February 22, 2026 UPDATE
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 22.02.2026, 20:00
VISIT The PM of Romania Ilie Bolojan will make a visit to Brussels next week, where he will meet with the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, official government sources announced. The information is also confirmed by the agenda of the EC president. The visit takes place as Romania’s ruling coalition is currently holding talks regarding the draft state budget law for 2026, which also takes into account the European funding that will contribute to the investment component of the budget. At the same time, in the next 2 to 3 weeks, Romania is to receive an official response from the European Commission regarding the National Recovery and Resilience Plan funds related to the magistrates’ pension reform, i.e. EUR 231 million. The government is also waiting for the European Commission’s approval regarding payment request no. 4 in the recovery programme, amounting to EUR 2.6 billion.
FILM Two Romanian films were awarded on Saturday at the prestigious Berlin International Film Festival. “Atlas of the Universe”, directed by Paul Negoescu, a Romanian-Bulgarian co-production, was awarded the jury’s Honourable Mention in the Generation Kplus section. The film follows a ten-year-old boy in search of his lost left shoe, offering young audiences a story about courage, friendship and self-discovery. The cast includes Matei Donciu, Johanna Mild, Călin Petru, Sofia Marinescu, Marin Grigore. Another Romanian film, “On Our Own” directed by Tudor Cristian Jurgiu, a Romanian-Italian co-production, received the Art Cinema Award in the Forum section. The award, presented by the International Confederation of Art Cinemas (CICAE), rewards contemporary art house cinema and supports the distribution of the film in the global network of art house cinemas. “On Our Own” is the story of a group of teenagers from a small town in Romania, whose parents work abroad. Lacking support and prospect, the youngsters build their own community, take comfort in other children and teenagers in similar situations, according to the film’s synopsis. The cast includes Denisa Vraja, Vlad Furtună, Mara Diaconu Ducica, Sofia Vasiliu, Dominique Toma, Steliana Bălăcianu and Robert Radoveneanu.
POLL As many as 73.1% of Romanians believe that the country is heading in the wrong direction, according to the latest survey conducted by INSCOP Research, between January 28 and February 6. Only 22.2% of the respondents believe things in Romania are going in the right direction, and 4.7% do not know or do not answer. 32.2% of Romanians name corruption as the country’s most important problem, 23.6% mention price rises, 13.4% the state of their own and family’s health, and 11.7% the state of the education system. According to the poll, 54.9% of the interviewees believe that Russia is to blame for starting the war across Romania’s border, 14.1% indicate Ukraine, 7.7% the United States and 9% the European Union. Asked to what extent they believe that various entities/countries would defend Romania in the event of an attack by Russia, 66.6% of the respondents indicated NATO, 47.7% – France, 46.6% – the US, 44.6% – Germany, and 38.1% – the UK. According to the survey, 67.1% of the participants agree with the introduction of compulsory military service in Romania, 30.5% are against it, and 2.4% do not know or do not answer. In the event of an attack on Romania, 48% of the respondents said they would fight to defend their country, 19.7% would leave the country, 10.5% would hide until the war was over, 4.7% would get a medical certificate qualifying them as unfit for combat. Another 10% did not answer the question.
COOPERATION Romania’s deputy PM and interior minister Cătălin Predoiu Friday had a bilateral meeting with the US secretary of homeland security, Kristi Noem, as part of his visit to the USA. The two officials discussed the joint cooperation agenda of the Romanian Interior Ministry and the Department of Homeland Security. According to a news release issued by the Interior Ministry on Sunday, during the meeting topics like migration management, border security, fighting organised crime and emerging threats, including risks linked to cross-border crime, were discussed. Also, the role of the Transnational Criminal Investigative Unit in Bucharest was highlighted, a structure created by the two institutions and unique in the region, which works as a regional hub covering the Western Balkans, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. The Visa Waiver programme was also on the agenda of the talks. The Romanian side emphasised the major public interest that this topic has in Romania and presented the technical tools already operational. The two officials agreed to carry on dialogue and cooperation on this subject.
GREENLAND The US plans to send a hospital ship to Greenland, for people who are not “being taken care of,” the US president Donald Trump announced on Truth Social on Saturday. The statement could increase tensions between NATO allies the US and Denmark, according to news agencies. On Sunday the Danish defence minister Troels Lund Poulsen said the Arctic island of the Kingdom of Denmark does not need such an initiative. Donald Trump said he was working with Jeff Landry, who was appointed US special envoy for Greenland in December. The US Navy has two hospital ships with 100 beds each, including 80 for intensive care, generally deployed after natural disasters such as earthquakes or hurricanes. With a population of about 57,000, Greenland has not reported significant medical needs recently that would justify the presence of a hospital ship. The US president has threatened several times in recent weeks to annex Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory rich in rare metals, straining transatlantic relations. European countries such as Germany, the United Kingdom and France have supported Denmark and Greenland, rejecting the idea of turning the Arctic island into US territory.
IRAN Iran once again sees public protests criticising or challenging the Islamic Republic, as 40 days of mourning are observed for those killed in the January protests. Students with several Iranian universities have staged anti-government demonstrations and even clashed with pro-regime volunteer militias. News agencies report that the regime in Tehran continues to face public discontent and risks new rallies, amid a deepening economic crisis and after the crackdown on last month’s protests, with tens of thousands of people arrested or summoned to give statements, according to human rights organisations in Iran. Separately, the Iranian foreign ministry announced that Iran has designated the naval and air forces of all EU member states as terrorist organisations, in response to the bloc’s decision on Thursday to add the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to its list of terrorist organisations. This decision triggers restrictive measures under the EU’s anti-terrorism sanctions regime, including the freezing of funds and other financial assets or economic resources of the IRGC in member states. The EU’s decision comes amid heightened tensions in the West Asia region in recent days, with the US increasing its military presence and repeatedly threatening possible military strikes against Iran. (AMP)
