October 23, 2026 UPDATE
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 23.10.2026, 20:02
SHIP 9 sailors have been rescued after the naval incident that occurred in the Black Sea on Friday, when a commercial ship under a foreign flag was hit by drones. According to Romania’s Naval Authorities, out of the 13 crew members, 10 Ukrainians and 3 Azeri nationals, one lost his life, while three others have been reported missing. The Khoryv, which was sailing under a Comorian flag and eventually sank, was struck 13 nautical miles off the Romanian port of Constanta. In a message on a social network, the Romanian Foreign Minister, Dan Neculaescu, said that Russia’s illegal aggression war against Ukraine escalates and this directly impacts commercial maritime transportation on the Black Sea. The European Commission Chief, Ursula von der Leyen says that ‘she is deeply alarmed by yet another Russian escalation in the Black Sea. “These reckless attacks target innocent lives and openly defy international law,” the EU official said. The incident is part of a series of attacks, which have in the past weeks targeted commercial ships in the Black Sea.
PNRR Romania’s Prime Minister, Luca Niculescu, has called on the ministries involved to step up efforts for the last payments in the National Plan of Recovery and Resilience known as PNRR. During the meeting with the representatives of the field ministries on Friday, emphasis was laid on assessing the payment requests 5 and 6, on setting measures aimed at speeding up their assessment as well as solving the technical and legislative issues identified in relation with the European Commission. “Attracting funds from the PNRR remains a top priority; every milestone met representing direct investment in hospitals, schools, kindergartens and modern infrastructure networks for the citizens. Romania’s economy is in dire need of European money. We must rapidly complete absorption procedures for the PNRR funds”, Niculescu said. Romania has so far got about 13.3 billion Euros through the PNRR, which accounts for 66% of the sum allotted upon the plan’s negotiation.
INTERVIEW In an interview to Bloomberg, Romania’s President, Nicușor Dan said that Russia is attempting to escalate the war in Ukraine and provoke European nations especially through drone attacks, including in the Black Sea region. According to the President, Romania has ordered defense capabilities through the European SAFE program and has requested temporary equipment from allies until the ordered assets are delivered and operational. Nicușor Dan has pointed out that Romania has once again requested temporary capabilities within the NATO framework and has secured support. These remarks come against the backdrop of a resolution adopted by the European Parliament on Thursday, which calls on the Union to consider launching a naval operation in the Black Sea. Meanwhile, in Bucharest, the Supreme Council of National Defense (CSAT) discussed the measures required to further strengthen national surveillance, prevention, and response capabilities, aimed at defending territorial waters and critical infrastructure, as well as ensuring the security of commercial shipping.
FORUM “Romania needs the competences the Romanians living and studying abroad have developed” – Romanian President Nicusor Dan said in the opening of the Forum of the Romanian Youth Everywhere presently underway in Bucharest at its sixth edition. For six days, over 150 young people from Romania and the Diaspora are participating in activities dedicated to identifying concrete solutions to their problems. On Saturday and Sunday the participants will be attending training sessions in the field of public policies and advocacy and will work in teams to develop concrete proposals to topics relevant for the young generation, ranging from education to labour market and justice.
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