January 19, 2026
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 19.01.2026, 13:55
Weather. A yellow code warning for frost is in place until this evening in the south, centre and east of the country, where temperatures drop to minus 10 degrees Celsius. Another yellow code warning will come into force throughout the country from this evening until tomorrow morning, with the lows ranging from minus 20 to minus 10 degrees. Today, the sky is clear in the mountains and in the sub-Carpathian hills, with fog also expected in certain areas. The highs of the day today are between minus 10 and 0 degrees Celsius.
NATO. President Nicuşor Dan today receives the commander of the United States European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe, general Alexus G. Grynkewich. On Tuesday, the general will pay a working visit to the Getica National Joint Training Centre in Cincu and to the Multinational Corps South-East Command in Sibiu (central Romania), together with General Gheorghiţă Vlad, Chief of the Romanian Defence Staff. According to the Defence Ministry in Bucharest, the visit underlines the firm commitment of Romania and NATO to consolidate regional security and to strengthen the deterrence and defence posture on the Alliance’s south-eastern flank.
Government. The leaders of the ruling coalition are expected to meet in Bucharest early this week to discuss the completion of the local public administration reform bill and the state budget bill. Central and local authorities are to cut personnel expenses by 10% through layoffs, bonus cuts or institutional reorganisation. After adopting the bill, the government plans to assume responsibility for it in Parliament. Coalition leaders are also expected to discuss the budget bill for this year, following preliminary talks on this subject between Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan and his five deputy prime ministers. The bill, which is to be adopted by the government in early February will take into account a budget deficit of 6.4% and is to include projects laid down in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan that are important for the development of the country’s economy and infrastructure.
Davos. Romania is participating at the World Economic Forum in Davos between January 19 and 23, bringing its biggest government delegation so far, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest. The delegation is made up of foreign minister Oana Ţoiu, the minister for investments and European projects, Dragoş Pîslaru and the minister for energy, Bogdan Ivan. The core theme of this year’s edition of the forum is supporting dialogue (‘A spirit of dialogue’) and brings together high-level officials, including presidents, prime ministers and government ministers, as well as representatives of important international organisations and institutions, academia, the press and NGOs.
Mercosur. Following the implementation of the EU-Mercosur trade agreement, customs duties on EU agri-food products, which may be as much as 55%, will be eliminated, helping Romanian farmers to boosty their exports to the South American trade bloc, according to a document published on the website of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Trade (DG TRADE). Moreover, according to the document, 15 Romanian products with geographical indications will be protected on Mercosur markets. According to DG TRADE, Romanian companies and small businesses will be able to do business more easily in Mercosur countries, Romanian companies will be able to offer services cheaper and easier, Romanian producers and farmers can export more, and Romanian delicacies will be able to be sold in larger quantities and at higher prices. The agreement will eliminate customs duties on 91% of all products, which will benefit all exporters in Romania, the document also reads. Total trade between Romania and Mercosur currently amounts to 711 million euros.
Accident. At least 39 people died and over 120 were injured in a train accident on Sunday between two high-speed trains in southern Spain, but the toll is expected to rise. The accident occurred when the rear carriages of a train heading to Madrid derailed. They were hit head-on by a second high-speed train coming from the opposite direction. Both trains were traveling at a speed of about 200 kilometers per hour. The Romanian Foreign Ministry said that no requests for assistance had been received by the country’s Consulate General in Seville.. Romanian President Nicuşor Dan sent his condolences to the Spanish people and to King Felipe. Sunday’s accident is one of the worst rail tragedies in Spain. In 2013, 76 people died in a train accident in Madrid.
Tennis. Romania’s Jaqueline Cristian lost to Czechia’s Karolina Muchova, 6-3, 7-6 on Monday in Melbourne, in the first round of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year. Jaqueline Cristian will continue in Melbourne in the women’s doubles, alongside Hungary’s Anna Bondar. On Sunday, another Romanian player, Gabriela Ruse, reached the second round in Melbourne, while Sorana Cîrstea will play in the first round against Eva Lys of Germany on Tuesday. (CM)
