September 22, 2026 UPDATE
A roundup of national and international news.
Newsroom, 22.09.2026, 20:12
GOVERNMENT – In Bucharest, negotiations to form a stable majority to support the Siegfried Mureşan Cabinet appear to have reached a deadlock. The main opposition party in the Bucharest Parliament, the left-wing PSD, and AUR (the nationalist opposition) have announced that they will not support him, while the UDMR is ready to withdraw its support if the government is to be invested with votes from extremist parties. The designated prime minister says he will go to Parliament with the government programme and the list of ministers, even if he fails to secure the 233 votes needed for the investiture by then. The three parties supporting him – PNL, USR and UDMR – have a combined 169 MPs, while they could receive a further 17 votes from representatives of the national minorities. On Tuesday, Siegfried Mureşan held meetings with the PNL and USR parliamentary groups, and on Wednesday he will discuss the government programme with the UDMR parliamentary groups.
RULING – The Bucharest Tribunal on Tuesday rejected a request by DIICOT (the Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism) for the pre-trial detention of former presidential candidate Călin Georgescu, who is regarded as pro-Russian. The court ruled that he should instead be placed under judicial supervision for 60 days in a case involving fraud and membership of an organised criminal group. The same decision was taken in the case of one of Georgescu’s associates, businessman Ionel Rusen, who was involved in raising funds for Georgescu’s campaign in the 2024 presidential election. The ruling is not final, and prosecutors can appeal. According to judicial sources cited by the media, DIICOT prosecutors are said to have requested information for the case from Latvia, Italy, the United Kingdom and Switzerland. The estimated damage amounts to €1.1 million.
UN– In New York to attend the UN General Assembly alongside around 130 other heads of state, Romanian President Nicuşor Dan met with Romanians living there and representatives of US companies, banks and investment funds that invest in Romanian bonds. The president said he wanted the experience of Romanians who have succeeded in a highly competitive society to be put to use in Romania as well. He invited them to take a fair view of Romania and highlighted the potential the country currently has. On Monday evening, the president inaugurated the Regina Maria of Romania intersection, near the headquarters of Romania’s Permanent Mission to the UN, where a commemorative plaque was also unveiled to mark the 100th anniversary of the monarch’s historic tour of the United States. In the national statement he is due to deliver to the General Assembly on Wednesday, he will highlight Bucharest’s efforts to reform the UN and Romania’s contribution to maintaining peace, security and an international order based on rules and norms.
MOLDOVA – The government of the Republic of Moldova (a former Soviet republic with a predominantly Romanian-speaking population) will seek Parliament’s approval to declare a state of emergency in the energy and water sectors. The measure is necessary as the flow of the country’s most important river, the Dniester, has fallen significantly because of drought, while there are also risks related to energy supplies. President Maia Sandu said measures under consideration include compensation mechanisms for the cold season, energy-saving measures and the protection of strategic energy infrastructure from hostile actions, including drone attacks, as well as cyberattacks. Moldova’s airspace has been repeatedly violated since the outbreak of the war in neighbouring Ukraine, by both drones and Russian missiles.
SPORTS – Romania were defeated 3-0 by defending Olympic champions France on Tuesday in Sofia in the quarter-finals of the European Men’s Volleyball Championship – EuroVolley 2026, hosted by Italy, Bulgaria, Romania and Finland. Romania reached the European Championship quarter-finals for the second consecutive edition, having also lost to France (0-3) at the same stage in Varna. Romania have also qualified for the 2027 World Championship. In football, Romania national team manager Gheorghe Hagi has called up a squad of 33 players for the opening matches of the Nations League. Romania are scheduled to play four matches at the start of the new Nations League campaign: away to Sweden on 25 September, against Bosnia in Bucharest on 28 September behind closed doors, against Poland in Warsaw on 2 October, and at home to Sweden again on 5 October. (EE)
