February, 17, 2026
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 17.02.2026, 13:55
Talks. Romanian president Nicuşor Dan is holding talks this afternoon with the leaders of the four-party coalition, the president’s office has announced. Yesterday, the leaders of the four parties agreed on a series of budget changes. The bills on the reform of public administration and the economic recovery package are reportedly finalised and would next be adopted by emergency order.
Public debt. Government debt rose to 1,121 billion lei (almost 225 billion euros) in November last year, from 1,116 billion lei in the previous month, according to finance ministry data quoted by AGERPRES news agency. As a percentage of GDP, government debt went up to 60.2%, from 60% in August. Government bonds account for the bulk of this debt.
Report. The report of the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee regarding Romania’s elections is erroneous and partisan, said the Democratic senator Jeanne Shaheen on Monday, during a trip to Bucharest. She said Romania has been one of America’s strongest, most loyal and important allies and that thanks to the Romanian-American partnership, NATO is stronger, Romania is stronger and the US is stronger, and this is a very important message to be sent to adversaries, especially Vladimir Putin, in Russia. The House Judiciary Committee wrote in a report published earlier this month that the European Commission “regularly” interferes in the national elections of EU member states, including Romania. According to the report, the European Commission allegedly pressured platforms to censor content ahead of national elections in Slovakia, The Netherlands, France, the Republic of Moldova, Romania and Ireland, as well as the European elections in June 2024. The report also said that the “most aggressive” censorship measures were adopted during the 2024 Romanian presidential elections, when the Constitutional Court annulled the results of the first round, won by pro-Russian extremist candidate Călin Georgescu, due to Russian interference in the elections.
Vaccination. Romania is facing the worst vaccination crisis in decades. The MMR vaccination rate, against measles, mumps and rubella, has dropped sharply, especially for the booster shot, which is administered to children at the age of 5, warns the Save the Children Romania organisation. Uptake of the first shot is below 50%. Studies show that the main causes are the lack of information and false statements spread on social media, but also excessive bureaucracy, lack of material resources, elimination of vaccination programmes in schools and lack of transportation. Romania has by far the highest number of measles cases in the European Union, with measles causing dozens of deaths at national level between 2023 and 2025.
Cities. Bucharest has announced its candidacy to host the Cities Forum 2027, an event of the Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) of the European Commission. It focuses on supporting cities in the EU, in particular through the urban dimension of Cohesion Policy. According to the Romanian authorities, the Cities Forum represents an opportunity for the host of the event to showcase its qualities and contribute to the urban development discussions. The event aims to host around 800 participants for about two days, between April and June 2027. The final agreement on the host city of the Cities Forum 2027 will be officially announced on April 15. (CM)
