January 24, 2026 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 24.01.2026, 18:30

Celebration. Romanian President Nicușor Dan participated on Saturday in the events dedicated to the 167th anniversary of the Union of the Romanian Principalities, held in Focșani (east). He visited the “Unirea” National College, where he decorated the educational institution on its 160th anniversary. The head of state then traveled to Iași (northeast), where he attended the events organized in the city’s Unirii Square, alongside Defense Minister Radu Miruță and Chief of Defense Staff General Gheorghiță Vlad. The Ministry of National Defense, together with local authorities, organized military and religious ceremonies in several cities across the country. January 24, 1859, is the moment when Romanians, with the support of France, decided to unite Moldavia and Wallachia in a favorable external context, after Russia lost the Crimean War. The generation of 1848 opted for Romania’s orientation towards the West, and Romanians elected Alexandru Ioan Cuza, first on January 5 in Iaşi, as ruler of Moldavia, and then on January 24 in Bucharest, as ruler of Wallachia. The political will of the principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia to unite represented the first step in the creation of the modern Romanian unitary state. International recognition of the Union and the measures adopted in the following years led to Romania’s independence in 1877-1878 and the fulfillment of the national ideal of uniting all Romanians in 1918.

Government. The government in Bucharest wants to take responsibility in Parliament for reforming local and central public administration, together with economic recovery measures, before February 1, Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan said. The administration reform corrects budgetary imbalances, stimulates performance, and decentralizes decisions to local authorities, he explained. In an interview with Radio Romania, the prime minister said that, regardless of what happens in the coming period, the budget should be adopted as quickly as possible under normal conditions, and an important component will focus on investments. The head of government said that Romania’s GDP in 2026 could exceed 2 trillion lei (about 400 billion euros), the deficit could approach 6%, and inflation could be just over 4%. Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan also said that the budget has not been adopted yet because the package on administrative reform did not have the support of all parties in the governing coalition (PSD, PNL, USR, and UDMR).

Brussels. The European External Action Service, the EU’s diplomatic service, has raised questions about the broad powers of US President Donald Trump in his new Board of Peace, according to Reuters. The White House chief has urged world leaders to join his initiative, the Board of Peace, which aims to resolve conflicts globally. The Boards’ charter “raises a concern under the EU’s constitutional principles,” and “the autonomy of the EU’s legal order also militates against a concentration of powers in the hands of the chairman,” the bloc’s diplomatic arm said. The new board, recently launched by the US president, is chaired for life by Donald Trump and is set to start by addressing the conflict in Gaza, then expand its remit to deal with other conflicts. Member states are limited to three-year terms, unless they each pay 1 billion USD to finance the board’s activities and obtain permanent membership. Several EU member states, including France and Spain, have announced that they will not join. Hungary and Bulgaria, on the other hand, have signed the founding “Charter” of the Board of Peace, agreeing to pay one billion dollars. In Romania, President Nicușor Dan has announced that he is analyzing the proposal. So far, 35 countries, including Israel, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, have agreed to join the Board.
Negotiations. On Saturday, the tripartite peace talks between the United States, Ukraine, and Russia ended in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates. According to Reuters, there were two days of closed-door discussions. The main disagreement concerns the Kremlin’s territorial claims, which Kyiv has vehemently rejected. Ahead of the talks, Russia had reiterated that without a withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Donbas, there’s no chance for peace. Ukraine is under pressure from the United States to accept territorial concessions. On Friday night, Russia launched one of the most devastating attacks of the year on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, leaving millions of people without power and heating in the freezing winter.

Defense. The United States will remain a key NATO ally and partner of Europe, but will prioritize domestic defense and deterrence against China, according to President Donald Trump’s new national defense strategy. In Europe and other regions, allies are expected to take the lead against threats that are more severe to them than to the US, with what the strategy calls ‘critical but more limited support from the United States’. The Department of Defense announced that the main objective of the US military is ‘the American homeland’ and the Western Hemisphere. The second priority is China, which was characterized in the 2022 report as the US’s most important strategic competitor, partly due to Beijing’s territorial claims in the South China Sea and its aggressive behavior toward Washington’s allies. The Pentagon’s third priority is to increase burden-sharing among allies, including Canada and Mexico in the Western Hemisphere and Europeans on their continent. The fourth priority is to rebuild the defense industrial base. As for Russia, it is described as a ‘persistent but manageable threat to NATO’s eastern members for the foreseeable future. The war in Ukraine must end, but this is primarily Europe’s responsibility. According to the Pentagon, Israel is a model ally, and North Korea remains a direct military threat to South Korea and Japan, both of which are treaty allies of the US.

Book Fair. Until February 3rd, Romania is participating, as a guest of honor, in the 57th edition of the Cairo Book Fair, the most important event of its kind in the Arab world and Africa, thus marking 120 years of diplomatic relations with Egypt. The agenda includes approximately 30 events and brings together over 60 guests from Romania and abroad, authors, publishers, translators, and professionals in the cultural field. Romania’s presence is built around a comprehensive and diverse program that highlights contemporary literature, cultural dialogue, translation, academic research, cultural diplomacy, heritage, and education, bringing together authors, researchers, translators, publishers, artists, and cultural professionals from Romania and Egypt, along with diplomats, former diplomats, and Romanian academic figures. In this context, Romanian Minister of Culture Demeter Andras met with his Egyptian counterpart Ahmed Hanno in Cairo, and the two officials agreed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding on cultural cooperation between the two ministries. At the same time, Egyptian Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly visited Romania’s stand at the Cairo International Book Fair on Wednesday.

Survey. Seven out of ten Romanians believe that the country is heading in the wrong direction, according to the latest Informat.ro – INSCOP Research Barometer. According to the sociological research, over 22% of respondents believe that things in Romania are heading in the right direction, while 7% do not know or did not respond. The survey also shows that young people under 30, people with higher education, and residents of Bucharest and other large cities are particularly optimistic about the direction the country is taking. People over 60, those with primary education, and rural residents are the most pessimistic about the direction the country is taking. The data was collected between January 12 and 15, 2026, using a questionnaire-based interview method. (MI)