January 13, 2026
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 13.01.2026, 13:55
WARNING – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) in Bucharest informs Romanian citizens who are inside, transiting or intending to travel to France that a national strike of railway conductors and controllers is held on January 13, in which context disruptions to train traffic are expected on all lines operated by SNCF Travellers. Romanian citizens can request consular assistance at the telephone numbers of the Consulate General of Romania in Paris. Those who are faced with a difficult or emergency situation can also dial the permanent telephone numbers, depending on the consular district of residence, of the consulates in Marseille, Lyon and Strasbourg.
STATEMENT – The President of the Republic of Moldova, the pro-Western Maia Sandu, has publicly stated that, if a referendum were held on the issue, she would vote in favour of Moldova’s reunification with Romania. In an interview with British journalists and quoted by the press in Chișinău and Bucharest, the Moldovan head of state acknowledged that, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, in the context of national revival movements, there was significant support for this idea. Maia Sandu adds that reunification would not find broad support among today’s political class, which is why the desire for European integration remains the only solution for the survival of the Republic of Moldova as a democracy and a sovereign state. She also spoke about the threats coming from the Russian Federation and stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin is seeking to expand his influence over Europe. According to her, the Kremlin’s involvement in the internal affairs of the European Union is much deeper than many European citizens realize. The podcast produced by Rory Stewart and Alastair Campbell is considered the most popular in the UK in the field of political analysis and is watched by a wide audience interested in global geopolitical developments.
BUDGET – Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan and the five deputy prime ministers discussed, on Monday, in Bucharest, the 2026 state budget. The project that will be adopted next month by the Executive must take into account a deficit of 6.4% and include the projects from the national Recovery and Resilience Plan, important for the development of the economy and national infrastructure, as stated by Ilie Bolojan. Before drafting the state budget law, the Government must adopt the reform of local and central administration, in order to establish the exact financial allocations to ministries and administrative-territorial units.
INCOME – One in three Romanians is considering obtaining an additional income at the beginning of 2026, in the context of higher taxes, rising food and utility prices and pressure on family budgets, data from a recruitment platform shows, which indicates an accelerated increase in demand for flexible activities. In this context, occasional work – in retail, cleaning, construction, repairs or rural households has become something normal for more and more categories of Romanians, according to the cited source. The main social categories that show interest in additional income are unqualified young people (16-25 years old), who represent 21% of the total. Another category is active pensioners, aged over 60, with a share of 19%, but also mothers who work from home, aged between 20 and 45 (18%). On the other hand, employees looking for additional work aged between 25 and 55 represent 22% of the total.
HEATING – In the midst of a severe frost, Romania is safe. The system is working, reserves are solid, and the supply is secured, the Minister of Energy, Bogdan Ivan, wrote on his social media page. He specified that the gas deposits are 65% full, with 200 million cubic meters more than the level in the same period last year. Bogan Ivan also said that Romania has the necessary capacity to cover the increased consumption these days, from domestic production, imports and extraction from deposits being balanced. However, thousands of residential buildings in Bucharest, including hospitals, do not have hot water and heat within normal parameters, because of the distribution infrastructure that is about 40 years old. In the country, hundreds of children are not going to classes, which have been suspended. Homeless people in several cities are receiving support from city halls and professional associations. Romania is under frost warnings, with temperatures dropping last night to almost minus 20 degrees Celsius. The weather remains cold today, even particularly cold in the north and center. (EE)
