September 6, 2026
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 06.09.2026, 14:02
CSAT Romania’s President, Nicusor Dan has summoned the country’s Higher Defence Council, CSAT, on Monday, the presidential administration announces. High on the agenda there are issues related to the army equipment procurement plan for the period between 2027 and 2036, also known as the Romanian Army 2044 programme, the document on assessing the implementation of the SAFE programme, approved during the inter-institutional session on August 13, the reference terms being the revision at the War Department level of the US Forces’ posture and their deployment locations in Europe. The agenda will also include ways of strengthening of the US military presence on the Romanian territory. Other topical issues in the field of national security are to be tackled during the Council session, the same sources announce.
HANDBALL Romania’s champions, Gloria Bistrita will today take on HSG Blomberg-Lippe in Group B of the Champions League in women’s handball, Europe’s major club competition. At their third season in the Champions League, Gloria Bistrita, a team coached by Spanish Carolos Viiver, is hankering for qualifying for the Final Four in Budapest. In a group, which also includes Gyor, Metz, Odense, Storhamar, Nykobing, Podravka and Blomberg Lippe, the Romanians hope to rank third or fourth and thus play the return match of the quarter finals’ play-offs on their own ground. Also in the Champions League, on Saturday, Romania’s vice-champions, CSM Bucharest outperformed the Slovenian side RK Krim OTP Group Mercator 37-29 in Ljubljana, Slovenia, in their first Group A match. The same group also includes Team Esbjerg, FTC-Toyota Kovacs, Brest Bretagne Handball, BV Borussia Dortmund, Sola HK and OTP Group Buducnost. At their 12th season in the Champions League and with half of the side replaced since the last season, CSM Bucharest’s main objective is their qualification for the Final Four tournament in Budapest. We recall that the Romanians became bronze medalists in the Final Four last season.
SCHOOL A fresh school year kicks off in Romania on Monday for roughly 3 million students and preschoolers. This year’s structure is divided in five study modules and the first school day comes with a series of novel things but also with some uncertainties related to exams. The first big novelty is for the students in the ninth grade – they are going to be the first generation, which after almost 20 years, kicks off a new school year with fresh school programmes, in which emphasis has shifted from rote learning to competences and ways to apply knowledge in certain situations. However, the new textbooks will not be available on the first day. The bid has ended and after the completion of procedures and any potential challenges, the new digital text books are to become available towards the end of September – Bogdan Cristescu, director with the Education Ministry, says. Another change is focusing on evaluation with new standards for the first to eighth grade students. Another hot issue is the high school admission with a controversial examination due on September 1st. However, the education committee has voted with a landslide majority for its elimination and a Senate’s decision on the issue is expected on Tuesday.
GOVERNMENT Romania’s President Nicusor Dan is expected to designate a candidate for the position of Prime Minister, but the moves aimed at forging a new government don’t seem to have overcome the deadlock of the past months. On May 5th, the cabinet led by the Liberal Ilie Bolojan was forced to step down through a vote of no-confidence by the former coalition partners, the Social-Democrats who allied with opposition parties. ‘It is high time that we solved the issue’, President Dan has recently said without announcing formal talks yet. PSD leader, Sorin Grindeanu, who was proposed for this position by his party, has said the Social-Democrats are ready to build a majority and that the focus must shift from calculations regarding Parliament support, to Romania’s economic and social situation. On the other side, the Liberal MEP, Siegfried Muresan, proposed by the PNL, USR and UDMR, says the Romanian economy functions better without the PSD in the ruling coalition and their comeback would be tantamount to a higher deficit, higher public spending and diminished international trust. The opposition AUR believes that early election is the solution for overcoming the present political deadlock. A government will need 233 votes out of the total 465 in Parliament to take office.
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