September 25, 2026 UPDATE
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 25.09.2026, 20:00
GOVERNMENT The National Liberal Party, Save Romania Union and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania endorsed the governing programme drafted by the PM designate Siegfried Mureşan and his Cabinet lineup. The list includes Mircea Abrudean for deputy PM and interior minister, Radu Miruţă for deputy PM and defence minister, Tánczos Barna for deputy PM and agriculture minister, Alexandru Nazare for finance minister and Andrea Chiş for justice minister. Raluca Turcan is nominated for minister of labour, family, youth and social solidarity, Oana Gheorghiu for healthcare minister, Dragoş Pîslaru for minister of investments and European projects, Mihai Dimian for minister of education and research and Sebastian Burduja for minister of energy. Diana Buzoianu is to stay on as environment minister and Oana Ţoiu as foreign minister. The transport ministry is to be led by Cătălin Drulă, and the economy ministry by Irineu Darău. Cseke Attila is nominated for the development ministry and Ötvös Koppány for the culture ministry. PM designate Siegfried Mureşan had a meeting on Friday with president Nicuşor Dan, to present the programme and the list of ministers, and to brief him on the status of negotiations to secure a parliamentary majority backing his cabinet. Mr. Dan believes that early elections are not a solution, and has once again urged parliamentary parties to reach a political compromise. Siegfried Mureşan currently relies on 170 votes out of 233 required. Meanwhile, the Social Democratic leader Sorin Grindeanu, whose opposition party holds the largest number of parliamentary seats, said that he had not yet received the governing programme and that the Social Democrats will not vote for the Mureşan cabinet. He called on the prime minister designate to step down, arguing that he would not secure enough votes to have his cabinet endorsed.
DIPLOMACY Regional cooperation must help us address challenges that transcend national borders, the interim foreign minister Oana Țoiu said on Thursday in New York. In her capacity as chair-in-office of the Central European Initiative (CEI) and the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP), the Romanian official hosted a roundtable discussion on the future of regional cooperation amidst multiple geopolitical challenges, titled “Regional Cooperation in a Changing World: Ensuring Stability, Resilience, and Sustainable Growth through Trust-Based and Result-Oriented Cooperation.” “To remain relevant, regional cooperation must demonstrate its added value, not merely as a platform for political dialogue, but as a mechanism for achieving concrete results,” Oana Țoiu said, according to the foreign ministry. She reiterated Romania’s support for Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova and highlighted the need to maintain channels of dialogue and practical cooperation, even during times of regional tension.
WAGES Average gross monthly wages across Romania’s economy in 2025 were approximately EUR 1,653, an 8.1% increase compared to the previous year, according to data made public by the National Statistics Institute (INS) on Friday. The average net wage reached approximately EUR 1,000, up 6.2% from the previous year. The highest average net monthly wages in 2025, relative to the national average, were reported in sectors such as telecoms, IT programming and consultancy, and radio and television broadcasting. Conversely, the lowest wages relative to the national average were paid in sectors such as hospitality, agriculture, forestry and fisheries, and in arts, entertainment, sports, and leisure.
ELECTIONS Romania’s Permanent Electoral Authority (AEP) has announced plans to draft an Election Code containing rules applicable to all types of elections. AEP chief Adrian Ţuţuianu argues that inconsistencies in the legislation could lead to confusion and difficulties in organising the electoral process. The new code is expected to include general rules, provisions specific to each type of election, and regulations concerning referendum, as well as early and by-elections. Ţuţuianu says there are 26 administrative units in Romania where by-elections must be held, in addition to 11 other localities where the mayors’ terms are set to end following new incompatibility regulations.
RESEARCHERS Museums and universities across Romania welcome science enthusiasts for European Researchers’ Night, featuring experiments, demonstrations, workshops, and technologies available for viewing and hands-on testing. The University of Bucharest takes part in the event for the first time. The programme includes drone-flying workshops, Van de Graaff generator demonstrations, microscopic analysis, and telescopic astronomical observations. In Iași, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University opens its outdoor labs, while in Brașov the Transilvania University Research and Development Institute welcomes visitors with unique experiments, interactive demonstrations, prize-winning competitions, and exhibitions of mobile robots and drones. The European Researchers’ Night takes place annually in over 400 cities across the continent. (AMP)
