February 2, 2026 UPDATE
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 02.02.2026, 20:11
PARLIAMENT Romania’s Senate and Chamber of Deputies began the first parliamentary session of the year on Monday. The priorities of the ruling coalition are the public administration reform, economic recovery measures and the 2026 state budget law. PM Ilie Bolojan prefers that the bills regarding the administration and economy be passed under emergency orders, a faster solution than taking responsibility before Parliament. The Social Democratic leader Sorin Grindeanu estimates the draft budget to be presented towards the end of the month and is confident that resources will be found for measures to support vulnerable categories protected by his party. On the other hand, the opposition has already announced a no-confidence motion against the government if the Prime Minister takes responsibility for a third set of reforms, simple motions against the ministers of foreign affairs and defence, as well as several bills aimed at cutting public spending and protecting citizens.
JUDICIARY Two Liberal MPs from the ruling coalition have submitted a bill to amend and supplement the Law on the Organisation and Functioning of the Constitutional Court. MP Raluca Turcan said none of the proposed measures affects the independence of Constitutional Court judges or their irremovability during their term. According to Turcan, in recent years the Constitutional Court has lost credibility due to suspicions of conflict of interest, unjustified postponements and repeated absences and boycotts of important decisions. The main measures in the bill include the obligation of Constitutional Court judges to attend the Court’s plenary sessions; financial penalties for judges who are absent without justification from the Court’s plenary sessions amounting to 10% of their gross income for each absence, with only medical situations, fortuitous events or force majeure admitted as justifications; the option of Parliament or the President of Romania to dismiss judges who are found to be in situations of incompatibility, who are absent from the Court’s plenary sessions without justification at least three times in a row or who are unable to exercise their duties for more than 90 days.
STRIKE Trade unions in education are collecting signatures to start an all-out strike during the mock exams for the national assessment and the baccalaureate, which are scheduled for March. Teachers are particularly dissatisfied with the increase in teaching hours from 18 to 20 per week, and the cut in hourly payments. Trade union leaders are asking the government to increase the budget allocation for education. Meanwhile, trade unions in public healthcare are also considering a strike.
OIL The price of an oil barrel fell on Asian stock markets on Monday after US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he would prefer to reach an agreement with Iran, France-Presse reports. The agency notes that the United States has recently significantly boosted its forces in the Middle East region, after Donald Trump warned on several occasions that he could order an operation against Iran because of the brutal response of the Iranian regime to anti-government protests. On the other hand, Trump also spoke of negotiations with Tehran on the latter’s nuclear programme, which was already the target of a US attack last June. Thousands of people were killed during the crackdown on protests last month, France-Presse also mentions. Tehran accused the United States and Israel of inciting the protests, and the country’s supreme religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Sunday warned that a US attack would lead to regional war.
TENNIS The Romanian-born British player Emma Răducanu lost 6-0, 6-4 to Belgium’s Greet Minnen on Monday at the Transylvania Open tennis tournament (WTA 250), which is taking place in Cluj-Napoca (northwest) and has total prizes over USD 280,000. The Romanian Elena Ruxandra Bertea, for the first time on a WTA main draw, was defeated by the Slovenian Kaja Juvan, 6-3, 6-4. Another Romanian player, Miriam Bulgaru, lost 6-4, 6-3 to Olga Danilovic (Serbia). In turn, Ana Bogdan was defeated by Maja Chawlinska (Poland), 6-3, 6-2. The Romanians Jaqueline Cristian/Gabriela Ruse qualified for the quarterfinals of the doubles event, after defeating the Chinese Qinahui Tang/Yue Yuan, seeds no 4, 6-3, 6-4. (AMP)
