August 12, 2026 UPDATE
A roundup of national and international news.
Newsroom, 12.08.2026, 19:59
SWIMMING – Romanian swimmer David Popovici, an Olympic, world and continental champion, on Wednesday evening won the gold medal in the 100-m freestyle at the European Aquatics Championships in Paris, finishing the race in 46.56 seconds. He also set a new competition record. David Popovici had already won two consecutive European titles in the 100-metre freestyle, in Rome in 2022 and Belgrade in 2024. The next challenge for the 21-yearl old athlete is the 200-m freestyle, as he will try to become the first swimmer to win both European titles consecutively. Romania is represented by 11 athletes at the European Aquatics Championships in the French capital. On Saturday, Cătălin Preda won gold in the 20-metre platform diving event.
ENERGY – The controlled shutdown procedure for Unit 2 of the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant (south-eastern Romania) will begin on Thursday, after the flow rate of the Danube fell below 1,400 cubic metres per second at the point where it enters the country. Unit 1 has already been offline since 28 July. The two reactors accounted for approximately 20% of Romania’s electricity generation. To offset the loss, the Energy Ministry has decided to bring Unit 4 of the Rovinari power plant, operated by Oltenia Energy Complex (south-western Romania) and fuelled by coal, out of reserve, while also making use of Hidroelectrica’s additional capacity. The ministry also said that imposing limits on large industrial consumers would be implemented only if developments in the situation make this necessary. Household consumers will not be affected by this mechanism.
FLIGHTS – Direct flights between Romania’s capital, Bucharest, and China’s capital, Beijing, will resume in September. There will be three flights per week, operated by China’s state-owned carrier. The Romanian Embassy in China said in a statement that the new round-trip route linking Beijing, Bucharest and Zagreb could bring benefits in tourism, economic cooperation, cultural exchanges and people-to-people ties. The first-ever flight between Bucharest and Beijing took place in 1974.
INFLATION – Romania’s annual inflation rate fell below the 10% threshold in July, reaching 8.16%, as electricity prices eased compared with the period following the removal of the price cap last year. It was the largest decline in the past 12 months, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INS). Romanians are, however, continuing to feel the impact of rising prices, although at a more moderate pace. According to INS data, for example, the cost of services is almost 14% higher than last summer, while rents have risen by more than 42%. Non-food goods have increased in price by 8%, driven primarily by fuel, with diesel prices up by more than 30%. Food prices are, on average, 5% higher, although there is some good news: potatoes and fresh fruit are 13% cheaper than a year ago. The decline in inflation is an important indication that measures aimed at stabilising the economy are beginning to take effect, even against a challenging international backdrop, Senate President Mircea Abrudean wrote in a Facebook post. “Over the past few months, Romania has faced major challenges: the energy crisis, tensions in the Middle East and regional uncertainty. The fact that Fitch and Moody’s have maintained the country’s credit rating, that the budget deficit is falling, that inflation continues to decline, and that interest rates affecting Romanians’ loan repayments are also moving lower shows that Romania is beginning to regain the confidence of markets and investors,” the Romanian official added.
COURT – Romania’s Constitutional Court has postponed until Monday its deliberations and ruling on challenges lodged by President Nicușor Dan and USR and PNL lawmakers against provisions of the ANI Law, recently amended by Parliament. Among the provisions challenged by the president is the extension of the obligation to declare assets to life partners, rather than spouses only. In President Nicușor Dan’s view, directly extending liability for administrative offences to individuals solely on the basis of their emotional relationship with a public official constitutes a form of interference in private life. Another contested provision concerns the retrospective application of penalties. Nicușor Dan argues that this provision breaches the principle of non-retroactivity of the law, enshrined in the Constitution. The allocation of nearly €800 million under Romania’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) depends on the adoption and implementation of the legislation.
INCIDENT – An improvised incendiary device was placed on the pavement next to the outer perimeter fence of the Romanian Embassy in the Swiss Confederation and caught fire, Romania’s Foreign Ministry (MAE) said. According to a statement issued by the ministry to the press on Wednesday, the device caused a small vegetation fire, which was extinguished by embassy staff before the fire brigade arrived. No member of the diplomatic mission was injured. “The incident is regarded by the authorities of the Swiss Confederation as falling into the category of minor incidents; however, because it occurred in the vicinity of an embassy, an investigation has been opened. Romania is cooperating with the Swiss authorities in this regard,” the Foreign Ministry said. (EE)
