March 9, 2026
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 09.03.2026, 13:55
OIL PRICES Bucharest is expected to make a decision this week to keep fuel prices below RON 10 per litre (about EUR 1.9), as the conflict in the Middle East drove crude oil prices up worldwide, according to the energy minister Bogdan Ivan. The price of Brent crude from the North Sea rose by nearly 19% on Monday morning, to almost USD 111 per barrel, after having already increased by about 28% last week, amid investor fears that a protracted war in the Middle East could severely disrupt energy markets and affect global economic growth, DPA and Reuters report. An lengthy increase in fuel prices is likely to reignite inflationary pressures globally, and the European Central Bank says this risk also exists in the euro zone.
REPATRIATION Romania has requested the activation of the rescEU mechanism, the first country to do so since the mechanism was set in place in 2019, the foreign ministry announced. Based on this, two evacuation flights brought Romanian nationals from Muscat (Oman) to Bucharest’s “Henri Coandă” International Airport. The flights, operated by the Polish airline LOT, carried 273 Romanian nationals affected by the crisis in the Middle East. Another 83 eligible EU and third-country citizens in the rescEU mechanism were also on board. According to the foreign ministry, so far over 1,500 Romanians have returned to the country safely from the states affected by the conflict in the Middle East through evacuation flights, assisted repatriation flights or flights otherwise facilitated by the authorities. Another nearly 1,000 Romanians left the region on commercial flights operated by airlines from Dubai, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan and Egypt or on flights operated by travel agencies, the institution explains. There are around 12,500 Romanian nationals in the region, 2,500 of whom want to return to the country. 400 of them are high-priority cases.
JUDICIARY The prosecutors’ division of the Higher Council of Magistrates this week begins interviewing the candidates nominated by the justice minister to take over the leadership of key prosecutor’s offices. Prosecutor Codrin Horaţiu Miron is nominated for the top post of the Directorate Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism Offences (DIICOT), Cristina Chiriac for Prosecutor General, and Ioan Viorel Cerbu for head of the National Anticorruption Directorate. The nominations must receive an advisory opinion from the Higher Council of Magistrates, and the final decision is made by president Nicuşor Dan. On Friday evening, approximately 150 people gathered near the presidency headquarters to voice their disagreement with the nominations. The president personally told the protesters, among other things, that there are many problems in the judicial system, but that there are also people he trusts.
BUDGET Romania’s draft state budget is expected to reach the government for approval this week, but the deadlock in the ruling four-party coalition persists over the set of social solidarity measures and the financing of local development programs, both requested by the Social Democrats. In fact, the Social Democratic leaders convene today to determine how to proceed, after last week the party leaders threatened that the Social Democrats might not support the draft budget in Parliament. Their requests would require additional spending of about EUR 2 billion, while Liberal PM Ilie Bolojan warns that, in order to overcome this difficult period when the deficit needs to be cut, the state should rely only on revenues that can be collected and only take into account expenses that can be sustained without increasing governmental debt. The new budget should meet a deficit target of 6.2% of GDP, support massive investments of over EUR 15 billion from European funds, and bring inflation towards the 4% threshold.
BOYCOTT Teachers will boycott the mock exams for the national Assessment and Baccalaureate, the leader of the “Spiru Haret” Federation of Education Trade Unions, Marius Nistor announces. He argues that teachers voted massively against taking part in these exams, in a referendum organised in schools. In a statement, the education ministry expressed its confidence that all those involved will act in the best interest of children. The mock exams are scheduled for the second half of March.
ENERGY The European Commission approved a EUR 150 million non-reimbursable financing scheme for the development of Romania’s battery storage capacity. The programme will be launched in the second quarter of this year, with up to EUR 69,000 for each MWh of storage installed per applicant, with a maximum total of EUR 15 million per applicant. The energy ministry says Romania has thousands of MW installed in renewable energy, but the output depends on the weather, and in the absence of batteries, what is produced during the day is most often sold cheaply, while in the evening Romania is forced to import energy at higher prices. The new scheme can address imbalances in the National Electricity System. (AMP)
