September 12, 2026
A roundup of national and international news.
Newsroom, 12.09.2026, 14:01
SUMMIT – Romanian President Nicuşor Dan is attending, on 13 and 14 September, a European Summit dedicated to the Arctic region, hosted by Finland in Rovaniemi. The meeting is being held at the initiative of Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo and brings together European leaders, alongside representatives of EU institutions. The summit aims to strengthen the European Union’s strategic approach to the Arctic region, against a backdrop of the area’s growing geopolitical, economic and climate significance. According to the Presidential Administration in Bucharest, Nicuşor Dan will set out Romania’s vision for addressing the challenges across the entire area stretching from the Arctic to the Black Sea, amid growing recognition that the security challenges facing these regions are interconnected.
DIPLOMACY – Seventy-seven new members of Romania’s Diplomatic and Consular Corps have taken their oath of office after successfully completing the most competitive and complex selection process organised by the Foreign Ministry in the past decade, interim Foreign Minister Oana Ţoiu announced on Friday. According to her, the recruitment and training process, launched in August 2025, attracted a record number of applicants – nearly 3,000 – and included a series of rigorous selection stages: simulations, multiple-choice tests conducted under strict video surveillance, written specialist examinations, interviews and psychological assessments. Interim Foreign Minister Oana Ţoiu said that foreign policy lies at the heart of Romania’s achievements and challenges, at a time of unprecedented pressure and strategic, economic and security stakes, as well as the need to rebuild the trust of the Romanian diaspora. This, she concluded, requires an elite diplomatic corps.
FESTIVAL – In Constanţa, a Romanian port city on the Black Sea, the Cazino Music Festival, a new international classical music festival, is taking place from today until 22 November. Over 11 weekends, the festival is offering audiences a series of distinctive performances, each shaped by its musical genre, repertoire and the individual character of the invited artists. Audiences in Constanţa will thus have the opportunity to hear artists whom they would normally encounter in concert halls in Vienna, Berlin, Milan and other major European cultural centres. According to the organisers, the choice of programme is inseparable from the standards imposed by the building hosting the festival – the recently renovated Constanţa Casino, one of Europe’s most iconic Art Nouveau landmarks.
MILITARY – The Romanian Air Force is to conduct the ‘Burebista 26’ exercise from 14 to 25 September. The exercise is a complex one and will be conducted according to a fictional scenario involving all command-and-control and operational structures of the Romanian Air Force, with the support of the Land Forces and Special Operations Forces. The exercise is aimed at training Romanian Air Force structures to operate in an integrated, joint-services environment. During the exercise, military equipment and personnel will be moved along road routes, while low-level flights will be conducted across Romania.
AUTOMOTIVE – Romania’s automotive production is declining. Output fell significantly in August, to below 13,000 vehicles, amid temporary stoppages at the Dacia (Renault) and Ford Otosan plants. In the first eight months of the year, production at the two plants fell by 7.8% compared with the same period in 2025. Thus, between January and August 2026, the factories produced nearly 320,000 vehicles, around 27,000 fewer than during the corresponding period last year, according to data from the Association of Automobile Manufacturers of Romania.
VOLLEYBALL – Romania’s men’s national volleyball team has secured its first victory at the EuroVolley 2026 European Championship, being held from 9 to 26 September in Italy, Bulgaria, Finland and Romania. In Group D, following a 3-1 defeat by Latvia, the Romanian side beat Switzerland 3-1 in Cluj-Napoca, north-western Romania, on Friday evening. Today, also in Cluj-Napoca, France face Turkey, while Romania take on Germany. Romania will play Turkey again on Monday and France on Wednesday. For the time being, Germany lead the group, followed by France, Romania, Latvia, Turkey and Switzerland. The top four teams qualify for the round of 16. (EE)
