March 18, 2026 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 18.03.2026, 18:00
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.
Finances. There is no risk that the government’s current payments of pensions and salaries will be suspended, Romanian Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare has assured the public. This statement comes amid reports that, at recent meetings, the ministry has rejected all loan offers submitted by commercial banks. Nazare explained the decision by citing the worsening of financing conditions following the outbreak of war in the Middle East. The finance minister also said that the 4.7 billion euros the government borrowed from foreign markets three days before the conflict began covers approximately half of the external financing needed for 2026. Romania uses the money it obtains from banks, through bonds and treasury bills, to finance the deficit and cover current expenditures when it does not collect enough from taxes and duties.
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.
Program. The Polytechnic University of Timişoara has launched, as a national first, a degree program in drones and applied computer science in the field of aeronautics. The new specialization will be taught in English and aims to train engineers capable of designing and operating drones and autonomous aerial systems using modern technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning. University representatives say that the establishment of this program is part of a broader strategy to transform Timişoara (in western Romania) into a regional hub for technological innovation.
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.
