May 2, 2026 UPDATE
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 02.05.2026, 18:40
Summit. President Nicuşor Dan is attending the 8th meeting of the European Political Community hosted by Yerevan, Armenia on Sunday and Monday. He will co-chair, together with the President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatovic, a round table dedicated, among others, to combating disinformation and information manipulation, cybersecurity and monitoring technological developments, including in the field of artificial intelligence. Nicuşor Dan will also take part in a new meeting of the Coordination Group (Core Group) for the Republic of Moldova, an informal multilateral mechanism to support the latter’s security and resilience. He will also host an informal discussion on the impact of the Vertical Gas Corridor on regional energy security and attend a meeting of the European Coalition Against Drugs. The European Political Community is a high-level dialogue forum initiated in 2022 by France aimed at promoting political cooperation between European states that share common values. The platform brings together EU and partner countries.
EU funding. Romania has recovered almost 351 million euros of funding initially suspended from payment request number 3 as part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, but is losing approximately 459 million euros due to delayed or inadequately implemented reforms. The announcement was made by the minister fot investments and European projects, Dragoş Pîslaru. The government will present on Monday the stage of funding attraction under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and will adopt two emergency orders to speed up the absorption. According to Minister Pîslaru, granting the money still depends on Romania’s fulfilling the commitments taken in Brussels.
Survey. 58% of Romanians believe that Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan should resign, while 40% are opposed, according to a survey conducted by the Center for Urban and Regional Sociology between April 28 and May 1. According to CURS, the result suggests consistent public pressure on the prime minister. The survey also reveals a high level of information among the population regarding the current political crisis facing the countrywith 81% of respondents saying they have heard about the tensions in the ruling coalition. With regard to voting intentions, if parliamentary elections were held next Sunday, nationalist opposition represented by the Alliance for the Union of Romania would capitalise on the population’s dissatisfaction and would obtain 34% of the votes. It would be followed, at some distance, by the Social Democratic Party with 23% and the National Liberal Party with 18%. The Save Romania Union would get 10% of the votes and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania 5%.
Media. The Romanian Public Television, in partnership with Radio Romania and the National Press Agency Agerpres, is hosting a debate on Sunday entitled The Role and Mission of Public Media, on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day. According to the Romanian Television, the event aims to put the spotlight on topics of major interest for society, against a media environment that is constantly changing, and to provide an open framework for dialogue and an exchange of ideas among the most important players in this field. The Romanian Television, Radio Romania and Agerpres thus wish to contribute to strengthening the role of public media and foster better understanding of the current challenges in this area. (CM)