May 12, 2026 UPDATE
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 12.05.2026, 20:00
VISIT The President of Romania, Nicuşor Dan, received his Polish counterpart, Karol Nawrocki, in Bucharest on Tuesday. Poland is an important partner for Romania and the two states will carry on their dialogue, the Romanian official said. He added that the talks focused on the bilateral agenda, the war in Ukraine, and the situation in the Middle East. NATO and EU collaboration in the military area, security at the Black Sea and Baltic Sea, as well as the Republic of Moldova’s EU accession were also addressed. We remain close partners and allies, and transatlantic relations remain the foundation of NATO, Karol Nawrocki pointed out in turn. Also on Tuesday, the two presidents discussed with NATO’s secretary general Mark Rutte, who also arrived in Bucharest. On Wednesday Nicuşor Dan and Karol Nawrocki will co-chair the Bucharest Format 9 (B9) and Nordic Countries Summit. In addition to Mark Rutte, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be present, as well as other presidents, prime ministers and defence ministers. B9 is a Romanian-Polish initiative focusing on security on NATO’s Eastern Flank. On the other hand, on Tuesday, in Bucharest, the Black Sea and Balkans Security Forum took place. The war in Ukraine and its impact on security in the region and in Europe were on the agenda.
LIST Ukraine has broadened the list of countries with which it runs a dual citizenship agreement. A total of 29 new states have been added to the list, including Romania, the mass-media in Bucharest announced. The original list only comprised five states, namely Canada, Germany, Poland, the USA and the Czech Republic. The new law added Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Greece, Denmark, Estonia, Ireland, Iceland, Spain, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, Finland, France, Croatia, Switzerland and Sweden. Under the new legislation, Ukrainian nationals can get a second citizenship without giving up the Ukrainian one. It also simplifies procedures for the ethnic Ukrainians in the respective countries who apply for Ukrainian citizenship. Over 400,000 ethnic Romanians are living in the neighbouring country, mainly in northern Bukovina, Herţa and Bessarabia, former Romanian territories annexed by the Soviet Union following an ultimatum in 1940, and taken over by Ukraine in 1991 after the USSR collapsed.
DEFICIT Romania’s budget deficit in the first quarter stays at a very good level, 1.04% of GDP, way below last year’s deficit, which is a major advantage, the Romanian finance minister says. Alexandru Nazare had talks with Standard&Poor’s and other rating agencies and the conclusion was that Romania must keep its fiscal discipline and the pace of reforms to preserve its current rating. According to the minister, the data shows that Romania has made major headway and the fiscal and budget strategy is a good one. He warns that the months of July, August and October are very important, as rating agencies release their periodical assessments and their decisions can have extremely serious consequences for Romania’s loan costs.
FAC Minister Radu Miruţă Tuesday took part in Brussels in a meeting of EU defence ministers as part of the Foreign Affairs Council, focusing to the assessment of existing threats at EU level, the military support provided to Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East. The Union’s defence preparation was also discussed. On Monday, also in Brussels, the interim minister Oana Toiu attended the FAC meeting that brought together European foreign ministers. According to a statement, Oana Toiu pleaded for consolidating the EU-Western Balkans cooperation, voiced support for a new set of sanctions on Moscow and informed the Council about the most recent incidents where Russian drones violated Romania’s airspace.
DIPLOMACY The Senate speaker Mircea Abrudean said on Tuesday that support for the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine is ‘a constant’ of the Romanian government. He made the statement after a meeting with the head of Moldova’s Parliament, Igor Grosu, who is on a visit to Bucharest with a parliamentary and diplomatic delegation. According to the Senate of Romania, Mircea Abrudean reaffirmed support for the European path of the Republic of Moldova and praised the ‘excellent’ level of political dialogue and bilateral cooperation at governmental and parliamentary level, as well as ‘the importance of strengthening coordination between the institutions of the two countries in a complex regional context’. In turn, Igor Grosu voiced support and solidarity towards Romania.
TENNIS The Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea (36), no 27 WTA, Tuesday qualified into the semifinals of the WTA 1,000 tournament in Rome, after beating Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko, 6-1, 7-6. In the next round she will take on the winner of the match between Coco Gauff (United States) and Mirra Andreeva (Russia). The win against Ostapenko brought Sorana into the 21st place in the world, the best ranking of her career, a milestone she had reached before, in 2013. Cîrstea has had an excellent run so far in the Italian capital city and managed a win against world leader Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus), in the third round. If she wins the tournament in Rome, the Romanian could collect over EUR 1 million in prize money. (AMP)
