June 17, 2026

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 17.06.2026, 13:55

Politics. Prime minister-designate, the Liberal Adrian Veştea, intends to submit his government program and cabinet list to Parliament today. Veştea told a private TV station that the cabinet will include proposals from the Social Democratic Party and his supporters from the National Liberal Party, as well as some who were already on the list of the former prime minister-designate, Eugen Tomac. Veştea risks being excluded from the National Liberal Party after ignoring the request of the party’s leadership to resign. He doesn’t have the backing of the Save Romania Union, or the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania. His cabinet needs at least 233 votes in Parliament, including votes from the populist and ultranationalist groups. The Alliance for the Union of Romanians, the biggest such group, said it will not back the Veştea cabinet. The minority government formed by the National Liberal Party, the Save Romania Union and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania and led by Liberal leader Ilie Bolojan was dismissed on May 5 following a no-confidence motion initiated by the Social Democrats, who until recently had themselves been part of the ruling coalition, together with the Alliance for the Union of Romanians. President Nicuşor Dan nominated Adrian Veştea to form the government without consulting the National Liberal Party, a gesture considered by the party leadership as a hostile act.

Protest. Romanian trade unionists in education are protesting today in front of the Government and Parliament headquarters, dissatisfied with the provisions of the new pay bill. According to union sources, approximately 20,000 people are expected to take part in the protest. The new uniform salary bill is “a blatant violation of the legislation in force, an act of defiance of the commitments made towards trade union organisations and undeniable proof that the Government, the President of Romania and the political parties are burying education, instead of treating it as the foundation on which the future of a nation is built’, said trade unions at the end of April. In another move, customs employees went on a two-hour warning strike today, dissatisfied with working conditions and non-compliance with their professional and salary rights. Customs employees are also challenging the provisions concerning them from the new salary bill.

Drones. The drone incidents in Galati and Constanţa (southeast) were at the heart of Tuesday’s debate in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, during which members of the EU Parliament called on the Union to strengthen the eastern flank militarily and to sanction Russia. The debate was initiated by Victor Negrescu, the vice-president of the European Parliament and a member of the European Social Democrats group, but all other political parties have joined the initiative. One of the questions concerns how many drones entering European airspace were intentionally controlled by Russia on their route and to what extent Russia is testing the capacity of the EU and NATO. On Thursday, at the end of the plenary session in Strasbourg, the European Parliament is expected to vote on a resolution in this regard entitled “Russia’s unacceptable provocative actions and drone incursions into Romania, the Baltic states and Finland”.

Agreement. The Romanian foreign ministry welcomes the diplomatic and mediation efforts that led to the agreement of the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran. According to a statement from the ministry, the immediate resumption of toll-free maritime and commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is vital for regional stability and the global economy, including for the gradual stabilisation of energy prices and timely access to fertilisers needed in agriculture. Romania has subscribed, along with 25 other states, to the leaders’ declaration adopted by France, Great Britain, Germany and Italy, regarding the peace agreement reached by the United States and Iran, as well as the joint mechanisms intended to ensure safe passage and coordinate diplomatic efforts, the statement also reads. US President Donald Trump announced on Monday that the US-Iran agreement was signed and the Strait of Hormuz will be fully open.

Inflation. In May, Romania recorded the highest inflation rate in the European Union, at 9.7%, according to data published on Wednesday by the European Statistical Office (Eurostat), followed by Bulgaria with 6.3% and Lithuania with 5.1%. The lowest inflation levels were recorded by Sweden (1.1%), Denmark and the Czech Republic (both 1.8%). In May, the annual inflation rate dropped in 11 EU member states and went up in 16 countries. Data published previously in Bucharest by the National Institute of Statistics show that the annual inflation rate in Romania increased to 10.85% in May, following a rise of 13% in the cost of services, of over 12% in that of non-food products and by almost 7% in that of food products. The National Bank of Romania has revised upwards its inflation forecast for the end of 2026, to 5.5% from 3.9% previously.