May 28, 2026 UPDATE
The latest news from RRI
Newsroom, 28.05.2026, 20:00
Protest – Trade unionists from the Sanitas Federation picketed the Labor Ministry in Bucharest on Thursday and announced that they would take to the streets on June 3. They “categorically” reject the new unified pay scale bill, which they consider “unfair, incomplete, and deeply disadvantageous to employees in the public health and social assistance systems.” The union members argue that, for more than half of employees, incomes will be capped or even decrease. Court clerks are also dissatisfied with the new draft and have announced that they will partially suspend work in courts and prosecutors’ offices from June 2 to 5. Meanwhile, discussions on the new unified pay scale bill continue at the Labor Ministry.
Visit – Romania’s acting Prime Minister, Ilie Bolojan, will visit neighboring Moldova on Friday, where he will meet with President Maia Sandu and the PM Alexandru Munteanu. According to a government announcement, the discussions will focus on joint projects and cooperation between the two countries, in the context of the Romanian government’s ongoing support for the Republic of Moldova. On the same day, the Romanian Prime Minister will participate in the event “Strong Municipalities. Developed Localities,” where he will deliver a speech and also visit the Stăuceni Cultural and Educational Center, a local development project implemented with the support of the Romanian Government, as well as the “Serghei Lunchevici” National Philharmonic. Moreover, the two PMs will visit the French Alliance in the Republic of Moldova and the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the Republic of Moldova.
Russia – The threat issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry through a press release and social media posts constitutes a serious and irresponsible escalation, the Romanian Foreign Ministry stated on Wednesday, emphasizing that Romania will not be intimidated and will maintain its diplomatic presence in Ukraine and Kyiv. It is a threat which, if carried out, would constitute a war crime against the Ukrainian people, with serious consequences under international law, the Foreign Ministry stated on Platform X. The Ministry specifies that, in this regard, the Russian Federation’s ambassador to Bucharest was summoned on Wednesday and, ‘during the discussion, the Romanian side reminded him that no communiqué or post suspends the Russian Federation’s legal obligations, including those regarding respect for international law.’ Several European countries summoned Russian diplomats to their foreign ministries on Tuesday following Moscow’s call for foreign diplomats to leave Kyiv ahead of new strikes on the Ukrainian capital, which had already been heavily bombed by Russia last weekend, AFP reports. A European Union spokesperson denounced an “unacceptable escalation” and assured that the EU delegation would remain in the Ukrainian capital.
SAFE – Romania’s Acting Defense Minister, Radu Miruţă, announced the signing of a new contract to equip the army through the European SAFE program. The contract covers the procurement of drones for surveillance and reconnaissance missions. It is valued at over 30 million Euros, and deliveries are scheduled for next year. The systems acquired by the Romanian Army are manufactured by the German company Quantum Systems. The contract also includes 15 Scorpion kits that allow the drone to be converted from a fixed-wing configuration, designed for long-range and efficient flight, to a Multicopter configuration, enabling vertical takeoff or landing and hovering. Through the EU’s financial instrument, the Security Action for Europe, Romania is receiving 16.68 billion Euros in the form of favorable loans for the modernization of the military and strategic infrastructure.
Budget – Budget execution for the first four months of the year shows that the painful measures taken by the government in Bucharest have led to a reduction in the deficit to 1.17%, down from 2.9% last year. The budget deficit has decreased by 32 billion lei (approximately 6.2 billion Euros), and, according to Acting Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare, this reduction was achieved without cutting investments. These remain at 31 billion and are primarily funded by European funds. The budget execution report presented by the Finance Ministry shows that tax revenues increased by 15%, and investments financed by European funds rose by 34%, now accounting for three-quarters of total public investments.
Tennis – The Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea easily advanced to the third round of the Roland Garros Grand Slam tournament on Wednesday evening after defeating Germany’s Eva Lys in two sets. Cîrstea (36), ranked 18th in the world classification, won in just over an hour of play. She will play for a spot in the round of 16 against Argentina’s Solana Sierra, who defeated Italy’s Jasmine Paolini (the 13th seed). (LS)
