February 19, 2026
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 19.02.2026, 13:55
BOARD OF PEACE President Nicușor Dan represents Romania today in Washington at the first meeting of the Board of Peace, established by the US president Donald Trump as part of his peace plan for Gaza. The White House announced that officials from over 20 countries attend the meeting. According to press secretary Karoline Leavitt, member states have pledged over USD 5 billion for reconstruction and humanitarian efforts in the Palestinian enclave and will provide thousands of troops for an international stabilisation force. Traditional Western allies of the United States have been reluctant to join the new Board, given the risk that this structure could replace the United Nations in tackling global conflicts. From the European Union, Hungary and Bulgaria are the only countries that have signed the Charter to join the organisation. Israel, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Belarus have also expressed support and become member countries. President Nicuşor Dan said Romania will only be an observer to the proceedings.
PENSIONS The Romanian government plans to eliminate other special pensions, after the Constitutional Court upheld the bill reforming the magistrate pension system. PM Ilie Bolojan announced that all systems that allow retirement at 50-52 years of age and where pension benefits are equal to the last salary must be corrected. He explained that next month the Cabinet would come up with draft laws to implement these principles. The Prime Minister added that this concerns staff in defence, security and public order, but emphasised that in all cases there will be a transitional period so as not to cause shocks in the system. Exemptions would also be in place for those who work in difficult conditions. On Wednesday, after several postponements, the Constitutional Court ruled that the bill regarding the magistrate pension reform is constitutional. The draft legislation, which increases the retirement age of judges and prosecutors and reduces the amount of their pension benefits, is next to be signed into law by the president.
ADMINISTRATION The development ministry has posted for public review a draft emergency order concerning the administration reform. The document includes the provisions agreed on by the ruling coalition parties and finalised in a meeting earlier this week: a 10% cut in local public administration jobs and the same percentage in personnel expenses in central administration. Education and culture, public hospitals and the ambulance service, the defence sector, public order and national security are exempt from personnel cuts. Measures are however stipulated for these institutions, depending on the specifics of each sector, including increasing the retirement age for the military, reducing Ph.D. bonuses in education, performance-based pay in healthcare and a new hospital classification system. According to the minister of development Cseke Attila, the goal is a more flexible and efficient public administration, decentralisation and financial sustainability for local public authorities.
BRANCUSI The “Constantin Brâncuşi Year” officially opened in Romania on February 19, exactly 150 years after the birth of the artist widely acknowledged as the father of modern sculpture. Many events, exhibitions and concerts reflecting Brâncuşi’s thinking and spiritual legacy have been announced. They began at the “Constantin Brâncuşi” University in Târgu Jiu, with a national symposium on “Brâncuşi, always contemporary”. Also in Târgu Jiu until May 19 the public will be able to admire an exhibition of works by celebrated names of modern art, such as Salvador Dalí and Pablo Picasso. An awards ceremony of the sculpture department of the Fine Artists Union is to take place in Bucharest. Events dedicated to Constantin Brâncuşi will continue throughout the year, both in the country and abroad.
ECONOMY Romania’s PM Ilie Bolojan today met with officers of the Moody’s rating agency, and explained that the draft budget for 2026 aims at a deficit target of 6.2% of GDP. He said this threshold may be reached while keeping the high level of investments, especially using funds from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The Romanian PM listed measures to keep public spending in check, and also mentioned that this year the government will focus on consolidation and economic growth. The meeting with Moody’s took place in a delicate economic and financial context. Romania’s governmental debt went over 60% of the Gross Domestic Product for the first time and, according to data from the National Statistics Institute, the country has slipped into technical recession. Moody’s makes regular assessments of developments in Romania.
WEATHER The situation is returning to normal in the eastern half of Romania, after the snowfalls and blizzards on Tuesday and Wednesday. Over 170 localities in 23 counties and the capital city Bucharest were affected. Hundreds of trees and scores of electricity poles fell, over 10,000 homes were left without electricity, and some schools still have online classes today or have suspended classes. Passenger trains have been canceled, and others have delays of up to 6 hours. On the other hand, traffic has resumed under normal conditions on all motorways. Romania faced one of the most severe winter episodes this season, with a code red alert for snowfall in Bucharest and the neighboring Ilfov County on Wednesday morning. Bucharest saw the worst snowfalls in over 18 years, with the snow layer reaching almost half a meter. (AMP)
