during new consultations between the head of state and the leaders of pro-European parties, including the PSD. The topics of discussion announced by the Presidential Administration concern the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and the SAFE program, on which the PSD, the National Liberal Party (PNL), Save Romania Union (USR), and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) have shown a willingness to cooperate despite political disagreements. We recall that the Social Democrats accused Ilie Bolojan of destroying the economy and reducing the population’s purchasing power and called for his resignation, expressing their willingness to continue governing in a coalition with the PNL, USR, and UDMR, but with a different prime minister. Ilie Bolojan announced, however, that he would continue to serve as prime minister to ensure the stability of the government and noted that the decisions made so far, aimed at reducing the very large budget deficit, had been endorsed by all parties in the coalition, including the PSD. Following the resignations of the PSD ministers, Ilie Bolojan opted for interim ministers to avoid a deadlock in the country’s administration, according to his statements. This is a solution that does not require a vote of approval in parliament and allows the executive to retain full powers for 45 days, just as it has until now.
Talks – Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan is meeting today with the acting ministers of health, justice, labor, agriculture, and transport to discuss priorities for the coming period. The head of the executive, who is serving as acting minister of energy, wants the work of these institutions—whose leadership positions were vacated by the Social Democrats—to continue without disruption. In fact, throughout the day today, the outgoing PSD ministers will present an assessment of their terms in office during press conferences. Meanwhile, the interim officials who will take over these portfolios are already working on drafting the new law on public sector pay, on proposals to raise the retirement age for military personnel and police officers, and projects aimed at increasing energy storage and production capacity by completing investments already underway.
Session – The EU budget and the crisis in the Middle East are key themes on the agenda of the European Parliament’s plenary session, which begins today. MEPs are discussing the long-term EU budget and plan to call for a 10% increase in funding for essential projects. The European Parliament wants to allocate more funds to food and energy security, defense, and border protection. Other areas targeted by budget allocations in the future multiannual financial framework include the competitive economy, cohesion policy, and agriculture. At the same time, MEPs are trying to find solutions to curb rising energy prices amid the conflict in the Middle East.
Visit – King Charles of the United Kingdom begins his planned state visit to the U.S. today, after it was determined that there is no danger following the recent shooting at the White House during the Correspondents’ Dinner, which President Donald Trump attended. Buckingham Palace announced the visit following a series of discussions with U.S. officials. According to Reuters, King Charles’s four-day trip aims to strengthen the relationship between the US and the UK, amid several differences, particularly regarding the war in the Middle East.
Handball – CSM Bucharest qualified for the Final4 of the Women’s Handball Champions League after defeating the Danish Team Esbjerg 37–27 (19–14) on Sunday in Bucharest in the second leg of the quarterfinals. The Romanian champions had lost the first leg by a narrow margin, 25-26. CSM Bucharest, which won the trophy in 2016, last qualified for the competition’s Final4 tournament in 2018. The other Romanian team in the competition, CS Gloria Bistriţa, failed to qualify for the tournament after being defeated by the French team Brest Bretagne Handball, 36-30 (14-13), on Sunday evening in an away game. Gloria had also lost the first leg, 35-36. Gyori Audi ETO KC (Hungary) and Metz Handball (France) have also qualified for the Final4 tournament, which will take place on June 6 and 7 in Budapest.
Drones – Romania, through its highest officials, has strongly condemned the violation of its airspace by a Russian drone. On Saturday, the drone struck a residential property and an electricity pole in the city of Galați, located near the border with Ukraine. Foreign Minister Oana Ţoiu summoned the Russian Federation’s ambassador to Bucharest to the Foreign Ministry headquarters. The Romanian side expressed its strong protest against this unacceptable act, which constitutes a violation of Romania’s sovereignty. (LS)
