October 11, 2026
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 11.10.2026, 13:55
Government. Luca Niculescu, the fourth prime minister-designate tasked with forming a new government in Bucharest, is due to hold further consultations on Monday with representatives of parliamentary parties to form the future government. Luca Niculescu will meet with the leaders of the USR (centre-right), representatives of the Parliamentary Group for National Minorities, and the leaders of the PACE – First Romania Group (sovereignist). The prime minister-designate has already held meetings with the leadership of the PSD, PNL and UDMR. Social Democrat leader Sorin Grindeanu stated that his party supports the re-establishment of a stable majority alongside the PNL and UDMR and is prepared to assume the responsibility of governing. The current interim Prime Minister and Liberal Party leader, Ilie Bolojan, replied that Romania needs a functioning government, but that the PNL’s refusal to govern with the PSD is not a matter of pride or political calculation, but rather stems from the lesson the Liberals have learnt over the past year. The PNL-USR-UDMR government led by Ilie Bolojan was dismissed on 5 May following a motion of no confidence passed by the PSD, its former coalition partner, and the AUR (the nationalist opposition).
ECOFIN. Romania is calling for the integration of European capital markets to facilitate Romanian companies’ access to finance and to take into account the specific characteristics of smaller, developing markets. The Acting Minister of Finance, Alexandru Nazare, announced that he had presented this position at the ECOFIN meeting in Luxembourg, as part of the negotiations on the European package for the integration and supervision of capital markets. He stated that Romania had secured greater powers for national supervisory authorities, access to information on cross-border transactions by Romanian investors, and simpler rules for cross-border activity. Nazare emphasised that the aim is to attract a greater volume of private capital so that Romanian firms can more easily finance their investments and expansion into foreign markets.
Budget. Ambassadors from European Union member states are today discussing an 8 per cent cut to the future multiannual budget proposed by the Commission, ahead of its debate at the European summit in the coming days. The figure was put forward by the Irish Presidency of the EU as a compromise between the so-called ‘fiscal-discipline’ states, led by Germany, which are calling for a more drastic cut in spending, and the group of countries led by Italy – which includes Romania – which want to protect funding for farmers and disadvantaged regions. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Brussels, even with this cut, the budget would still be around 30 per cent higher than the current one. The smallest cut of 3 per cent is earmarked for cohesion policy, agriculture and fisheries, which together would receive 914 billion euros. In contrast, funding for competitiveness, research and defence would fall by 13 per cent, to 456 billion euros. The Irish Presidency also includes a package of new own resources, estimated to contribute 55 billion euros annually to the European budget. The adoption of the multiannual budget requires the unanimous agreement of the 27 Member States and, subsequently, the approval of the European Parliament.
Exercise. A NATO exercise, led by the Multinational Corps Southeast Command based in Romania, is currently taking place at the Cincu training centre (centre) and at other locations across the country. “Carpathian Arc 2026” is a multinational military exercise running until 14 October, in which the Brigade Forward Command Element is participating as a secondary training target, reinforced by French units. The event is in line with the decisions adopted at the 2022 NATO summit in Madrid, which led to the strengthening of the Alliance’s deterrence and defence posture by developing the capability of multinational battlegroups on the eastern flank to be scaled up to brigade level when and where necessary. France is contributing to this effort by deploying rapid-reaction capabilities, including additional forces in support of the NATO Battle Group in Romania. Beyond its operational dimension, this exercise also provides an opportunity to assess the activities of the Brigade Forward Command Element over the past calendar year.
Marathon. Over 12,500 runners from more than 50 countries are taking part in the 19th edition of the Bucharest International Marathon this weekend. Organised by the Bucharest Running Club, the event transforms the capital into a key destination on the map of major running competitions. Besides the sporting aspect, the competition also has a charitable element, supporting 13 social causes. (MI)
