July 3, 2026
A roundup of domestic and world news
Newsroom, 03.07.2026, 13:55
Highway – Romania and the Republic of Moldova have signed the contract for the design and construction of Section 4 of the A8 Unirii Highway (Târgu-Mureş–Iaşi–Ungheni), financed by SAFE funds. The contract is valued at 3.57 billion lei (700 million Euros). The Italian consortium that won the contract will design and build the final 15.5 km of the A8 highway and the first 5 km of highway across the Prut River into the Republic of Moldova. The contract duration is 46 months, including 10 months for design and 36 months for construction
Fuels – Romania’s acting Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan expects fuel prices to begin falling in the coming days, as companies sell off stocks purchased at lower prices. He hopes that by the second half of the month, gasoline and diesel will cost the same as they did through March, before the conflict between the United States and Iran. If this does not happen, Bolojan added, a new price-capping scheme will be put in place. The price of a liter of diesel rose by an average of 35 bani after the three-month period of reduced excise tax on this type of fuel expired on July 1. Diesel sold for an average price of 9.57 bani per liter on Thursday.
Tennis – The Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea advanced to the third round of the Wimbledon grass-court tournament in England, the third Grand Slam tournament of the year, after easily defeating Australian Kimberly Birrell, 6-3, 6-4. Sorana Cîrstea (36 years old, WTA No. 18), the No. 17 seed, needed just one hour and 12 minutes of play to get past Birrell (28 years old, WTA No. 72). With this victory, Cîrstea secured 130 points in the WTA rankings. Her next opponent will be Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic.
Storms– Dozens of flooded homes, yards, and basements, fallen trees and power poles and damaged cars, this is the toll of the dangerous hydro-meteorological phenomena recorded as of this morning in 61 localities across 20 Romanian counties, according to the Department for Emergency Situations. Road traffic was temporarily disrupted on a county road in the southwest, as was train service in the central part of the country. There are no reports of people being stranded or medical emergencies that cannot be addressed, nor are there any ongoing rescue operations.
Wildfire – Romanian firefighters deployed to France worked under the coordination of local authorities, helping to limit the spread of the fire and protect homes in the threatened areas, according to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Paris. The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) is informing Romanian citizens who are in, transiting through, or planning to travel to the French Republic that, as of July 2, a code red alert for wildfires (very severe risk) has been issued in departments in the southern part of the country. The MAE recommends that Romanian citizens should avoid traveling to areas where fires are currently burning or where there is an imminent risk of fires breaking out, should strictly follow the instructions of local authorities, and continuously monitor official public information sources. In this context, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs advises Romanian citizens to consult real-time updates by visiting the website https://www.inforoute11.fr/. Additionally, Romanian citizens who are in danger or witness a fire are advised to call the emergency numbers 112 or 18.
Venezuela – A military aircraft took off from Air Transport Base 90 in Otopeni, near Bucharest, on a strategic airlift mission through which Romania provides humanitarian support to Venezuela, affected by the earthquakes that occurred on June 24, 2026. According to the Romanian Ministry of National Defense, the aircraft is transporting barracks materials and medical products intended for the population of the Yaracuy region, seriously affected by the earthquakes that caused significant damage to the infrastructure. The mission is being carried out after the Venezuelan authorities requested international support, and the European Commission activated the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM), through which participating states mobilize resources to support the affected areas. Representatives of the Defense Ministry emphasize that this mission reflects Romania’s commitment to contribute, together with European and international partners, to providing humanitarian assistance to communities affected by natural disasters and other emergency situations. (LS)
