June 23, 2026 UPDATE
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 23.06.2026, 20:00
GOVERNMENT In Bucharest, president Nicuşor Dan held talks with the parliamentary parties and groups on Tuesday to appoint a new prime minister. At this point, the Social Democratic Party (PSD) is ready to take over the government, and the National Liberal Party (PNL) is willing to form a cabinet with Save Romania Union (USR) and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (UDMR), while AUR party claims that a government cannot be formed without them. According to the UDMR, there are two options for a minority government, with a third scenario centered on a government ‘with a very thin majority’. The parliamentary group of national minorities believes the new government will not have a parliamentary majority, while SOS Romania Party announced they requested president Dan to step down. Discussions have also been scheduled with the Young People’s Party, the United for Romania parliamentary group, the PACE – Romania First group and unaffiliated MPs. The new talks take place after the team led by PM designate Adrian Veştea failed to get a vote of confidence in Parliament the day before. For inauguration, he needed the votes of at least 233 MPs, but he only got 189.
BUDGET Over EUR 2.25 billion officially entered Romania’s accounts as the European Commission fully covered the payment request no. 4 under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), the interim minister of investments and European projects Dragoş Pîslaru announced on Tuesday. Romania’s Recovery and Resilience Plan is financed with EUR 21.41 billion, of which EUR 13.57 billion in non-reimbursable funding and EUR 7.84 billion in loans. With this fourth payment, Romania reached 60.6% of the total allocation.
FARMERS The EU will contribute almost EUR 15 million to help Romanian farmers affected by last year’s drought. The money is for corn and sunflower crops and can be supplemented by the national government. The proposal came from the European Commission, and the member states in the Council approved the measure, which targets farmers not only in Romania, but also in other countries. The total funding is EUR 56 million, of which Portugal and Romania receive the most. Other supported states are Cyprus, Croatia and Slovenia.
BRANCUSI The vice-president of the European Parliament, Victor Negrescu (RO), hosted the opening of the photo exhibition ‘The Infinite of Brâncuşi’, an event organised at the European Parliament to mark the Constantin Brâncuşi Year and the 150th birthday anniversary of the Romanian sculpture icon. The exhibition focused on the Târgu Jiu Monument Ensemble, included in the UNESCO World Heritage and the only monumental ensemble created by Constantin Brâncuşi in the public space. Through exceptional photographs, archive materials and an immersive VR experience, the participants were able to discover Brâncuşi’s artistic universe and to follow the route created by the artist from the Table of Silence and the Gate of the Kiss to the Endless Column. The exhibition helps promote the Romanian cultural heritage and the universal values transmitted through the work of one of the most influential artists of the 20th century.
THEATRE The line-up of the Sibiu International Theatre Festival featured further captivating performances on Tuesday, according to theatre critics. The highlights included the award-winning production of A Long Day’s Journey into Night by the Radu Stanca National Theatre in Sibiu, the theatre-dance performance “Infamous Offspring”, by the Belgian company Ultima Vez, and the musical performance “The Soul of Japan”. Tuesday also featured a special conference with Miguel Gane, a young writer of Romanian descent who conquered Spanish literature. 20 free of charge street performances were also staged on Tuesday. (AMP)
