January 27, 2026
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 27.01.2026, 20:00
VISIT The PM of Romania, Ilie Bolojan, is on a 2-day official visit to Germany at the invitation of federal chancellor Friedrich Merz. According to a government statement, the visit is part of the excellent relationship between Romania and Germany, which, although not formally based on a Strategic Partnership as such, has a strategic nature and focuses on areas like economic and trade cooperation, European affairs and security. Germany is Romania’s most important trade partner, with a share of over 20% of Romania’s total exports. In 2024, bilateral trade was about EUR 42 billion. At the Romanian Embassy in Germany Ilie Bolojan will meet with members of the Romanian community, the fourth largest foreign community in Germany (approximately 910,000 people). Before leaving for Berlin on Tuesday, PM Bolojan had a meeting in Bucharest with officers of the Fitch rating agency, concerning the latest economic measures prepared by the government and the state budget for this year.
NEGOTIATIONS In Romania, the parties in the ruling coalition (the Social Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party, Save Romania Union and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania) carry on negotiations on economic recovery measures. All parties have proposals that need to be harmonised. In addition, the coalition must agree on the way to endorse the set of measures, that is, whether jointly with the public administration reform or as a separate set. The government will take responsibility before Parliament for all these measures, as they are critical to drafting the national budget for this year. The parties in power have also analysed the draft budget for this year. In addition, the finance minister Alexandru Nazare is to go to the European Commission on Wednesday and discuss this draft budget, which is based on a deficit target of 6.2% of GDP.
DEFENCE The defence minister Radu Miruţă met on Tuesday in Bucharest with a US Congress delegation. The talks focused on regional security and collective defence. According to a news release from the defence ministry, the relevance of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the US was emphasised, as well as its contribution to regional and Euro-Atlantic security. Cooperation within NATO and the American military presence in Romania were mentioned as important elements of collective defence. The participants also discussed recent regional and Euro-Atlantic security developments, with an emphasis on the implications of the war in Ukraine, the security of the Eastern Flank and the strategic role of the Black Sea region. “The importance of maintaining a consolidated deterrence and defense posture, adjusted to current security challenges, has also been highlighted,” the news release reads.
AGRICULTURE At the AgriFish Council in Brussels, Romania pleaded for keeping the current Common Agricultural Policy in place and for the allocation of a substantial budget, which would allow for further production of high quality food, the agriculture minister Florin Barbu said on Tuesday. “The increasingly high standards that we demand from farmers must be compensated accordingly,” Florin Barbu added in a social media post. At the same time, he stressed that environmental policies must be accompanied by concrete support measures, so that the green transition does not turn into an unbearable burden for farmers and for the food security of the European Union. “Romania supports a balanced approach: environmental protection must go hand in hand with the protection of farmers and with maintaining production capacity in the European Union,” Florin Barbu pointed out.
BUDGET Romania’s general consolidated budget for 2025 saw a cash deficit of almost EUR 30 billion, accounting for 7.65% of GDP, down 1% compared to the 8.67% reported for 2024, the finance ministry announced on Tuesday. According to the institution, financial data confirms the efficiency of the measures adopted by the Romanian government, as the budget deficit was reduced compared to the previous year, with increased revenues and resources channeled into record high investments, massively financed from non-reimbursable European funds.
MOLDOVA The president of the Republic of Moldova Maia Sandu Tuesday called on the European Union to step up Moldova’s accession process, as there is a danger that the country might lose its freedom, taking into account the extent of Moscow’s interference in Moldova’s domestic affairs, especially in elections, EFE reports. “We hope that the EU will make a decision before it is too late,” Maia Sandu stressed in a speech delivered at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg (France). She said that Moldova is “fully committed” to this process, that it has already implemented reforms to adapt to the EU legislation, and intends to continue on this path. On the other hand, in Kyiv, president Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine should join the EU by 2027. According to Reuters, after a phone call with Austria’s chancellor Christian Stocker, he said on social media that Ukraine sees EU membership as part of the security guarantees for his war-torn country. Ukraine submitted its application for EU membership in late February 2022, after the country was invaded by Russia, and now it is a candidate country. (AMP)
