March 18, 2026
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 18.03.2026, 13:55
MEMORANDUM Romania has concluded a memorandum of understanding with China on cooperation in the field of agriculture. The aforementioned document is setting the framework for cooperation in fields such as food security, investment, the processing of agrifood produce, research and innovation as well as the exchange of modern technologies, opening a series of opportunities of accessing foreign markets. Romania’s Agriculture Minister, Florin Barbu, has announced on a social network the completion of technical details for three sectoral protocols on the export of heat-treated chicken meat, dairy products and fish. He also said that talks on extending the exports of cereals and pork products are in an advanced stage. The memorandum is valid for five years and can be extended.
TALKS Romania’s President Nicusor Dan will be having talks with the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance, Mark Rutte, at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on Thursday. According to the presidential administration in Bucharest, the agenda will include the latest developments in the international security context and in the Eastern Flank with emphasis on the Black Sea region. Also high on the agenda are measures of consolidating deterrence and the collective defence as well as increasing Romania’s security within and with NATO’s support. President Dan is expected to highlight the importance of the transatlantic relationship reconfirming Romania’s role as a staunch ally involved in the regional security and stability – the same sources say. Nicusor Dan will recall that Romania is meeting the commitments assumed at the NATO summit in the Hague on raising expenses in the defence sector and will highlight the multi-dimensional assistance for Ukraine, after the Russian invasion. At the same time, the head of the Romanian state will recall the need for strengthening NATO support for partner countries, especially for the ex-soviet Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova, a country, which has seen a series of hybrid actions mounted by Moscow.
FUEL Romania’s Energy Minister, Bogdan Ivan, says that Romania has enough fuel stored and there will not be disruptions in the supply chain that may lead to uncontrolled spikes in fuel prices against the background of the Middle East crisis. He added that the ministry he heads has worked on a law, which would enable the government to instate a fuel crisis situation, so that it may intervene on the market when needed. The minister has recalled an agreement in principle in the ruling coalition under which the government could intervene on the fuel market and make moves to prevent any price hikes if the international situation worsened.
BUDGET Romania’s MPs from the budget-finance Parliament committees have today resumed debates on the law of the state budget this year. A final report is expected to be completed at the end of the talks which will be submitted to the Legislature in the afternoon. On Tuesday, the ruling PSD party managed, with support from the populist AUR, to impose several amendments, which change some of the figures, a move that triggered discontent in their coalition partners, PNL. One of the amendments is focusing on granting support to retired servicemen from the army and the Interior Ministry with small incomes. The funds identified by the Social-Democrats would come from the rising fuel prices and the recovery of the budget debts of some companies. The Liberal Finance Minister, Alexandru Nazare, has pointed out that these funding sources are uncertain and there is actually no money for the PSD amendments.
IRAN Romania’s Foreign Minister, Oana Toiu on Wednesday said there are no direct threats from Iran and the Romanians can feel safe again. According to the minister, the talks between the press and the spokesperson of the Iranian Foreign Ministry didn’t have as answer the idea of military retaliation. They explicitly referred to consequences of political or legal nature, which translates into a further round of talks within the United Nations Organisation, Oana Toiu went on to say. She said the Romanian ambassador to Iran went back home but there is still Romanian diplomatic personnel in that country to stay close to the Romanians there. We recall that the Foreign Ministry says that Romania is not part of the Middle East conflict after Iran said that Bucharest might respond legally and politically for having allowed the United States to use bases on its territory for operations against Iran.
NADIA Romania’s greatest gymnastic champion, Nadia Comaneci, was celebrated in Brussels on the occasion of marking 50 years since she was awarded the first ever perfect 10 in the history of gymnastics at the Montreal Olympics. On this occasion, Nadia said that her participation in the conference entitled “European Values and Excellence, The legacy of Nadia Comaneci, 50 years on” was for her as if she were competing on a fifth gymnastics apparatus. In Brussels, Nadia was accompanied by the president of the Romanian Olympic Committee, Mihai Covaliu, and by other great Romanian athletes as well as by a group of young gymnastics talents from the CSM Onesti sports club, in eastern Romania.
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