September 27, 2026 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 27.09.2026, 19:30

Exercise. The next MOBEX mobilisation exercise is scheduled to take place in Bucharest and the neighbouring county of Ilfov between 5 and 12 October, the Romanian Ministry of Defence has announced. Reservists will take part in specific training activities at the military units to which they are assigned. They will be notified directly, via a call-up order, only if they are required to attend. Not everyone will take part at the same time. It is a routine exercise, the Ministry of National Defence (MApN) states. The previous exercise to assess the state of preparedness of the population, the economy and the territory for defence took place between 14 and 18 September in the counties of Neamț, Suceava and Botoșani (north-east). The Ministry of National Defence points out that MOBEX exercises are organised every year in several counties across the country during peacetime. They are not a response to any crisis situation, but merely a pre-planned assessment to test whether defence structures can be rapidly reinforced with personnel and resources, should the need arise.

Government. The specialized committees of the Romanian Parliament are set to begin hearings on Monday with the ministers nominated by the Prime Minister-designate, PNL-EPP MEP Siegfried Mureşan. The cabinet is expected to comprise 16 ministers: seven nominated by the PNL, five by the USR, three by the UDMR and one independent candidate supported by the three parties. Three of them also hold the position of deputy prime minister. Ten of the 16 nominees are also members of the current, dismissed government led by the Liberal Ilie Bolojan. The PNL is retaining the same ministers: Alexandru Nazare at Finance, Mihai Dimian at Education, and Dragoş Pîslaru at Investment and European Projects. Also from the Liberals, the current Deputy Prime Minister, Oana Gheorghiu, will take over the Health portfolio. Returning to ministerial posts after brief hiatuses are Raluca Turcan, as Minister of Labour, and Sebastian Burduja, as Minister of Energy. A new appointment: the current President of the Senate, Mircea Abrudean, will take over the Ministry of the Interior and become Deputy Prime Minister, replacing the long-serving Minister Cătălin Predoiu, who has recently been reluctant to support Bolojan’s policies. The USR has also retained four ministers in their current posts: Radu Miruță at Defence, who is also Deputy Prime Minister; Diana Buzoianu at the Environment; Oana Țoiu at Foreign Affairs; and Irineu Darău at the Economy. Cătălin Drulă also returns to the Transport portfolio. The UDMR has retained two of its current ministers – Cseke Attila at Development, and Tánczos Barna at Agriculture and as Deputy Prime Minister. Otvos Koppany takes over at Culture, replacing the unpopular Demeter Andras. For the Justice portfolio, Mureșan is backing the former judge, Andreea Chiş, who has no political affiliation. On Wednesday, Mureșan’s team is set to receive a vote of confidence in the joint plenary session of the two-chamber parliament.

Poll. Almost half of Romanians believe that all politicians are to blame for the current political situation, while 88 per cent feel that Romania is heading in the wrong direction, according to a new poll carried out by the Avangarde Socio-Behavioural Studies Group. According to the study, 49 per cent of those surveyed say that all politicians are to blame for the current political situation. 21 per cent blame the PNL, 11 per cent blame the PSD, 8 per cent blame President Nicuşor Dan, 3 per cent blame the AUR, and 3 per cent blame the USR. At the same time, 88 per cent of respondents believe that Romania is heading in the wrong direction, while 8 per cent hold the opposite view. The greatest concern for the coming period relates to: a possible economic crisis (31 per cent), children’s future (20 per cent), the escalation of the war in neighbouring Ukraine (18 per cent), health issues (11 per cent), and hatred in society (11 per cent). If parliamentary elections were to take place next Sunday, the votes would be distributed as follows: AUR – 36 per cent, PSD – 23 per cent, PNL – 16 per cent, USR – 8 per cent, UDMR – 5 per cent. The remaining parties would not reach the 5 per cent electoral threshold required to enter parliament.

Rating. Romania is set to face another sovereign rating review next week, at a crucial juncture in the formation of the future government – according to reports in the Bucharest media. Parliament is expected to vote on Wednesday on the cabinet proposed by Prime Minister-designate Siegfried Mureşan, and on Friday, 2 October, the credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s will publish its country report. A delegation from the agency is already in Bucharest and is holding talks with Romanian officials. Acting Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan says that public finances are on a path to balance, while the acting Minister of Finance, Alexandru Nazare, cites budget execution and continued fiscal consolidation as Romania’s main arguments. The stakes are high: maintaining the rating in the ‘investment grade’ category, on which borrowing costs and investor confidence depend. Over the summer, the credit rating agencies Fitch and Moody’s maintained Romania’s rating in the investment-grade category.

Warning. Mount Etna on the Italian island of Sicily remains active, causing disruption to air traffic, warns the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Italian authorities have extended the suspension of flights from Catania airport until midnight on Monday, and the resumption of air operations depends on the development of volcanic activity and weather conditions. Romanian citizens in difficulty can request assistance from the Consulate General in Catania, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs states.

Football. Romania’s national football team are playing Bosnia on Monday evening in Bucharest in another Group B4 Nations League match. The match will be played behind closed doors. On Friday, in their opening match, Romania lost 1–2,  away from home, to Sweden.  In the same group, Poland and Bosnia drew 0–0. The Romanian national team will play two more Nations League matches during this international break: against Poland on 2 October in Warsaw, and again against Sweden on 5 October in Bucharest.

Handball. Romania’s women’s national handball team finished third at the EHF EURO Cup 2026, after defeating Hungary 33–30 (16–16) on Sunday in the third-place play-off, held in Bucharest. Also on Sunday, Denmark beat Norway 34–30 in the match for the trophy. The five host nations of the 2026 EHF EURO – Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Turkey – did not compete in the qualifiers but took part in the EHF EURO Cup alongside Norway, Denmark and Hungary. (MI)