July 5-11, 2026
A look at the main headline-making events this past week
Mihai Pelin, 11.07.2026, 14:00
President Nicuşor Dan represented Romania at the NATO summit in Ankara.
In the declaration issued at the conclusion of the Ankara Summit, the NATO member states reasserted their “firm commitment” to the collective defence clause contained in Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty. An attack against one is an attack against all, the European allies say. Along with Canada, the members are assuming greater responsibility for the Alliance’s defence, as they announced contracts for new defence acquisitions totalling more than 50 billion USD. The NATO members have also pledged 70 billion euros in military assistance to Ukraine through 2026. At the same time, they assert that Russia “poses a long-term threat” to the Euro-Atlantic community. President Nicușor Dan represented Romania at the summit. The head of state has announced that by 2026, Romania will reach a cumulative level of defence and security spending of 3.7% of the GDP. He emphasized that Romania is among the leading allied nations in terms of the equitable allocation of defence efforts. The president highlighted the importance of the Black Sea region for Euro-Atlantic security. At the same time, he reaffirmed Romania’s support for Ukraine, and regarding the Republic of Moldova, he called on partners to contribute to that country’s defence capabilities. Meanwhile, at the NATO Security and Defence Industry Forum, Romania signed several Memoranda of Understanding regarding anti-drone defence programs. At the same time, Romania joined the allies who signed the Declaration on the Common Intent to Establish the Defence, Security, and Resilience Bank, coordinated by Canada, and will host one of the institution’s regional offices.
Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand visited Romania.
“Romania and Canada share a strong partnership that is constantly developing and deepening, based on shared values and a commitment to defend them. We are determined to continue all projects of mutual interest in key areas such as security and defence, nuclear energy, the economy, and industrial cooperation.” This is the message posted on the social media platform X by Romanian President Nicuşor Dan following his meeting in Bucharest with Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand, whom he thanked for Canada’s commitment to NATO’s Eastern Flank and for its participation in the Black Sea mine-clearing mission. The Canadian official also held talks with Acting Foreign Minister Oana Ţoiu. Trade between the two countries has reached approximately one billion euros in recent years, and the intention is to grow and expand the bilateral relationship, stated Oana Ţoiu, who noted that the discussions also focused on projects to modernize and expand the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant, which was built using the Canadian CANDU system. Canada and Romania are trusted allies and friends, and the trade balance is 70% higher than before, the Canadian foreign minister also emphasized.
The National Institute of Statistics (INS) and the National Bank of Romania (BNR) warn that Romania’s economy has contracted
Romania’s gross domestic product in the first quarter of 2026 remained unchanged in real terms compared to the fourth quarter of 2025 and declined by 1.2% on a gross basis and by 1.1% on a seasonally adjusted basis, compared to the same quarter of 2025, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INS). The estimated seasonally adjusted GDP for the first quarter of 2026 was 499.7 billion lei (approx. 95.5 billion euros) at current prices, while the gross GDP was 405.9 billion lei (approx. 77.6 billion euros), down 1.2% in real terms compared to the first quarter of 2025. The change in GDP was driven by declines in industry (-0.2%), trade, transportation, and hotels (-0.7%), information and communications (-0.3%), real estate transactions (-0.2%), and public administration, education, and health (-0.2%), while construction (+0.4%) and entertainment and recreational activities (+0.3%) made positive contributions, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INS). Agriculture did not contribute to growth (0.0%), and the volume of activity remained unchanged, according to the cited source. On the other hand, Romania needs to maintain a credible fiscal framework and accelerate the absorption of European funds, according to the National Bank experts. In its latest financial stability report, the Central Bank warns that Romania’s economy faces two major risks: macroeconomic imbalances—particularly very high budget and current account deficits—and geopolitical tensions. Other growing risks include loan defaults and cyber threats.
The results of the 2026 national Baccalaureate exam have been published.
In Romania, the pass rate for Baccalaureate graduates from the class of 2026 is 79.7%, while for candidates from previous years, the percentage is 31.7%. In this exam session, 45 candidates achieved a perfect score of 10. According to official data, 94,345 of the 126,169 candidates who took the written exams passed. Of these, 90,263 are from the current graduating class, and 4,082 are from previous graduating classes. Last year, the pass rate for the first session of the Baccalaureate exam was 74.3%.
Universitatea Craiova football team in the Champions League qualifiers.
Romanian football champion Universitatea Craiova (south) defeated the Belarusian team ML Vitebsk 4-1 on neutral ground in Mezőkövesd, Hungary, in the first leg of the first qualifying round of the Champions League. Qualification for the second qualifying round will be decided on July 15 in Craiova. Last season’s runner-up, Universitatea Cluj (northwest), drew 0-0 with Dynamo Kyiv on Thursday evening in Lublin, Poland, in the first leg of the first qualifying round of the Europa League. The second leg will be played on July 16 in Cluj.
