September 1, 2026 UPDATE
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 01.09.2026, 20:28
PNRR Romania’s interim Prime Minister, Ilie Bolojan, on Tuesday said that Romania managed to accomplish very important projects by means of the funds from the National Plan of Recovery and Resilience also known as PNRR. Bolojan says that although Romania managed to absorb only 90% of the funds allotted through this programme, over 2 thousand projects were not finalized by August 31, the EU deadline of finalizing and meeting all the milestones, targets and PNRR-funded projects. Romania’s Parliament has urgently endorsed a law under which the works done after August 31, are no longer covered from EU funds, but will be covered from local and state budgets or from other funds. If the beneficiaries do not finish them by December 31, 2026, they will have to return all the money they received.
SESSION Romania’s two-chamber Parliament kicked off its autumn session on Tuesday. The first day was dedicated to electing the leadership of both chambers and of the party representatives to the permanent bureaus. Key priorities for the session include the vote on a new government with full powers, the reorganisation of the public administration of state-owned enterprises and electoral reform. Other topics on its agenda are the unified wage system in the public sector and healthcare system funding, as well as the high school admission system in the field of education. Romania has had a caretaker government since May 5, when the minority cabinet formed by the National Liberal Party, the Save Romania Union and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania and led by the Liberal leader Ilie Bolojan was dismissed by Parliament in a vote of no-confidence. After MEP Eugen Tomac, initially designated as the prime ministerial candidate withdrew, dissident Liberal Adrian Veştea was nominated but failed to secure the necessary endorsements in Parliament.
TALKS Romanian Interim Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan held a telephone conversation on Tuesday with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte regarding key security challenges in the region, focusing on the war in Ukraine and the security situation in the Black Sea. The Romanian official emphasized the need for the Alliance to maintain its focus on the Eastern Flank and the Black Sea—including through the deployment of Allied capabilities to Romania—amidst intensifying drone incursions into national maritime and airspace. Also on Tuesday, Ilie Bolojan spoke by phone with Ukrainian Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi, discussing regional security developments and key areas of cooperation between Romania and Ukraine. Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan reaffirmed Romania’s solidarity with and support for Ukraine and expressed appreciation for the sacrifices made by the Ukrainian people in the face of Russian aggression.
CHANCELLOR The Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel was received on Tuesday by the President of Romania, Nicușor Dan. Their discussions focused on the international political and security context, European Union solidarity, and the need for European states to assume greater responsibility within NATO. The former German Chancellor is in Bucharest to present her memoir, *Freedom: Memories 1954–2021*. The book was launched internationally in 2024 across more than 30 countries. Bucharest is one of the few locations—alongside capitals such as Berlin, Washington, Budapest, and Athens—where the former Chancellor chose to attend the book presentation in person. In the book, she reflects on her childhood and youth spent in the so-called German Democratic Republic—a communist satellite of the Soviet Union—the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the beginnings of her political career; she also offers insight into the decisions made during her 16 years leading the German government and her meetings with leaders on the international stage. Angela Merkel served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021, becoming the first woman to hold the office.
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