May 14, 2026
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 14.05.2026, 13:55
Recession. Romania’s economy contracted by 0.2% in the first three months of this year compared to the previous quarter, the National Institute of Statistics announced on Wednesday. At the end of last year, the Gross Domestic Product recorded another contraction of 1.8%, meaning that, after two consecutive quarters of decline, Romania’s economy entered a technical recession. The NIS also announced that the annual inflation rate rose to over 10.7% in April, up from 9.87% in March. Services became 13% more expensive, non-food goods 12%, and food goods nearly 7.4%. Romania currently has an inflation rate more than three times higher than the European Union average.
Government. The interim PNL-USR-UDMR government in Bucharest is expected to review a set of state aid schemes for farmers at a meeting today. According to the interim minister in charge, Tánczos Barna, garlic and potato growers—key sectors for Romanian agriculture—are facing a trade deficit and need support to consolidate and grow. Also on the agenda for the government meeting is a legislative act amending the methodology for granting bonuses to those working with European funds in the energy sector. Currently, these bonuses are not awarded based on performance but on an annual rating. However, the government wants to introduce monthly metrics, with the bonus tied to resolved cases, released payments, and met deadlines. The incumbent Liberal Prime Minister, Ilie Bolojan, has stated that incentives for those who work will not be eliminated, but rather that their automatic payment will be discontinued.
F9. On Wednesday, Romania hosted the B9 summit, attended by leaders from NATO’s eastern flank and the Nordic countries, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, a U.S. delegation, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The summit’s final declaration expresses a determination to increase military spending in the face of threats from Moscow and strongly condemns Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. The joint statement at the end of the summit also announces a “NATO 3.0,” in which European allies will increase their efforts to ensure common security.
Transport. The Bucharest Transport Company is undergoing a reorganization. The Bucharest City Council has approved a budget of up to 32 million lei (approximately 6.4 million euros) to pay severance pay to employees of the surface public transport system who are expected to be affected by mass layoffs. The measure allows for the payment of up to 12 severance paychecks to each departing employee. This could affect approximately 700–800 people. The plan proposed by STB management also includes reducing management positions by at least 30%, cutting the number of directors by 50%, and temporarily reducing the workweek for 4,500 employees to four days.
Rescue. A 5-year-old boy who went missing on Monday from a town in central Romania was found alive on Wednesday after spending three days and two nights alone in the forest in adverse weather conditions. After his disappearance was reported, a large-scale search operation was launched in the area, involving hundreds of police officers, gendarmes, ISU personnel, volunteers, students from the Land Forces Academy, specialists from the General Aviation Inspectorate of the Ministry of the Interior, mountain rescue teams, and police officers from the Sibiu K-9 Center. Approximately 15 square kilometers were searched, including hard-to-reach forested areas. The little boy was found unharmed about two kilometers from where he went missing with the help of a helicopter from the General Aviation Inspectorate.
Eurovision. Tonight in Vienna, the second semifinal of the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest is taking place. Alexandra Căpitănescu, Romania’s representative with the song “Choke Me,” will take the stage alongside her bandmates Bogdan Stoican, Luca Şofron, Matei Cohal, and Thomas Cîrcotă. Following Tuesday’s first semifinal, ten countries have qualified for the contest’s final, scheduled for Saturday, May 16. It is worth noting that Romania’s best performances in this contest have been two third-places (by Luminiţa Anghel & Sistem in Kiev in 2005 and by Paula Seling and Ovi in Oslo in 2010) and one fourth-place (by Mihai Trăistariu in Athens in 2006).
Football. Universitatea Craiova won the Romanian Football Cup after defeating Universitatea Cluj 6-5 in a penalty shootout on Wednesday evening in Sibiu. Universitatea Craiova claimed the trophy for the eighth time. The two teams occupy the top spots in the Superleague and will face off on Sunday in Craiova in a match that could decide Romania’s new champion. In tennis, Sorana Cirstea faces American Coco Gauff, the fourth seed, today in the semifinals of the WTA 1000 tournament in Rome, which offers over 7 million euros in prize money. Cirstea reached the semifinals at the Foro Italico after defeating world No. 1 Arina Sabalenka of Belarus, 13th seed Lidia Nosocova of the Czech Republic, and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, a former Grand Slam champion. (MI)
