September 24, 2026
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 24.09.2026, 13:55
MEP Romania’s Prime Minister designate, the Liberal MEP, Siegfried Muresan, has made public the guidelines of his ruling programme, a document, which does not include new higher taxes or duties. He has announced that the structure of the cabinet he is going to propose will include three deputy Prime Ministers. The PSD leader in opposition, Sorin Grindeanu, whose political party boasts the largest number of seats in Parliament, had earlier called on Muresan to step down as he is not going to muster enough votes so that his cabinet may get endorsed. Muresan has so far got support from the PNL, USR and UDMR. We recall that Romania hasn’t had a stable Executive since May, after the PSD and AUR, from the extremist opposition, endorsed a no confidence vote against the government led by the Liberal Ilie Bolojan, who is presently Romania’s interim Prime Minister. Romania’s President, Nicusor Dan, says he wants to avoid early election as they may prolong the state of uncertainty in the country. At the same time, the President has voiced hope the parties will show more readiness for dialogue and compromise in order to overcome the present political crisis.
EBRD The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, EBRD, maintains its June forecast on the evolution of the Romanian economy in 2026 and 2027 and warns against the risks of negative developments, according to a report it has published today. After an economic growth of 0.7% in 2025, the EBRD forecasts a decline of 0.2% this year and a 1.8% growth in 2027. As foreign imbalances started to moderate, Romania’s current account deficit remains amongst the EU’s highest deficits, while its inflation rate is the highest in the bloc. The local currency’s depreciation against the EURO, corroborated with higher energy prices might prolong inflationary pressure, the EBRD report also says.
DRONE A drone, which has today entered Romania’s airspace, has crashed close to the locality of Solca, Suceava county, north-eastern Romania without causing casualties or material damage, the Defence Ministry in Bucharest says. Two F-16 fighters of Romania’s Air Force have been scrambled to monitor the situation and a RO-ALERT message has been sent to citizens in the counties of Botosani and Suceava. According to sources with the Defence Ministry, several drones have been detected in Tulcea county, close to the border with Ukraine. Two F-18 fighters of the Spanish Air Force stationed at the Mihail Kogalniceanu air base, have been scrambled to monitor the situation. In the context of the ongoing war in Ukraine, several drones have entered Romania’s airspace in the past months and some of them have even crashed on the Romanian territory.
UN Russia’s hybrid threats, support for Ukraine, and the peace plan for Gaza were among the topics addressed by Romanian President Nicușor Dan on Wednesday during his national address at the UN. He attended both the organization’s General Assembly and the Security Council in New York. Speaking from the UN General Assembly podium, President Dan warned that the Russian Federation’s hybrid threats are not directed solely at Ukraine but target all of Europe. We must deter the Russian threat, and unfortunately, the only way to do so is by increasing military spending, the Bucharest leader said.
GDP The GDP per capita in the Bucharest-Ilfov region is among the highest in the EU, according to Eurostat data. The Bucharest-Ilfov region also recorded one of the highest regional growth rates in the EU—33% between 2019 and 2024—whereas the real GDP of the EU bloc grew by only 5.6%. However, there is a stark contrast between Romania’s regions. In 2024, Bucharest-Ilfov reached 188% of the EU average GDP per capita, while the North-East region stood at just 48% of the European average; South-Muntenia was at 55%, South-East at 59%, South-West Oltenia at 60%, North-West at 71%, and the West at 78%, the Eurostat data further reveals.
(bill)
