October 30, 2026 UPDATE
The latest news from RRI
Newsroom, 30.10.2026, 20:00
Budget revision – On Friday, the Romanian government approved the first, emergency budget revision of the year, providing additional funding for healthcare, agriculture, pensions, salaries, and investments, as well as for local authorities. Ministries facing budget cuts include those for Development, Education, Energy, and Transport. According to Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare, the allocations were made while adhering to the year-end deficit target of 6.2% of GDP; this comes as projected revenues for the general consolidated budget were revised downward by 4.7 billion lei (approximately 900 million euros), and expenditures by 1.2 billion lei (approximately 200 million euros). The reasons for this include lower-than-expected receipts from excise duties and European funds. A second budget revision is being prepared for the coming period, following an assessment of the financial and budgetary situation by the Ministry of Finance and the subsequent publication of a report.
Robotics – This weekend, Bucharest becomes the European capital of robotics. Starting on Friday and running for 3 days, the Polytechnic University campus is hosting the fifth edition of ROBOFEST, an event where robots compete, technology turns into a show, and young engineering enthusiasts put their ideas into practice. The event brings together over 1,500 participants from 34 countries, including students, researchers, professionals, and technology enthusiasts, along with more than 1,300 robots. The centerpiece of the event is RoboChallenge, a competition including 22 different categories, 2 of which are featured for the first time.
Handball – Romania’s handball champions Dinamo Bucharest have qualified for the main group stage of the men’s EHF Champions League, following a decisive 36–26 away win against the French side Montpellier in the final round of the competition’s Group E on Thursday evening. Barcelona (Spain) finished the qualifier group in first place with 12 points, followed by Dinamo with 5 points.
Trade unions – Five nation-wide trade union confederations were invited to a working meeting with PM Luca Niculescu on Monday. The unions requested that the mostly Social Democratic government hold consultations regarding economic and social measures to be taken in the near future, ahead of preparing next year’s budget and the drafting of the upcoming public-sector wage law and amid efforts to reduce the budget deficit. Trade unions emphasize that these decisions will have a direct impact on people’s income and standard of living, and as such they call for a genuine dialogue and concrete solutions to protect employees’ rights and purchasing power.
Poll – More than three-quarters of Romanians believe the country is heading in the wrong direction, 18% see the direction as the right one, and 5% offered no opinion in a poll conducted in the context of the new government taking office. Most respondents want to see lower prices and cost of living, as well as increases in wages and pensions. In terms of electoral preferences, more than one-third would vote for AUR (the nationalist opposition).
Crisis – On Friday, the Romanian government approved a resolution to extend the crisis period for the crude oil and petroleum products market, specifically gasoline and diesel, by three months, from November 1, 2026, to February 1, 2027, government spokesperson Dan Cărbunaru announced. These measures are currently in effect and have already yielded a range of benefits. The excise duty on standard diesel has been reduced by up to 25%, with the rate adjusted periodically based on market price fluctuations. The Finance Ministry justifies this extension by citing the high level of international prices for crude oil and petroleum products, as well as the risk that removing these measures could lead to further price increases at the pump. Through this intervention, the authorities aim to mitigate the impact of energy and fuel costs on the transport, agriculture, and industrial sectors, as well as on the prices of consumer goods. (LS)
