July 27, 2027
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 27.07.2026, 13:55
Parliament.The Parliament in Bucharest has convened in an extraordinary session to debate and vote on several bills, the adoption of which is crucial to achieving key milestones in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. Members of the Health Committee adopted, by a majority vote, an amendment proposed by the Social Democrats which unlocks vacancies within the healthcare system. This concerns healthcare facilities under the Ministry of Health or other state institutions that have their own healthcare network. These will be able to recruit staff, within the approved budget. The PSD’s amendment was also supported by the USR, which nevertheless believes that further measures are needed to unblock operations at large, efficient hospitals. The final vote is scheduled for this week, and the Chamber of Deputies is the decision-making body in this case. Romania has just over a month, until 31 August, to complete the investments and reforms committed to under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), and Parliament is due to vote this week on five laws, the approval of which is conditional on the release of European funds totaling around 4.5 billion euros.
Drones. The Russian Ambassador to Bucharest was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today, after the Romanian Air Force shot down another drone on Sunday that had illegally entered the country’s airspace. This was the third such incident in three consecutive days. Investigators have established that the first drone, shot down on Friday, was a Shahed Geran 2, a model used by the Russian military. Investigations are ongoing into the drones shot down on Saturday and Sunday. The Romanian authorities consider it unacceptable for Russia to continue to violate Romania’s airspace, which is also the airspace of NATO and the European Union. Bucharest has informed NATO of the incidents and has requested that support for anti-drone capabilities be stepped up until the delivery of the new systems acquired through the European SAFE Program.
UN. The UN Security Council is holding an emergency meeting today regarding Russian attacks on civilian vessels in the Black Sea. The discussions are taking place at Ukraine’s request. Russian forces are attacking Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea, maritime export routes and commercial shipping with increasing frequency. We recall that, recently, a vessel carrying propane from Egypt to Ukraine was reportedly struck by drones and burst into flames in Romanian territorial waters in the Black Sea. All 17 crew members were evacuated, and the vessel sustained major damage. Furthermore, also within Romania’s exclusive economic zone, a commercial vessel carrying coal to Ukraine reported damage possibly caused by a collision with a maritime drone or the explosion of a sea mine.
Strike. Romanian healthcare trade unionists, members of the Sanitas Federation, are going on an indefinite general strike starting Tuesday. In accordance with the law, one-third of the normal service at each healthcare facility will be maintained during the protest. In total, 400 public hospitals across the country will be affected – staff will prioritize only critical medical cases. Consequently, people who had scheduled routine consultations, tests or non-urgent surgical procedures will have their appointments rescheduled. The protesters are dissatisfied with their pay and working conditions, which are affected by staff shortages. Their grievances are exacerbated by the draft – still under discussion – of the new law on a unified pay scale for public sector workers.
Survey. Eight out of ten Romanians believe the country is heading in the wrong direction, while only 16 per cent believe it is heading in the right direction, according to an opinion poll carried out by CURS. Against the backdrop of the current political deadlock, 58 per cent of respondents do not agree with holding early parliamentary elections, However, if parliamentary elections were to take place next Sunday, the nationalist AUR party, currently in opposition, would secure 34 per cent of the vote, followed at some distance by the PSD with 23 per cent, the PNL with 21 per cent and the USR with 9 per cent. The army remains the institution with the best public image, with 81 per cent of respondents stating that they have a good or very good opinion of it. The Church ranks second, with 79 per cent, followed by the fire service and SMURD, which both stand at 66 per cent. At the opposite end of the spectrum are the Government, Parliament, the judiciary, the Constitutional Court and the Presidency.
Fires. Over 300,000 people have been told to evacuate their homes in France and Spain amid the ongoing severe wildfires. In France, the main fire is near the city of Bordeaux (south-west), and efforts to extinguish it are being hampered by strong gusts of wind. The French are being assisted by Romanian firefighters, who are working alongside colleagues from Croatia, Germany, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In Spain, where a state of emergency was declared on Friday due to the fire in the Madrid region, the blaze has begun to spread westwards towards the Toledo region. There are also problems in Italy, where the Coastguard has announced the evacuation by sea of hundreds of people due to a wildfire that broke out in the Puglia region (south). (MI)
