April 21, 2026
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 21.04.2026, 13:55
GOVERNMENT The Liberal Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan announced he will stay in office and ensure the stability of the government, although he no longer has the support of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the main partner in the pro-European ruling coalition along with the National Liberal Party (PNL), Save Romania Union (USR), and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (UDMR). He harshly criticised the Social Democrats’ decision, which he said was wrong and irresponsible, and announced that, today, the Liberals will convene again to analyse the situation. On Monday, following an in-house vote, PSD withdrew its support for PM Ilie Bolojan. The Social Democrats’ leader Sorin Grindeanu also accused Bolojan of destroying the economy and lowering people’s purchasing power. USR criticized the result of the Social Democrats’ vote, while UDMR pleaded for a solution that would preserve political stability. In the opposition, AUR party spoke out in favor of early elections. President Nicușor Dan invited the leaders of the ruling coalition parties to consultations at Cotroceni Palace on Wednesday. The first ones invited to talks are the Social Democrats, followed by PNL, UDMR, the national minorities group in Parliament, and USR.
DEFENCE Nearly EUR 10 bln would be invested in the national defence industry and in strengthening the Romanian Army’s capabilities under the EU’s SAFE mechanism, and the balance to approx. EUR 16 bln will be used for the development of road and transport infrastructure and the equipment of the interior ministry and intelligence services. However, the European Commission made the financing of the 21 programmes submitted by the defence ministry conditional on their being signed by May 31, the defence minister Radu Miruţă said today, in an interview for Radio Romania. On the other hand, on Monday at NATO’s headquarters in Brussels, 20 Romanian companies presented for the first time defence solutions that could be purchased and used across the Alliance. The foreign minister Oana Ţoiu said Romania wants to take advantage of the increase in NATO spending to create business opportunities and jobs in the country.
LITERATURE The 16th Munich Literature Festival began today, with a significant Romanian participation. The German translation of the book ‘Voices at a Distance’, recently published by Wallstein Verlag, will be launched on Friday, in the presence of the author Gabriela Adameșteanu. The artist Dan Perjovschi will be present throughout the festival, which ends on April 30, and will respond with on the spot drawings to the themes addressed. Last but not least, two Romanian films will be screened during the Munich festival: the documentary ‘Colectiv’, directed by Alexander Nanau, and Radu Jude’s feature film ‘Aferim!’.
CENSUS The National Road Infrastructure Management Corporation (CNAIR) in Romania is conducting a General Road Traffic Census starting today. The initiative aims to find out details about road traffic in the country. Specifically, data will be collected on traffic by vehicle category, transportation demand, road infrastructure needs, road maintenance and road safety. The census will be carried out both by automatic means and through registration points set up across the country, without vehicles having to pull over. The data, collected until November, will capture daily and seasonal traffic variations.
SPORTS AWARDS The Romanian former gymnast Nadia Comăneci was presented with the Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award at the Laureus Awards gala, the Oscars of sports, held in Madrid on Monday night. The award comes 50 years after the athlete got the first perfect score in the history of world gymnastics at the Montreal Summer Olympics. Nadia Comăneci became a founding member of the Laureus Sports Academy in 2000 and played a vital role in promoting excercise, through worldwide programmes to improve results and opportunities for at-risk youth. Nadia Comăneci is the 20th Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award winner and the first gymnast to receive it. In Romania, 2026 is the Year of Nadia Comăneci, to mark the 50th anniversary of the gymnast’s legendary performance in Montreal. Events coordinated by the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee are organized as part of this celebration.
FOOTBALL The former international player Gheorghe Hagi was appointed as the head coach of Romania’s national football team on Monday. He signed a four-year contract with the Romanian Football Federation, whose president Răzvan Burleanu said that the new manager’s first target is to have the national team qualified for the 2028 European Championship. This is Hagi’s second term as head coach of the national team, after the one in September-November 2001. He only lasted three months in office, as the team failed to qualify for the 2002 World Cup. Gheorghe Hagi succeeds Mircea Lucescu, who died earlier this month, aged 80. (AMP)
