September 20, 2026 UPDATE
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 20.09.2026, 19:20
UN. President Nicușor Dan is heading the Romanian delegation at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, taking place between September 20th and the 23rd. He will deliver an address on Wednesday, highlighting Romania’s efforts to support the organisation’s reform process and its contribution to ensuring peace, security and a rules-based international order. The president’s agenda features talks with officials and representatives of American organisations and companies, as well as participation in events held on the sidelines of the UN meeting. These include meetings with Ronald S. Lauder, President of the World Jewish Congress and UN Secretary-General António Guterres. On Monday, the Romanian president is expected to attend a meeting of the Alliance of former US Ambassadors to Romania and representatives of the business community. On Tuesday, Nicușor Dan will attend the inauguration of The Queen Marie of Romania Corner intersection in New York and is scheduled to meet representatives of the Romanian community in this city. After his address on Wednesday, president Dan will attend the International Crimea Platform Summit, followed by the UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine. Also on Wednesday, Nicușor Dan and his partner, Mirabela Grădinaru, are scheduled to attend a reception hosted by US President Donald Trump and Melania Trump.
Foreign minister. Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Oana-Silvia Ţoiu will participate on Monday in the informal meeting of EU foreign ministers taking place in New York on the sidelines of the High-Level Week of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. The Foreign Minister’s agenda includes participation in ministerial meetings on maritime security, where she will highlight Romania’s role in the global grain trade, and in meetings focused on the use of artificial intelligence, support for the two-state solution to the conflict in the Gaza Strip and matters related to La Francophonie.
Prime minister. Prime minister designate Siegfried Mureșan, a member of the National Liberal Party, has announced his intention to continue the policies of interim Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan regarding the proper management of resources and the fight against corruption. “We will clean up the mess that has accumulated in the Romanian state for more than 30 years. This is not targeted against a specific individual, but for the benefit of all the honest people in Romania who work hard and deserve to reap the full benefits of their honest work,” Siegfried Mureșan said on Facebook on Sunday. On Thursday, President Nicușor Dan nominated MEP Siegfried Mureșan for the position of Prime Minister. The latter is supported by the parties that make up the current interim cabinet, namely the National Liberal Party, the Save Romania Union and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, though they don’t together command the 233 votes needed to appoint a new cabinet. The Bolojan government was dismissed following a vote of no-confidence tabled by the Social Democrats and the ultra-nationalist and populist Alliance for the Union of Romanians.
Prize. South Korean pianist Jeongwoo Lee, aged 18, won First Prize in the Piano Section of the 2026 George Enescu International Competition, as well as five other special awards, following the final held on Saturday, September 19, at the Romanian Athenaeum. In the final, Jeongwoo Lee performed Frédéric Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21. Samuel Niederhauser won First Prize in the Cello Section, while the competition in the Violin Section was won by 11-year-old American musician Jayden King. The 2026 edition of the George Enescu International Competition took place in Bucharest from August 23 to September 19 and saw a record 819 participants from 58 different countries, 756 competitors and 63 participants in the masterclasses held as part of the event.
Volleyball. The Romanian men’s national volleyball team qualified for the quarterfinals of the men’s European Volleyball Championship following a straight-sets victory over Ukraine on Sunday in Sofia. This marks the second consecutive European Championship in which Romania has reached the quarterfinals. During the group stage, Romania defeated Switzerland (3-1), Turkey (3-1) and Olympic champions France (3-2). The European Volleyball Championship is being co-hosted by Italy, Bulgaria, Finland and Romania. In handball, champions Gloria Bistrița defeated the Danish side Odense 29–27 on Sunday in Group B of the Women’s EHF Champions League. On Saturday, runners-up CSM Bucharest lost to Borussia Dortmund away in the competition’s Group A. (CM)
