July 30, 2026

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 30.07.2026, 13:55

NRRP. The Senate in Bucharest is meeting today to vote on the bills relating to the NRRP milestones, which were adopted on Wednesday by the Chamber of Deputies in its capacity as the first legislative chamber to which the matter was referred. These include the bill to approve the SAFE loan agreement between the European Union and Romania, worth nearly 17 billion euros, the new Urban Planning Code, the integrity of the civil service and decarbonisation. Meanwhile, the President of the Senate, Mircea Abrudean, announced that he had convened a new extraordinary session of the Senate from 4 to 6 August to approve the National Strategy for Biodiversity Conservation. This is another key milestone in the PNRR, with a value of approximately €1 billion, he stated on social media.

Fuel.  The Chamber of Deputies in Bucharest, acting as the decision-making body in this matter, adopted a draft law on Wednesday providing for a temporary and gradual reduction in the excise duty on diesel, depending on price trends. The measure, aimed at curbing the recent rise in  prices, may be applied for three months, with the possibility of successive extensions. The reduction will be implemented during periods of crisis and will be automatically withdrawn once the conditions are no longer met. The legislation also provides for a solidarity levy, restrictions on exports of petroleum products and a reduction in the proportion of biofuel in motor fuels. To come into force, the draft law must be signed into law by the President.

Visit. The new Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, Vasile Tofan, is paying a visit to Romania today. It’s his first foreign visit since taking office. Vasile Tofan will hold talks with his counterpart, Ilie Bolojan. The agenda for the discussions includes the current status of bilateral projects and ways of accelerating them, with a focus on those in the transport and energy sectors. The two will also address issues relating to the security situation in the region, against the backdrop of Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against neighbouring Ukraine, as well as the security and economic consequences of this war. Ilie Bolojan will reiterate Romania’s firm support for the Republic of Moldova’s accession to the EU. Prime Minister Vasile Tofan’s programme for his visit to Bucharest also includes a meeting with President Nicuşor Dan, as well as meetings with the leadership of the Romanian Parliament.

Wildfires. Wildfires are spreading across an increasing number of European countries in the Mediterranean basin, and the blazes are proving difficult to control amid strong winds and extremely high temperatures. Following France, Spain and Greece, dozens of major fires broke out in Turkey on Wednesday in the southern and western tourist regions of the country. In Greece, two firefighters lost their lives whilst attempting to extinguish a forest fire on the island of Crete. Several fires are spreading across Greece due to violent winds reaching speeds of up to 80 km per hour. The fires are also wreaking havoc on the islands of Paros and Lesbos, as well as in the regions of Messinia and Laconia on the Peloponnese peninsula. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest is advising Romanian citizens to avoid the affected areas and to follow the instructions of the authorities in Athens. In France, the situation remains critical as the heatwave and strong winds return. A new contingent of Romanian firefighters – the third – has already arrived to assist their French colleagues.

Danube. A severe drought is affecting the entire Danube river basin. In Romania, the river’s flow rate is three times lower than the seasonal average, and experts say that by early August it will fall to a level very close to the historic low recorded in 1985, which stood at 1,400 cubic metres per second at the river’s entry into the country. Irrigation restrictions are in place in the area, but the water supply to the population remains unaffected. Due to the extremely low water level of the Danube, Unit 1 of the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Station was shut down in a controlled manner on Tuesday and disconnected from the national power grid. A cruise ship carrying 186 passengers ran aground, and the tourists were taken to the Bulgarian port of Vidin, but the vessel remained stuck on a sandbank on the Romanian bank of the River Danube.

Football. Romanian football champions Universitatea Craiova (south) have been knocked out of the Champions League qualifiers after drawing 2–2 at home against Bulgarian side Levski Sofia in the second leg of the second qualifying round. Last week, in Sofia, the Bulgarians won the first leg 1–0. Craiova will now face Finnish side KuPS Kuopio in the third qualifying round of the Europa League. This evening, the decisive second-leg matches of the second qualifying round will be played, featuring Romania’s three representatives in the Conference League: Universitatea Cluj away from home (North-West) against Bran Bergen (Norway), following a 2–2 draw at home; CFR Cluj at home against the Armenian side Alashkert, following a 1–1 draw in the first leg; and FCSB in Latvia against Auda, following a 2–3 defeat in Bucharest.

Fencing. Romania’s men’s sabre team, comprising Vlad Covaliu, George Dragomir, Radu Niţu and Răzvan Ursachi, won the bronze medals at the World Fencing Championships in Hong Kong on Thursday, after defeating Hungary 45–39 in the third-place play-off. Romania, which also won bronze last year at the World Championships in Tbilisi, progressed directly to the second round with a 45–17 victory over Great Britain. Romania ends the competition with two bronze medals: one won by Radu Niţu in the men’s individual sabre and the other by the men’s sabre team. (MI)