February 1, 2026 UPDATE
The latest news from RRI
Lăcrămioara Simion and Newsroom, 01.02.2026, 20:00
Parliament – The first parliamentary session of this year opens in Bucharest on Monday. Senators and deputies from the four-party coalition in power have as priorities the reform of local and central public administration, proposed by the Liberal Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, and the economic recovery measures initiated by the Social Democratic Party. The opposition will focus, in turn, on initiatives related to protecting citizens from high living costs and changing the mandate of the Constitutional Court judges. At the same time, the opposition could file a motion of censure, if the prime minister assumes responsibility for a third package of reforms, as well as several simple motions against the ministers of Foreign Affairs, Defense and Education. Also in this session, the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies will express their opinion by voting on the state budget law for 2026 and on the appointment of the heads of the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) and the Foreign Intelligence Service (SIE).
Protests – Health unions in Romania are threatening to stage new protests in the coming period. There is dissatisfaction related to possible budget cuts in the field, including a possible reduction in personnel costs by 10%. Unionists in the field are also considering an all-out strike, with only serious emergencies to be provided in medical units. Education employees have also announced that they are resuming their protests in the streets, in front of the government headquarters. At the same time, a warning strike is expected to take place in March. Teachers are especially dissatisfied with the increase in the teaching norm from 18 to 20 hours and the decrease in the amounts for hourly pay. According to the Spiru Haret Federation of Education Unions, a referendum will be organized in the coming days to trigger the all-out strike.
Olympics – The Olympic Village in Milan officially opened its doors to participants in the 2026 Winter Olympics, a week before the official start of the competition that will take place in Italy from February 6 to 22. The Italian delegation was the first to settle in the Olympic Village, followed by those of Germany, the Czech Republic and Japan. The news that President Donald Trump wants to send US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to ensure the protection of American athletes was met with discontent and protests, after incidents in the US in which federal agents fatally shot two people. The Olympic Village in Milan is designed to receive 1,700 athletes and officials during the Games, with Italy’s economic capital set to host most of the ice sports, including figure skating and hockey. Competitions will also take place in seven other locations. Romania will participate in the 2026 Winter Olympics with a delegation of 29 athletes who will compete in 8 sports.
Pollution – On the Romanian sector of the Danube River, near the town of Moldova Nouă, a 2 km long pollution spot appeared. An intervention team from the Water Basin Administration in the area took samples, and laboratory tests showed that it was petroleum products. Ships sailing on the Danube are required to collect wastewater from their ships and discharge it for treatment in ports, but in this case it was discharged into the river. Employees of the Romanian Waters and firefighters from the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations spread absorbent material on the surface of the water to contain the pollutant and limit its spread. No fish mortality was observed.
Kyiv – Direct negotiations between Kyiv, Moscow and Washington to find a solution to the war in Ukraine will resume on February 4 and 5 in Abu Dhabi, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced, quoted by AFP. A first round of negotiations took place, also in Abu Dhabi, on January 23 and 24, in the presence of Ukrainian, Russian and American representatives. They were the first known direct negotiations between Kyiv, Moscow and Washington based on the American plan to end the war. In parallel, the Kremlin’s envoy for economic issues, Kirill Dmitriev, met on Saturday in Florida with the US special envoy Steve Witkoff, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and the US president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Talks to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 remain very difficult. They are particularly affected by territorial issues. (LS)
