September 19, 2026
A roundup of domestic and world news
Newsroom, 19.09.2026, 13:55
Government – The Prime Minister designate Siegfried Mureşan stated on a private television channel on Friday that he would uphold the “sound” principle of carefully managing public funds. He also noted that, following this difficult phase, the country would enter a “growth phase” and that he was considering easing certain fiscal consolidation measures as soon as Romania can afford to do so. Also on Friday, in a press statement, he announced the start of drafting the government program in collaboration with the PNL, USR, and UDMR, noting that he would present the priorities early next week. He emphasized that Romania needs “a serious, credible government as soon as possible, a government that continues the reform measures, projects, and programs initiated over the past year.” While the official nomination of Liberal Siegfried Mureşan for the role of Prime Minister will take place on Monday, the three supporting parties have already begun the process of forming the cabinet and outlining the government program, tasks that must be completed within ten days. Siegfried Mureşan needs the support of 233 members of parliament, whereas the three parties backing him hold a combined total of 170 seats. Meanwhile, the PSD has called on the Prime Minister designate to publicly present his plan for Romania, including economic measures to protect the population and support Romanian companies, before any discussions regarding parliamentary majorities take place. The nationalist opposition party AUR also does not support him. For his part, Nicuşor Dan urged parliamentary parties to focus on forming a new government and called for a solution to be found.
Summit – Carpathian countries must cooperate more effectively to build roads and border crossings, strengthen energy connections, promote tourism and economic and cultural exchanges, protect nature, and attract investment, stated President Nicuşor Dan, who attended the first Summit of the Carpathian Integration Initiative on Friday. “Romania is home to half of the Carpathian mountain range, and our involvement is therefore significant,” Nicuşor Dan wrote on social media. Additionally, Nicuşor Dan held a bilateral meeting on Friday with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to discuss the need to fast-track the joint drone production project under the SAFE Program. According to the Romanian head of state, discussions also covered the transit of grain from Ukraine through Romania. “We also discussed grain transit, both by rail and via the Danube, to see how we can make it more efficient. It is a transit flow that generates substantial revenue for Romanian companies,” Nicuşor Dan noted. The head of state attended the meeting in the Ukrainian region of Ivano-Frankivsk at the invitation of the President of Ukraine, alongside representatives from the countries spanned by the Carpathian Mountains, Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Hungary, and Ukraine, as well as other key players in regional cooperation.
Cooperation – Romania and Italy aim to step up cooperation in areas such as combating tax evasion and fraud, digitizing tax administration, and developing simpler, more accessible public and financial services, announced interim Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare following talks with his Italian counterpart, Giancarlo Giorgetti. “Romania and Italy share more than just a strong economic relationship. We face common challenges, have deeply interconnected communities, and I believe there is an economic path we can build together,” Alexandru Nazare wrote on social media. The discussions also covered the Romanian community in Italy and investments made by Romanians in the Diaspora. The two officials are attending the informal ECOFIN meeting in Dublin alongside European Union finance ministers and central bank governors. According to a statement from the relevant ministry, the agenda addresses economic and financial topics against the backdrop of technological transformations and developments in financial markets.
Tennis – Romania’s men’s tennis team defeated Indonesia 4–0 on Saturday in Jakarta during the first round of the Davis Cup World Group II, after Gabriel Ghețu won the third singles match against Lucky Candra Kurniawan, 7–6 (7/2), 7–6 (7/1). Also on Saturday, the pair made up of Ștefan Horia Haită and Radu David Țurcanu defeated the pair Rafalentino Ali Da Costa and Ethan David Zapp, 6–2, 6–1. Romania is ranked 46th in the world, while Indonesia is ranked 65th. The two teams had never faced each other in the Davis Cup before. Following this victory, Romania will compete in the World Group I play-offs.
Kyiv – The first-grade class taught in Romanian at the school in Orlivka will be reopened following interventions by the Consulate General of Romania in Odesa, and students will resume classes starting Monday, September 21. According to the Consulate, the agreed-upon solution ensures the continuity of mother-tongue education in Orlivka within the current educational framework. The issue came to public attention after the Romanian-language class was closed just days into the school year, leaving the children facing the prospect of continuing their studies in a Ukrainian-language class. On Wednesday, the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced it was taking steps in both Bucharest and Kyiv to clarify the situation. (LS)
