May 24, 2026 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 24.05.2026, 19:45

Cannes. Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu achieved a remarkable feat at the Cannes Film Festival; he won the Palme d’Or for the second time, this time for his feature film “Fjord,” having previously won the award in 2007 for “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days.” Cristian Mungiu has thus joined the select circle of filmmakers who have won the Palme d’Or twice. Only 10 directors are on this list. The story of the film “Fjord,” inspired by a real case, takes place in Norway, where a deeply devout Romanian-Norwegian evangelical couple settles with their five children and faces prejudice regarding their strict upbringing and religious beliefs. The tensions reach a point where the children are taken into the care of Child Protective Services. The film, starring Sebastian Stan, the well-known American actor of Romanian origin, and Norwegian actress Renate Reinsve, was met with standing ovations that lasted for minutes on end on Monday evening following its official screening at Cannes. The film also won four other awards at Cannes: the International Federation of Film Critics Award, the Civic Spirit Award, given to works that raise awareness, the festival’s Ecumenical Jury Prize, and the “François Chalais” Award, created in memory of the journalist and filmmaker who reported on approximately 50 editions of this film festival. At Cannes, Cristian Mungiu also received the Best Screenplay Award in 2012 for the film “Beyond the Hills” and the Best Director Award in 2016 for the film “Graduation.” On Sunday, President Nicuşor Dan sent a congratulatory message to Cristian Mungiu, noting that contemporary Romanian cinema “is an excellent calling card”.

Consultations. In Bucharest, further consultations are expected between President Nicuşor Dan and party representatives after last week’s meetings concluded without the formation of a solid majority to support a future government. The head of state held discussions with the parliamentary parties, but the party leaders have not changed their positions. The Social Democrats want to restore the old pro-Western coalition, but without the Liberal Ilie Bolojan as prime minister, while the PNL and USR refuse to support a government that includes the PSD, after the Social Democrats allied with AUR to file the no-confidence motion that led to the fall of the Bolojan government. AUR wants to take over the government but cannot find allies, and the UDMR has not put forward a proposal for a prime minister during consultations, though it says that if a proper majority emerges without AUR, it will support it. The SOS Romania Party supports the idea of a minority government, and the Young People’s Party agrees with any pro-Western governing formula. The “United for Romania” group wishes to contribute to the future government program and will support any formula the head of state deems appropriate, while the lawmakers of the “PACE – Romania First” group have proposed a government composed of multiple political forces. At the end of the discussions, President Nicuşor Dan called on the parties to demonstrate responsibility and maturity and to reach a common ground within a reasonable time, with coherent proposals and viable solutions.

NRRP. The drafts of the nine laws corresponding to reforms Romania has committed to under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR)—on which more than 7.5 billion euros depend—are to be submitted to Parliament in the coming days, Acting Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan announced. He stated that he hopes for a rational decision and support for these initiatives so that they can be adopted by the end of June. During this period, authorities in Bucharest and partners in Brussels are holding discussions to reach a final, renegotiated version of the PNRR, with the primary goal of securing the full amount allocated as a grant—that is, a non-repayable loan—of nearly 5 billion euros. Thus, all ongoing projects will be evaluated to potentially be reclassified under the grant or loan component, and for milestones that can no longer be met, an exemption from the initially established standards will be sought, explained Ilie Bolojan.

Salary law. The draft public sector pay law will be presented to the public on Monday, and consultations with unions and professional associations will begin on Tuesday, so that the document can be adopted by the Parliament in Bucharest by the end of the current parliamentary session. The new public sector pay law is one of the milestones Romania has committed to under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), on which a tranche of over 700 million euros depends, and the Presidential Administration announced on Friday that it had brokered a political agreement between the PSD, PNL, USR, and UDMR for the document’s swift adoption by July 1. Acting Labor Minister Dragoş Pîslaru has stated that the objective is to build a fair, coherent, and predictable pay system for the entire public sector, based on three essential principles: protecting the incomes of public sector employees —meaning no employee will experience a pay cut as a result of the new law—budgetary discipline, and sustainability. Furthermore, the bill aims to establish a fair hierarchy of positions across the entire public sector, a unified pay grade structure, the limitation and increased transparency of bonuses, along with the introduction of clear and verifiable performance criteria, and adherence to the agreed-upon targets regarding the deficit and personnel expenses—Dragoş Pîslaru added. The law is set to take effect on January 1, 2027.

IMF. The International Monetary Fund warns that the EU countries will face rising costs for defense, energy, and pensions over the next 15 years. At the meeting of EU finance ministers in Nicosia, the IMF pointed out that, without reforms and fiscal measures, the public debt of an average European country could reach 130% of the GDP by 2040. The institution recommends reforming pension systems, integrating energy markets, and stimulating investment at the European level. The IMF also proposes joint European funding for areas such as defense, energy, and innovation, an idea that, however, divides member states. France, Italy, and Spain support this option, while Germany and several Nordic countries oppose it. The International Monetary Fund warns that limited reforms will not be sufficient to cope with the economic pressures of the coming years.

Ukraine. A large-scale Russian attack on Ukraine took place overnight from Saturday to Sunday, resulting in four deaths, more than 80 injuries, and significant damage. The Russian military announced that it had used four types of missiles—Oresnik, Iskander, Kinzhal, and Zircon—and stated that this was in response to Kyiv’s strikes on civilian targets in Russia. President Vladimir Putin had previously accused Ukraine of deliberately destroying a student dormitory a week ago, killing 18 people and injuring 40 others. Ukrainian authorities rejected these accusations and stated that the attack targeted a drone production facility in the occupied Luhansk region. Official reports from Ukrainian authorities following Russia’s massive attack indicate that dozens of residential buildings and numerous schools were damaged. Three Russian missiles struck the water supply network, and a market was set on fire, President Zelenskyy reported in an online message. He also noted that 600 drones and 90 missiles of various types—including 36 ballistic missiles—were launched, and that not all of them could be intercepted. (MI)