February 11, 2026 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 11.02.2026, 19:55
Reform. Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan has announced that the public administration reform, included in the third package of measures aimed at reducing the budget deficit, would be adopted by the government next week at the latest. He also stated that the measures decided by the government do not only involve spending cuts. The statements were made amid protests by employees from hundreds of town halls across the country, who went on a warning strike on Tuesday. They are unhappy that job and salary cuts could follow, given that, they say, staffing levels are already insufficient and incomes have been reduced. We will be back after the news.
CCR. Romania is at high risk of losing over €230 million in non-reimbursable European funds due to repeated delays by the Constitutional Court in reaching a decision on the referral related to the reform of magistrates’ pensions, said Minister of Investment and European Projects Dragoş Pîslaru, after the CCR magistrates postponed their verdict for the fifth time on Wedensday. The CCR postponed its ruling until February 18 in order to analyze the request received from the Supreme Court to refer a preliminary question to the Court of Justice of the European Union regarding the government’s plan to change magistrates’ special pensions. The Supreme Court considers that the measures in the government’s bill “may lead to discriminatory treatment of magistrates in relation to other categories of beneficiaries of service pensions.” The reform regarding the retirement of magistrates is a milestone for accessing a new tranche of funds earmarked for Romania in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. Dragoş Pîslaru specified in this context that the amount cannot be considered lost until the European Commission sends a letter to that effect.
Brussels. The European Commission on Wednesday presented an action plan for airspace security, in light of the increasing risks associated with the use of drones. The central element of the strategy is the development and implementation of advanced detection and monitoring technologies capable of identifying even unregistered drones or those not connected to standard networks. The European executive is counting on the integration of smart sensors, modern radar systems, and the use of 5G infrastructure for real-time flight tracking. The plan provides for European-wide testing of new anti-drone systems, joint exercises, and pilot projects carried out around airports and critical infrastructure. The aim is to create a rapid and coordinated response to incidents. At the same time, the Commission has announced its intention to strengthen mechanisms for monitoring and exchanging data between Member States, including through a European platform dedicated to reporting drone incidents.
NATO. On Wednesday, NATO announced the launch of Operation Arctic Sentinel, aimed at strengthening the alliance’s presence in this northern region. The operation will focus on naval presence and surveillance, but the expansion or reinforcement of NATO bases in the future is not ruled out. The mission takes place in a tense context determined by US President Donald Trump’s desire to acquire Greenland, a territory belonging to Denmark. The United States is concerned about the growing presence of Russia and China on northern trade routes. Furthermore, both countries have various research operations, and NATO wants to be prepared so as not to be taken by surprise by various future developments. On Thursday, the operation will also be discussed with the defense ministers of the allied states at the meeting in Brussels of the defense ministers of NATO member states, which will also be attended by Romanian Defense Minister Radu Miruţă. The minister is accompanied by the Chief of Defense Staff, General Gheorghiţă Vlad, and the Secretary of State for Defense Policy, Planning, and International Relations, Sorin Moldovan. At the meeting, member states will present the status of implementation of the commitments made at last year’s summit in The Hague, as well as this year’s defense budgets, given that the target has been set at 5% of GDP.
EP. On Wednesday, the European Parliament approved a loan package for Ukraine worth €90 billion for 2026 and 2027. The so-called ‘support loan for Ukraine’ will help meet Kyiv’s urgent financing needs in the context of Russia’s war of aggression, which is entering its fifth year. According to the EP, Ukraine will be responsible for repaying the loan once it receives war reparations from Russia.
Embassy. Colombia remains one of Romania’s key partners in Latin America, Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Ţoiu said on Wednesday at the reopening of the Colombian Embassy in Bucharest. “The presence of a permanent diplomatic mission here will be the engine that will bring our citizens and business communities much closer together,” the Romanian foreign minister added. For her part, Bogota’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio Mapy, said that her country and Romania share the same values based on respect for the principles of international law. “Colombia has a particular interest in continuing to work with Romania to encourage trade and investment and also to strengthen bilateral cooperation in strategic areas such as defense and cybersecurity, emergency management, culture, sports, climate action, and others,” the South American diplomat added. The last political consultations between the foreign ministers of Romania and Colombia took place more than three decades ago. (MI)
