January 1, 2026 UPDATE
The latest news from RRI
Newsroom, 01.01.2026, 20:00
New Year’s Message – In 2026, it is essential that the state becomes more efficient, fairer and closer to citizens, the Romanian President Nicuşor Dan said in his New Year’s message. He said that 2025 was a year of trials, anxieties and normal questions, but also of resistance and civic maturity. Many Romanians felt the pressure of the rising cost of living, fears about job stability and the uncertainty of an increasingly unpredictable world, but Romania remained firmly anchored in its democratic values and European and Euro-Atlantic commitments, the president added. A message also came from the Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, who expressed his confidence that Romanians can overcome difficulties and that Romania can become a place where every citizen can build a better future. The head of the government in Bucharest admitted that the year which just ended was difficult, as it was necessary to put the state’s finances in order and correct certain shortcomings. Bolojan believes, however, that if the government spends money prudently in 2026, no further tax or fee increases will be necessary.
Explosion – Tens of people have died and about 100 have been injured in the fire that followed an explosion in a bar in the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana on the New Year’s Eve, the local police commander confirmed. The origin of the explosion remains undetermined. Swiss authorities have ruled out the possibility of a terrorist attack and are considering fireworks as the cause of the explosion. The incident took place around 1:30 local time, while hundreds of tourists were celebrating the New Year. The Romanian Foreign Ministry announces that, currently, Swiss officials are carrying out procedures to identify the people affected by the explosion and that, so far, there are no requests for consular assistance at the Romanian Embassy in Bern. Romania’s President Nicuşor Dan sent his condolences to the Swiss people following the tragedy. In a message posted on the X platform, he said he was deeply saddened by the explosion and fire that caused numerous casualties and injuries. Dan emphasized that he wishes a speedy recovery to the injured and conveyed his condolences to the families of the victims, the Swiss people, and his counterpart, Guy Parmelin.
Cyprus – Cyprus took over on Thursday the presidency of the Council of the European Union from Denmark for the next 6 months. Nicosia will try to manage the Union’s heavy files and bring more attention to the Eastern Mediterranean. A first priority point will be migration, Cyprus being in the front line on the migration route. Thus, the Cypriot government will insist on the implementation of the European Pact for Migration, with an emphasis on shared responsibility and protecting external borders. Another major direction is security, not only from a military point of view but also from a cyber and energy point of view. In this regard, Cyprus will focus on collaboration with its neighbors in the south of the Union and with those in the Middle East, from where the EU still supplies most of its oil needs. Another key point is the accession to the Union of Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and the states in the Western Balkans.
Euro zone – Bulgaria is now the 21st member state of the Euro zone, 19 years after joining the European Union. Bulgaria abandoned its national currency, the leva, in circulation since the late 19th century, in the hope of strengthening its economic ties with other euro zone members, but also out of fear of rising prices in an unstable political context. After the New Year, light projections on the facade of the Bulgarian National Bank headquarters in the capital Sofia showed the Bulgarian euro coins. The single currency, the Euro, was introduced on January 1, 2002, initially in 12 EU countries, and is currently used by almost 360 million Europeans. Romania is also a candidate for adopting the Euro, but currently, due to budgetary imbalances, it does not meet the Maastricht convergence criteria, which establish a series of macroeconomic targets that a country must meet in order to adopt the European currency.
Talks – The US President Donald Trump’s advisers held talks on Wednesday with Ukraine’s chief negotiator and the national security advisers of Great Britain, France and Germany about the next steps in ending Russia’s war in Ukraine. The Ukrainian president, who recently met with the US leader, said that the US peace plan for Ukraine was about 90% ready as of late December 2025. In his New Year’s speech, Volodymyr Zelensky said that the remaining 10% contained everything, adding that this 10 percent would determine the fate of peace, the fate of Ukraine and Europe. As soon as Washington and Kyiv announced progress in peace talks, Moscow launched, without evidence, the accusation that Ukraine had targeted a luxury residence of Vladimir Putin and, as a result, warned that it would toughen its position in negotiations to end the war. In the meantime, the states supporting Kyiv will meet on January 6 in Paris. The French President Emmanuel Macron said that the meeting would materialize each ally’s support for Ukraine.
Drones – Russia attacked several regions of Ukraine with over 200 drones on the first day of the year. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that most of them were shot down by the air defense systems. Russia’s attacks also targeted the Odessa region and Ukrainian ports on the Danube near Romania, and two Romanian Air Force F-16 fighter jets took off urgently in the morning to monitor the border area with Ukraine in the Tulcea county node (southeast). The Romanian Defense Ministry reported that no unauthorized intrusions into Romanian airspace were recorded.
Reges – 2026 brings an increase in local taxes in Romania. Thus, the tax on buildings, land and cars increases. On average, these taxes increase by 80%. The exact level of most taxes will vary from one locality to another depending on the decisions of local councils. In addition, for electric cars, which until now were exempt from taxes in many localities, a fixed tax of 40 lei per year has been introduced. The authorities justified these changes by the need to increase local budget revenues and by the need to adapt to current economic realities. At the same time, since January 1, Reges Online, the new digital register for employee records, has come into force in Romania, which fully replaces the Revisal platform. The transition to the electronic system is mandatory for all employers, who must complete the data from the Individual Employment Contracts active at the date of accessing the register and which are not found in the Revisal system. According to the Labor Inspectorate, Reges Online allows real-time reporting, secure online access and greater transparency, for both employers and employees, who will be able to more easily verify the data from the contracts. Employers who do not register on the new platform risk fines between 15 and 20 thousand lei. Also starting on Thursday, parcels worth less than 150 Euros coming from outside the European Union will be charged 25 lei upon entry into Romania. The measure concerns goods delivered as part of distance sales from third countries. (LS)
