October 7, 2026
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 07.10.2026, 13:55
Consultations – Romania’s newly designated Prime Minister, diplomat and former journalist Luca Niculescu, has invited parliamentary parties to dialogue on forming a majority and is preparing to officially begin political negotiations. He has 10 days at his disposal to form a government. Niculescu has been given the green light by President Nicușor Dan to negotiate the formation of either a political cabinet, a technocratic one, or a mixed arrangement. “We must preserve what works and correct what doesn’t. I will take into account what the parties tell me in the coming days. They have different priorities, and that is only natural. My role is to unite them into a realistic program,” Luca Niculescu stated on social media on Wednesday. Many political analysts are skeptical about Niculescu’s chances of being confirmed, while economic analysts argue that he lacks the necessary expertise to manage the country’s finances. Niculescu is the fourth nominee put forward by President Dan for the role of Prime Minister, following the parliamentary dismissal, via a no-confidence motion on May 5, of the minority government (PNL-USR-UDMR) led by the Liberal politician Ilie Bolojan.
Talks – Romania’s President Nicușor Dan announced that he had spoken by phone with European Council President Antonio Costa regarding the Council meeting scheduled for October 15–16. “The agenda is very busy, as we have many important dossiers to discuss, ranging from boosting economic competitiveness and energy prices to the future Union budget,” the head of state wrote on Facebook. According to him, Romania seeks an ambitious budget, even if it requires additional resources, that supports the competitiveness and defense pillars. “At the same time, cohesion policies remain a priority for us,” Nicușor Dan added. He noted that he also discussed European Union enlargement with Antonio Costa, stating that Romania actively supports the accession of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, a move that would significantly enhance the security of Romania, of the region and the Black Sea.
EU Budget – MEPs are debating the European Union’s future budget for the 2028–2034 period today in Strasbourg. The European Parliament seeks a roughly 10% increase over the European Commission’s proposal to support key priorities such as defense, cohesion policies, and agriculture. To cover this additional 10%, MEPs are proposing new EU-wide levies targeting major IT companies, online gambling, and crypto-currency transactions. The future EU budget will also be discussed by the European Council next week. Six member states want the budget reduced and their contributions lowered, while 17 countries, including Romania, favor an increase.
National Geographic – National Geographic magazine has included Romania in a list of the top 6 most beautiful holiday destinations for October 2026. Tourists are invited to discover spectacular sights in the Southern Carpathians, Transylvania, Bran Castle, and the Black Church in Brașov, or to explore the mysterious Hoia-Baciu Forest, known for tales of paranormal phenomena. Ranked ahead of Romania on the magazine’s list are New York, Madagascar, Argentina, Scotland, and Egypt.
Nobel – The 2026 Nobel Prize in Chemistry is shared between French researcher Henri Kagan and Japanese researcher Kenso Soai for the discovery of nonlinear effects and autocatalysis in asymmetric organic synthesis, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced on Wednesday. On Monday, the prize for Medicine went to American Karl Deisseroth and Germans Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel, while on Tuesday, Belgian Francis Halzen was named the laureate for Physics. The Nobel Prizes, which also recognize outstanding achievements in literature, peace, and economics, come with a prize sum recently raised to 12 million Swedish crowns (the equivalent to approximately 1.21 million US dollars) and grant laureates instant fame unimaginable to the vast majority of scientists, according to international news agencies. The Nobel Prize was established by the wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel (1833–1896), best known as the inventor of dynamite.
Energy – Romania must brace for a winter and spring of very high electricity prices, warns Cristian Bușoi, State Secretary at the Energy Ministry. He says that the country is facing its most difficult situation in decades regarding its capacity to meet electricity demand, and that the reactors at the Cernavodă nuclear power plant (located in the southeast on the banks of the Danube) will not be restarted before October 15 due to the river’s low flow rate. Furthermore, Romania will be affected by rising electricity prices on the European market, where record levels are anticipated, if the situation in the Middle East drags on and the Strait of Hormuz remains closed. However, Bușoi added that Romania is not currently in a position where it needs to impose consumption restrictions on major industrial consumers, not even during evening hours.
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT – And now we have a special announcement: between October 5 and 9, the Radio Romania technical team is migrating the broadcasts of the public radio service’s stations to a new technical system. Consequently, we will be airing a backup broadcast via shortwave, across all languages and frequencies used by Radio Romania International. In the meantime, you can find us online at www.rri.ro, including on-demand with updated programs and content, as well as on the RRI apps for Android and iOS and on our social media profiles. (LS)
