August 14, 2026
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 14.08.2026, 13:55
MEASURES Key measures for education and industry are high on the agenda of the government session today in Bucharest. The acting government is expected to unblock over 700 jobs for the new state nurseries built through the PNRR programme, thus easing the inauguration of thousands new places for children. At the same time, the ministers are going to endorse a kickstart programme for the graphite exploitation in Gorj county, southern Romania, as graphite is a raw material used in the production of batteries thus cancelling a previous decision on the definitive shutdown of mines. Romania has three main projects endorsed by the European Commission last year of setting up a framework for the safe and sustainable supplies of raw materials. The regulations include the development of the needed infrastructure for extraction as well as the installation of the right equipment for processing the raw material into high quality graphite needed in the production of batteries mainly for vehicles and energy storage devices.
NAVY Romania’s Naval Forces are presently staging a series of events across the garrisons of Constanța, Mangalia, Brăila, Galați, Tulcea, and Bucharest to mark Romanian Navy Day, celebrated annually on August 15th. The program includes military and religious ceremonies, various drills at sea and on rivers, equipment and weaponry displays, interactive workshops, military band concerts, and activities promoting the military profession. This morning, on the Constanța waterfront, sailors held a military and religious ceremony dedicated to the Day of Gratitude, followed by an event for the awarding of medals and promotions to the next military rank. The dress rehearsal for the joint naval exercise “FNR 26.10” is also taking place today. Over 3,500 Romanian and foreign military personnel will participate in the military ceremony on Saturday. A total of more than 50 ships and vessels, 15 military and civilian aircraft, two amphibious armored personnel carriers, and five artillery pieces will be taking part in the training drills at sea and in the coastal area, the Romanian Naval Forces further say. This year’s edition will feature, for the first time, the corvette *Contra-admiral August Roman* (261) and the mine-hunter *Captain Constantin Dumitrescu* (M 271), both of which have recently entered service. The Allied forces will be represented by two Turkish Navy vessels—a frigate and a corvette— a Turkish Coast Guard vessel, a Bulgarian Coast Guard vessel, two Spanish Air Force F-18 Hornet aircraft participating in NATO’s enhanced Air Policing mission, and a French Navy Atlantique 2 maritime patrol aircraft.
PARIS The Romanian swimmer and world, Olympic and European champion, David Popovici, tonight participates in the finals of the 200 m free-style sprint at the European Aquatics Championships in Paris after getting the semifinals’ best time of one minute, 44 seconds and 56 hundreds. This has been Popovici’s third consecutive European title in the 100 meter race after those in 2022 and 2024.
FOOTBALL Romania’s football champions, Universitatea Craiova, have qualified for the Europa League play-offs after securing a 2-1 home win against the Finnish side KuPS Kuopio. The first match ended one-all in Bucharest. The Romanian champions have thus ensured their qualification for the main stage of a European competition and will be taking on Ararat-Armenia. Another Romanian side, CFR Cluj has been eliminated from the Conference League by the Norwegians of Tromso IL, who secured a 2-1 win in the return match after also winning the first game 5-0.
BNR On Thursday, Romania’s Central Bank (BNR) raised its inflation forecasts for both the end of this year—from 5.5% to 6.1%—and the end of 2027—from 2.9% to 3.4%. This revision is driven primarily by new pressures in the energy sector; BNR Governor Mugur Isărescu explained that fuel prices reacted quickly to the effects of the Gulf War, while a heatwave and drought further complicated the situation. However, the BNR anticipates a sharp drop in inflation as the effects of last year’s VAT and excise duty hikes fade. Meanwhile, the BNR announced it is postponing any cut to the monetary policy interest rate until next year and emphasized the importance of securing European funds, particularly given that the deadline for Romania’s allocation under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) expires at the end of this month.
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