September 24, 2026 UPDATE
The latest news from RRI
Newsroom, 24.09.2026, 20:00
Government – Romania’s Prime Minister designate, the Liberal MEP Siegfried Muresan, has made public the guidelines of his ruling program, 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 government 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 elections 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.
Drone – A drone, which on Thursday entered Romania’s airspace, crashed close to the locality of Solca, Suceava county, north-eastern Romania without causing casualties or material damage, the Romanian Defense Ministry says. Two F-16 fighters of Romania’s Air Force were scrambled to monitor the situation and a RO-ALERT message was sent to citizens in the counties of Botosani and Suceava. According to sources with the Defense Ministry, several drones were 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, were 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.
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 published on Thursday. 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.
Food security – The acting Romanian Foreign Minister Oana Țoiu co-chaired the event “Global Food Security and the Black Sea: the need for restoring freedom of navigation” in New York, held during the High-Level Week of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. According to a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the event co-hosted by the EU, Romania, France, and Ukraine, Țoiu highlighted the role of Romania and the Black Sea port of Constanța (southeast) in connecting Europe with the South Caucasus, Asia, and Africa, as well as strategic investments aimed at increasing grain transit capacity. In her remarks, the Romanian official reaffirmed Romania’s support for establishing a moratorium on attacks in the Black Sea, to allow for the continued export of food products to global markets, and emphasized the need for coordination with countries in Africa and the Global South, the ministry’s statement noted. Additionally, Oana Țoiu announced that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan would visit Bucharest before the end of the year to sign the strategic partnership between Armenia and Romania, following the announcement in New York of the decision to elevate relations between the two countries to that level.
Rating – The interim Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan met on Thursday in Bucharest with a delegation from the international financial rating agency Standard & Poor’s, which is visiting the capital as part of the periodic assessment of Romania’s economic and fiscal developments. According to the Government, the meeting covered the current political context and Romania’s fiscal-budgetary situation, which is on a trajectory toward balancing and stabilizing public finances, noting that in the first seven months of 2026, the budget deficit fell by over 28 billion lei (approximately 5.3 billion Euros) compared to the same period last year, a trend confirmed by budget execution data. The head of government emphasized that fiscal adjustment must be underpinned by structural changes with long-term impact: a more efficient administration, reformed state-owned enterprises, better-prioritized public spending, and investments that drive economic growth. At the same time, the interim prime minister maintained that continuing the reforms undertaken by the current government is essential to preserving Romania’s credibility abroad, including among investors. Standard & Poor’s decision regarding the country’s rating is expected on October 2.
Visit – Beijing and Washington bear a “historic responsibility” for human progress and must “strengthen communication,” Chinese President Xi Jinping stated on Thursday at the White House at the start of his state visit to the US. He also called for a “conflict-free” policy between Beijing and Washington. At the same time, Xi Jinping told US President Donald Trump that their countries have a responsibility to manage artificial intelligence (AI) so that it remains at the service of humanity. During the three-day visit, Xi Jinping will discuss, among other topics, trade, artificial intelligence, Taiwan, and ongoing conflicts, such as the war involving Iran and Russia’s war in Ukraine, according to AFP. China is a major economic partner of Tehran, and the Trump administration hopes Beijing can help exert pressure on the Iranian regime. The visit takes place against the backdrop of US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s announcement that the US and China have decided to extend their trade truce by two months, until January 10.
Survey – Approximately 47% of Romanians would favor the option of early parliamentary elections, while another 47% are opposed, according to the results of a new poll conducted by the Center for Urban and Regional Sociology (CURS). According to the source, the prospect of holding early parliamentary elections divides public opinion into two equal camps. 36% of respondents believe the current political crisis should definitely be resolved by holding early elections, while 11% tend to agree with this option. On the other hand, 26% tend to oppose holding early elections, and 21% are firmly against it. 6% expressed no opinion. 79% of respondents believe Romania is heading in the wrong direction, while only 15% think the country is moving in the right direction; another 6% expressed no opinion. The results indicate a continued high level of dissatisfaction among the population. The gap between negative and positive assessments is significant, and the high proportion of dissatisfied citizens shows that the negative view of the country’s direction is widespread, the study’s authors conclude. If parliamentary elections were held next Sunday, AUR would secure 34% of the vote, followed by the PSD with 25% and the PNL with 18%. USR is credited with 8% and UDMR with 5%. The remaining parties would fail to reach the 5% electoral threshold required for parliamentary representation.
Football – Romania’s national football team kicks off its campaign in the new edition of the Nations League this Friday with an away match against Sweden. On September 28, Romania plays Bosnia in Bucharest behind closed doors; on October 2, they face Poland in Warsaw; and on October 5, they host Sweden. These are the first official matches of head coach Gheorghe Hagi’s new tenure. The legendary former midfielder previously managed the national team a quarter of a century ago. Appointed immediately after retiring as a player, and facing his first coaching challenge, Hagi lasted less than three months in the role; his tenure ended right after the team failed to qualify for the 2002 World Cup following a play-off against Slovenia (a 1–2 away loss and a 1–1 draw in Bucharest). Throughout his coaching career, Gheorghe Hagi has managed Turkish clubs Bursaspor and Galatasaray Istanbul, as well as Romanian teams Poli Timișoara, Steaua Bucharest, and Viitorul/Farul Constanța. His record includes two national league titles, one Romanian Cup, and one Romanian Super Cup (all with Viitorul/Farul), as well as a Turkish Cup (with Galatasaray). (LS)
