THE WEEK IN REVIEW July 12-18, 2026

A look back at the stories that made the headlines this past week

Ştefan Stoica, 18.07.2026, 13:37

On-going political deadlock

On Monday, the Romanian presidency organised a new round of talks between the leaders of the former ruling coalition comprising the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the National Liberal Party (PNL), the Save Romania Union (USR) and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (UDMR), in an attempt to end the political deadlock the country has been struggling with for over two months. On May 5, the minority government led by Liberal leader Ilie Bolojan was dismissed following a no-confidence vote in Parliament initiated by the former ruling partner PSD, and populist, ultranationalist AUR party (in opposition). The rift between the Liberals and USR, on the one hand, and the Social Democrats, on the other, has deepened and leaves no room for even a tentative rapprochement.

More importantly, the conflict between the right-of-centre and left wing blocs threatens to jeopardise the reforms provided for in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNNR) and, implicitly, the funding that the European Commission gives Bucharest in exchange. PSD says it considers itself an opposition party, and warns that it will not vote under pressure for any law stipulated in the PNRR. The Liberals criticise this position, which they see as a form of blackmail.

President Nicuşor Dan is in turn criticised over his passive approach of the crisis and his leniency towards the Social Democrats, widely regarded as the initiators of the crisis.

A growing number of political actors mention snap elections as a possibility.

Waiting for the sovereign rating

Amid persistent political uncertainty, the financial rating agency Fitch will release on the last day of the month its decision on Romania’s sovereign credit rating and the country’s outlook, the finance ministry announced. Ministry officials had technical discussions on Tuesday with Fitch Ratings officers. Bucharest promised that sustained efforts are carried on to complete the reforms and investments undertaken in the PNRR, as well as to step up fund absorption under the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework and the SAFE program.

Similar talks were also held with Moody’s. Currently, all three major rating agencies (S&P, Moody’s and Fitch) have a ‘negative’ outlook linked with Romania’s sovereign rating, which places the country at the bottom of the investment-grade scale.

From Paris to Kyiv

Romania is an active and reliable partner in the efforts to strengthen European security, president Nicuşor Dan said in Paris, after talks within the “Coalition of the Willing” in support of Ukraine. Together with other European leaders, president Dan also attended the parade organised on the National Day of France.

It was a good opportunity to reaffirm the strong ties between Romania and France, united by a strategic partnership and a friendship built over time, the Romanian leader emphasised after the French holiday.

The 37 countries in the Coalition of the Willing for Ukraine renewed their commitment to continue military support and to have solid security guarantees in place once the conflict ends. Investing in the defence and security of Ukraine is an investment in our own security, and Ukraine must be able to negotiate peace from a position of strength, president Nicuşor Dan believes.

On Wednesday, the president took part in the Ukraine-Southeast Europe Summit in Kyiv. The leaders attending the summit signed a joint declaration reaffirming their support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, as well as for its European Union and NATO accession. According to Nicuşor Dan, the talks also focused on regional connectivity.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Nicuşor Dan had a meeting with president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to discuss coordination on prevention and early warning mechanisms in case of drone incidents.

Supreme Court ruling collides with European law

The Court of Justice of the European Union ruled on Thursday that the decision of Romania’s High Court of Cassation and Justice to extend the enforcement of the statute of limitations in criminal cases for the period 2014-2018 is not in line with EU law. The European court also ruled that the Supreme Court’s decision on the statute of limitations does not apply to pending cases.

“The Court explains that, in view of the importance of the principle of res judicata in EU law, that law does not require that decisions having the authority of res judicata which have found, applying the decision of the HCCJ of 2022, that criminal liability for instances of serious fraud affecting the financial interests of the Union is time-barred be called into question.”

In May 2022, the Constitutional Court issued a ruling regulating the suspension of the limitation period in criminal matters in force in 2018 – 2022. Subsequently, the Supreme Court held that the Constitutional Court ruling applies retroactively to 2014.

The High Court of Cassation and Justice claims that it has applied European law ‘always in good faith’, and its approach to the limitation of criminal liability was not a choice between EU law and the European Convention on Human Rights. The High Court of Cassation and Justice stands not with a particular case law solution or to a specific outcome of a case, but with the fundamental values ​​of the rule of law, the Court emphasised.

European football competitions begin

Romanian football champion Universitatea Craiova qualified for the Champions League second qualifier round, after a double win against ML Vitebsk (Belarus). Craiova has a spectacular period, as this week they also added the Super Cup to their trophy list, after outplaying the runner-up Universitatea Cluj last season, both in the championship and the Cup final. The latter left the Europa League and will play in the Conference League alongside fellow Romanians CFR  Cluj and FCSB. (AMP)