July 23, 2026
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 23.07.2026, 13:55
Parliament. Romanian senators and deputies will interrupt their recess next week for an extraordinary parliamentary session. They will meet primarily in order to debate and vote on bills that are part of the obligations undertaken under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The most controversial piece of legislation in this package and which must be adopted by the end of August is that referring to public sector wages and which has already generated a series of protests. The bill on the reform of the National Integrity Agency is also among the pieces of legislation parliamentary parties are still to agree on.
Romania-India. The president of Romania, Nicușor Dan, is today receiving the President of the Republic of India, Droupadi Murmu, who is in Bucharest for a state visit until Saturday. According to a statement from the president’s office, official talks will focus on strengthening the expanded bilateral partnership and developing people-to-people ties by intensifying exchanges in the cultural, academic and sports sectors, as well as in research and innovation, alongside deepening bilateral economic cooperation. A bilateral economic forum will take place on Friday, inaugurated by the two heads of state and attended by representatives of the business communities from Romania and India, as well as Romanian officials.
Sailor. One of the sailors injured in the fire aboard the Gas Lisbon vessel and who was in hospital in Tulcea, has died today. He was a 46-year-old man who had suffered burns over 30% of his body. A fire broke out on the night of July 20 aboard the LPG tanker under the Liberian flag and which was sailing in Romania’s Exclusive Economic Zone, approximately 14 nautical miles off the coast of Sfântu Gheorghe. The ship had departed from the port of Alexandria (Egypt) bound for Reni (Ukraine), carrying a cargo of over 3,790 tons of propane and a crew of 17. The Romanian authorities intervened to rescue the crew and three crew members who were injured were taken to hospital in Tulcea, while the others are set to be repatriated.
Flooding. 33 localities in nine counties across Romania, as well as the capital city Bucharest were affected by severe weather on Wednesday. According to the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, firefighters pumped water out of hundreds of private homes, yards and basements, and from several streets. They removed structural elements torn from roofs and cleared away dozens of fallen trees. Vehicles were also damaged. In Prahova County (south-central), which had already been hit by heavy rains on Sunday, several apartments in a residential building were flooded and the occupants were evacuated. Last night, the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations announced on social media that crews were dispatched to pump out water in four localities in Prahova county. A red code flood warning was in place until noon today, for rivers in Constanța and Tulcea counties (in the south-east).
Travel. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest has informed Romanian citizens who are currently in, transiting through, or planning to travel to southeastern France that, as of Wednesday, French authorities have issued a red code alert for wildfires in the Bouches-du-Rhône department and an orange code alert for the Var, Gard, Vaucluse and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence departments. The Ministry advises Romanian citizens to consult official sources of public information. Greece, where the tourist season is in full swing, is also under a red code alert for wildfires due to soaring temperatures and strong winds. Meanwhile, in the Balkans, violent storms have caused one death and injured several others, also resulting in significant damage, including in the farming sector. In Spain, the year’s largest wildfire, which hit the Guadalajara region, has already destroyed 32,000 hectares, while several regions in Italy have declared a state of emergency due to wildfires, with train services also being disrupted.
Football. Romanian football champions Universitatea Craiova were defeated 1-nil away by Bulgaria’s Levski Sofia on Wednesday evening in the first leg of the Champions League second qualifying round. The return match will take place in Craiova on July 29. The winner of this tie will face the winner of the match between Omonia Nicosia and Kairat Almaty, which ended 1-nil in the first leg, in the Champions League third qualifying round, while the loser will play in the Europa League third qualifying round against the loser of the match between Azerbaijan’s Sabah FC and Finland’s KuPS Kuopio (1-nil in the first leg). Three other Romanian clubs are playing in the third-tier European competition. In the Conference League second qualifying round, FCSB face Latvia’s FK Auda, CFR Cluj take on Armenia’s Alashkert, and U Cluj will be facing Norway’s SK Brann. (CM)
