June 22, 2026
A roundup of domestic and world news
Newsroom, 22.06.2026, 13:55
Government – The joint Permanent Bureaus of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies are to decide the calendar for the debate and vote on the Adrian Veştea Government. The Prime Minister designate submitted his governing program and the list of ministers he proposes to the Romanian Parliament last night. The Veştea Cabinet will have three deputy prime ministers, nine social democratic ministers, four ministers from the liberal group that supports him, and four independents. In an online post, Veştea mentioned that the future government has five priorities, namely the return to institutional normality, the acceleration of attracting money from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), maintaining the trust of partners and the country’s rating, unblocking projects in advanced stages, as well as accelerating strategic projects. He expressed confidence that the Parliament would establish a rapid calendar for the hearing of ministers and the investiture vote and stressed that Romania cannot afford to waste any more time. In addition to the support of PSD and some PNL parliamentarians, the prime minister designate could receive the votes of some small parliamentary groups and formations. On the other hand, PNL, UDMR, USR and AUR announced that they do not support the government proposal. To be sworn in, the new cabinet needs 233 favorable votes.
Summit – The EU-Republic of Moldova summit is taking place in Brussels today, after the accession negotiations were officially opened a few days ago, with the first group of chapters, “Fundamental Values”, which includes, among others, justice reform, the fight against corruption and public procurement. During the summit, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Council, António Costa, and the President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, will discuss the next stages of the negotiations and the reform agenda that Chişinău is to implement in the integration process. It is expected that negotiations on all groups of chapters, six in total, will be opened by the end of July, with both the European Commission and the European Council confirming that the Republic of Moldova is ready for this. The summit agenda will also include topics on the regional situation, strengthening cooperation in the fields of security and defense and energy, as well as EU support for the economic development of the Republic of Moldova.
Theater festival – In Sibiu, in central Romania, the week begins with over 600 invitations for those who have come especially to the International Theatre Festival, after the first weekend full of shows and events for all categories of audience, most of them organized in unconventional and open-air spaces. Today, on the fourth day, artists from 20 countries present free outdoor shows to the public, as well as shows broadcast online. During the morning, the International Theatre Exchange in Sibiu opened, and among the guests at the special conferences we mention the great Romanian director Silviu Purcărete and the American actress Cathy Hasse. It is the 33rd edition of the Festival, considered the most important theatrical celebration in Romania and the third largest in Europe.
Resignation – Today, at noon is the deadline given to some prominent members of the Romanian National Liberal Party to resign from the party, otherwise they will be expelled. These are the Prime Minister designate Adrian Veștea, the President of the Ilfov County Council (south) Hubert Thuma, the MEP Rareș Bogdan, the local parliamentarians Alina Gorghiu and Lucian Bode, all accused of acting against the interests of the party. A resolution regarding their expulsion was adopted the day before, at the congress where the Liberals confirmed the interim Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan as president.
London – The British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced his resignation as leader of the Labor Party and said that once the party chooses a successor, he will let him take over as prime minister, most likely in September, after the autumn parliamentary session begins. Starmer brought the Labor Party back to power two years ago, after a period of 14 years of Conservative Party rule. Keir Starmer said he made the decision to resign because he had lost the trust of his party colleagues. The BBC notes that the pressure from Labor on Starmer has intensified after the party lost about 1,500 councilor positions in the recent local elections last week. Starmer’s image had previously been damaged by his support for the former British ambassador to the United States, who had links to pedophile Jefferey Epstein.
Cereals – Romania’s cereal and oilseed production is estimated at 30.5 million tons in 2026, the best harvest in the last five years, according to the forecast of COCEREAL, the European cereal and oilseed trade association. Romania produced over 29 million tons of cereals last year and exported 17.6 million tons, according to Eurostat data. Exports brought 5.3 billion Euros to the economy, almost 1 billion Euros more than in 2024. The estimated production for 2026 is 35% higher than in 2022. In the current season, heavy rains and snow in winter and spring are seen in the evolution of crops, at least in the case of wheat, barley and rapeseed. For agriculture, the last few years have been difficult, marked by drought and heat, as well as by low prices, comparable to those of 5-10 years ago, which have also led to arrangement with creditors, insolvencies or bankruptcies in the sector, from farmers to traders, writes Ziarul Financiar. (LS)
