September 19, 2026 UPDATE

The latest news from RRI

Newsroom, 19.09.2026, 20:00

Government – The Prime Minister designate Siegfried Mureşan stated on a private television channel on Friday that he would uphold the “sound” principle of carefully managing public funds. He also noted that, following this difficult phase, the country would enter a “growth phase” and that he was considering easing certain fiscal consolidation measures as soon as Romania can afford to do so. Also on Friday, in a press statement, he announced the start of drafting the government program in collaboration with the PNL, USR, and UDMR, noting that he would present the priorities early next week. He emphasized that Romania needs “a serious, credible government as soon as possible, a government that continues the reform measures, projects, and programs initiated over the past year.” While the official nomination of Liberal Siegfried Mureşan for the role of Prime Minister will take place on Monday, the three supporting parties have already begun the process of forming the cabinet and outlining the government program, tasks that must be completed within ten days. Siegfried Mureşan needs the support of 233 members of parliament, whereas the three parties backing him hold a combined total of 170 seats. Meanwhile, the PSD has called on the Prime Minister designate to publicly present his plan for Romania, including economic measures to protect the population and support Romanian companies, before any discussions regarding parliamentary majorities take place. The nationalist opposition party AUR also does not support him. For his part, Nicuşor Dan urged parliamentary parties to focus on forming a new government and called for a solution to be found.

Summit – Carpathian countries must cooperate more effectively to build roads and border crossings, strengthen energy connections, promote tourism and economic and cultural exchanges, protect nature, and attract investment, stated President Nicuşor Dan, who attended the first Summit of the Carpathian Integration Initiative on Friday. “Romania is home to half of the Carpathian mountain range, and our involvement is therefore significant,” Nicuşor Dan wrote on social media. Additionally, Nicuşor Dan held a bilateral meeting on Friday with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to discuss the need to fast-track the joint drone production project under the SAFE Program. According to the Romanian head of state, discussions also covered the transit of grain from Ukraine through Romania. “We also discussed grain transit, both by rail and via the Danube, to see how we can make it more efficient. It is a transit flow that generates substantial revenue for Romanian companies,” Nicuşor Dan noted. The head of state attended the meeting in the Ukrainian region of Ivano-Frankivsk at the invitation of the President of Ukraine, alongside representatives from the countries spanned by the Carpathian Mountains, Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Hungary, and Ukraine, as well as other key players in regional cooperation.

Meeting – Europe has entered a phase where it can no longer afford to delay decisions, and Romania’s ambitions must rise significantly, this was the key takeaway from the two-day EU finance ministers’ meeting (ECOFIN) in Dublin, according to a social media post by the interim Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare. He noted that Romania’s economic growth has slowed in recent years; therefore, financing costs must be reduced and domestic investment made more attractive. In his view, Romania needs more than just a way to navigate the next budget cycle or the next crisis; it requires a clear direction for the coming decade. While in Dublin, Alexandru Nazare met with his EU counterparts and held discussions with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann, EIB President Nadia Calviño, and European Commissioner for Economy and Productivity Valdis Dombrovskis. Their talks focused on the need for Europe to increase investment, better mobilize private capital, and regain its productivity edge.

Elections – The Romanian Foreign Ministry condemns the holding of elections for the State Duma of the Russian Federation, between September 18 and 20, in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, as well as the opening of polling stations in the Transdniestr region of the Republic of Moldova without the consent of the authorities in Chișinău. According to a Foreign Ministry statement, holding elections in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine constitutes a serious violation of international law. Romania reaffirms its firm support for the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova within their internationally recognized borders, and rejects any unilateral action by which the Russian Federation seeks to undermine the international legal order, the statement adds.

Bucharest Days – Bucharest Days are being celebrated this Saturday and Sunday. The event features concerts, performances, video mapping projections, guided tours, and debates, marking 567 years since the city’s first documentary attestation, according to the Capital’s City Hall. (LS)