March 13, 2026
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 13.03.2026, 13:55
Budget – Romania’s state budget and social security bills have reached Parliament, after being approved by the government on Thursday evening. The main challenge, reducing the deficit to 6.2% of GDP, will be supported by an ambitious reduction in state spending by 10 billion lei (2 billion Euros). However, investments will increase to a record level of almost 170 billion lei (34 billion Euros), mainly with money from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) and the SAFE program. Romania’s state budget also takes into account an economic growth of 1% and an inflation of 6.5% at the end of the year.
Visit – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is in Paris for talks with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron. The two are discussing the support provided to Ukraine by France and its European partners in the conflict with Russia, as well as the commitments made within the Coalition of the Willing regarding security guarantees after the end of the war. Another topic on the agenda is combating Russia’s illegal oil exports, as the United States has offered Moscow a temporary exemption from sanctions for the sale of oil already in transit, despite the recent decision of the G7 to maintain sanctions even amid rising global prices. The two leaders will also address the issue of unblocking the 90 billion euro loan promised to Ukraine by European Union leaders in December, but which has not materialized due to opposition from Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a close ally of Russia. On Thursday, Zelensky was in Bucharest, where, together with Romanian President Nicușor Dan, he signed a strategic partnership between the two countries.
Iran – The Israeli army launched a new wave of attacks on the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Friday, where loud explosions were heard, on the 14thday of the war triggered by the Israeli-American attack on Iran, EFE and AFP report. The regional escalation has so far resulted in approximately 1,300 deaths and over 10,000 injuries, according to the Iranian authorities. Tehran retaliated with drone and missile attacks targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf countries that host American military resources, the Turkish Anadolu news agency recalls. The agency also reports that, today, sirens were heard at the NATO air base at Incirlik, in southeastern Turkey. Almost 1,500 American soldiers are also stationed at Incirlik, and the US has stored nuclear weapons, Reuters news agency reported in January. Turkey, whose airspace has seen two missiles fired from Iran intercepted since the start of the Middle East war, announced on Wednesday that it had deployed a Patriot air defense system in its central territory. Earlier on Monday, Washington closed its consulate in Adana and asked American citizens to leave the region. This morning, President Donald Trump issued a new warning to Tehran, suggesting new military action in the ongoing conflict, despite earlier statements suggesting that the war with Iran could soon end, dpa reports.
Repatriation – Another 96 Romanian citizens, including 21 minors and a small child, were repatriated from the Middle East on Thursday. The plane that took off from Oman, operated by the Polish airline LOT, also carried 19 medical cases and a pregnant woman. The aircraft also brought to Bucharest 38 eligible citizens from European Union member states and third countries participating in the Union Civil Protection Mechanism. Road transport to the capital of the Sultanate of Oman for the evacuated persons was provided by the Romanian Foreign Ministry, through the Romanian Consulate in Dubai and the Romanian Embassy in Abu Dhabi. So far, approximately 5,800 Romanians have arrived in the country safely. Over half returned via flights organized by the Romanian state or facilitated by the authorities in Bucharest.
Handball–Romania’s men’s handball champion, CS Dinamo Bucharest, was defeated by Portuguese team Sporting Lisbon, away from home, 30-29, on Thursday, in the last round of Group A of the Champions League. In the final standings, Dinamo is in seventh place out of eight. The two top-ranked teams, Fuchse Berlin and Aalborg Handbold, qualified for the quarterfinals.
Drone – People in Tulcea County, a border area between Romania and Ukraine, received a RO-ALERT message this morning, in the context of the war triggered by Russia in Ukraine. In the extreme alert message, Tulcea residents were informed that there was a possibility of objects falling from the airspace, and authorities recommended them to remain calm and take shelter in basements or civil protection shelters. Since the beginning of the year, residents of Tulcea County have received another 7 RO-ALERT messages following Russian drone attacks on Ukrainian port infrastructure.
Inflation – The annual inflation rate in Romania fell to 9.3% in February, from 9.62% in January, the National Institute of Statistics (INS) reports. The highest price increases in the last 12 months were in the services sector, 11.37%, while non-food goods rose by 9.4% and foods by almost 7.9%. The INS also shows that electricity recorded the highest price increase in the last year: 57% in February 2026, compared to the same month in 2025. Coffee became more expensive by over 25%, and rail transport services by 24%. However, there were also some price reductions, such as in the case of potatoes by almost 12%, gas by 5% or air transport services by 2.2%. Recently, the National Bank has revised upwards the inflation forecast for the end of 2026 to 3.9% and anticipates that it will reach 2.7% at the end of 2027. (LS)
