September 28, 2026 UPDATE
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 28.09.2026, 20:02
INTERVIEWS In Romania, the ministers nominated by the Prime Minister-designate, Liberal MEP Siegfried Mureşan, are being interviewed on Monday and Tuesday by the relevant parliamentary committees. The vote of confidence is scheduled for Wednesday. The PNL, USR and UDMR – the parties supporting Mureşan – are counting on 170 votes, compared with the 233 required for the vote of confidence. The PSD (in opposition) and the populist, ultra-nationalist opposition party AUR, on Monday announced that they would not vote in favour of the Mureşan cabinet. Also on Monday, the AUR announced that unless the Muresan cabinet gets Parliament endorsement, there is the likelihood of a PSD-AUR coalition if the PSD contacts the AUR, and talks for making a Parliament majority would be taking place before the new round of talks with the country’s President Nicusor Dan. These two parties initiated the motion of no confidence that led, in May, to the fall of the PNL-USR-UDMR cabinet led by the Liberal Ilie Bolojan. Siegfried Mureşan presented a government programme which includes, among other things, state reform, stimulating the private sector, improving the performance of state-owned companies and reducing the number of MPs. He gave assurances that his government would not raise taxes and duties.
DIPLOMACY Romania’s Foreign Minister, Oana Toiu, who is serving in an acting capacity, said in Bucharest on Monday, that Romania is one of the few countries in the world, which has had uninterrupted relations with both Israel and Palestine. In the news conference she has given, the Romanian official has said that the number of the countries ready to recognize and promote the two-state solution has increased in the past year. Romania, which supports the disarmament of Hamas and the process of instating a peace climate in the Gaza Strip, continues to help in the treatment of children suffering from cancer and also in terms of the flights to evacuate them from the area, the Foreign Minister also says.
UNESCO Romania’s National Commission for UNESCO on Monday staged at the National Opera in Bucharest a gala dedicated to marking 70 years since the country’s joining UNESCO. The event named UNESCO 70 – Romania and held under the high patronage of the President of Romania, included, among other things, a concert given by the Romanian Youth Orchestra. According to the National Commission, for Romania, UNESCO membership means both participation in international cooperation and the recognition and protection of cultural and natural values part of the world heritage. Romania has 11 UNESCO world heritage sites, of which 9 are cultural and 2 natural.
DRILL One of the largest interoperability exercises ever staged in Europe began on Sunday in Romania, the Gendarmerie has announced. According to the source cited, over 500 military personnel and gendarmes from 19 countries across three continents are taking part in the exercises. Between 27 September and 2 October, training activities, including tactical simulations and troop movements, are taking place in four southern counties. According to the organisers, the exercise may also involve the use of drones and helicopters. ‘There is no cause for panic. All activities are planned, controlled and form part of a training exercise, posing no real danger to the public,’ the Gendarmerie stated.
DEFICIT Romania’s consolidated general budget recorded a deficit of 2.89 per cent of the GDP at the end of August, the Ministry of Finance announced, compared with a deficit of 4.51 per cent in the same period of 2025. This represents an improvement of approximately 1.62 percentage points, the ministry states. In nominal terms, the deficit stood at approximately 60 billion lei (approx. 11.3 billion euros). Romania has set itself a budget deficit target of 6.2 per cent of the GDP for this year.
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