November 7, 2026

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 07.11.2026, 13:50

Energy. Prime Minister Luca Niculescu is visiting the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant (in southeastern Romania, on the banks of the Danube), together with energy minister  Dumitru Chisăliță. The two will meet the management of Nuclearelectrica to discuss the company’s operations and strategic projects. One of the two units at the Cernavodă plant has been restarted, nearly four months after it was shut down due to low water levels in the Danube, which is used to cool the reactors. The unit was resynchronized with the national power grid on Friday and is expected to reach full capacity today. Unit 1 underwent a controlled shutdown on July 28 due to extremely low water levels in the Danube, caused by severe drought. For nuclear safety reasons, plant specialists determined at the time that operations could not continue safely. The hydrological crisis subsequently led to the shutdown of Unit 2 in mid-August. The two units of the Cernavodă nuclear plant provide 20% of Romania’s national energy demand, each contributing 700 megawatts to the national power grid. The rest of Romania’s energy production comes from other sources, namely hydropower (30%), natural gas (17%), wind (approximately 15%), coal (13%), and solar power (5%).

Defence. Defence minister Ştefan-Radu Oprea held talks on Friday in Bcuharest with the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Roxana Mînzatu, on ways to strengthen European defence capabilities and Romania’s role in defining and developing European security projects, with a focus on the Black Sea region. A key topic was the launch of the maritime security hub. In a Facebook post, Ştefan-Radu Oprea said the Ministry of Defence would support the development of this structure through expertise and inter-institutional cooperation. The two officials also discussed Romania’s participation in European defence projects of common interest. The Minister added that the European Union’s future multiannual budget for 2028–2034 must reflect security realities and pay due attention to the states on the Eastern Flank, particularly those in the Black Sea region.

Visit. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will be in Romania on Monday as part of a visit to the Black Sea region, following recent Russian drone attacks on commercial vessels near the coasts of Romania and Bulgaria. During this visit, Ursula von der Leyen is due to have talks with Romanian President Nicușor Dan and Prime Minister Luca Niculescu. According to presidential advisor Valentin Naumescu, Nicușor Dan and Ursula von der Leyen will discuss topics such as European defence and security, in particular in the Black Sea region, European competitiveness, including energy-related aspects, EU enlargement, with a focus on Romania’s support for the Republic of Moldova, and negotiations for the EU’s new multiannual financial framework. On Tuesday, the European Commission president will travel to Varna, Bulgaria, and on Wednesday, she will attend the UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Antalya, Turkey. On Thursday and Friday, Ursula von der Leyen will fly to Dublin to attend a meeting of the European political community and an informal meeting of the members of the European Council.

Borders. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has informed Romanian citizens traveling to Sweden that this country will reintroduce border checks for a period of six months, starting on Thursday, as it detected a serious threat to public order and internal security. According to the Swedish government, this measure has been taken due to the grave security situation resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has led to the emergence of hybrid threats and the presence and activities of hostile players within the Schengen Area. The measure will allow authorities to conduct checks at land, air, and sea borders. Sweden is not the only country taking such measures. Several other European states have reintroduced or extended checks at certain internal borders. Denmark and Norway have also announced controls from November 12, to May 11, next year. In the case of Denmark, authorities cite, among other factors, the risk of acts of sabotage and threats to internal security. Norway points to the risk of sabotage targeting the energy sector. Germany, Austria, Poland and France have also announced checks at certain internal borders for different durations and for specific reasons. While the reintroduction of checkes at internal borders is permitted under European law, it is an exceptional measure to be used only as a last resort.

Bomb threats. On Friday, television stations across Europe received hoax bomb threats that led to the evacuation of their premises and the suspension of broadcasts. These come after a series of hoax bomb threats disrupted passenger flights in numerous European countries, including Romania, resulting in the diversion of flights, emergency landings and security checks. No explosive materials were found in any of the cases. Similar threats have also targeted airports in countries such as Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, France, Italy and Poland. Also, in recent days, cyber attacks and online fraud have caused concern across many European nations. Spain has described these incidents as “hybrid aggression,” while Italy has emphasised the need to increase defence and security spending in Europe to protect civilian infrastructure. (CM)