March 18, UPDATE (I)
The latest from domestic and world news
Newsroom, 18.03.2026, 20:00
Budget. Parliamentary debates on the 2026 budget bill were suspended on Wednesday evening, with no date set for their resumption. The discussions took place in a tense atmosphere. Throughout the day, there were numerous moments when deputies and senators exchanged sharp remarks and accusations. The disagreements stemmed mainly from amendments proposed by the PSD, which insists on including aid for vulnerable groups amounting to 1.1 billion lei in this year’s solidarity package. In the end, no solution was found to break the deadlock. Consequently, proceedings were suspended until the leaders of the governing coalition reach a consensus. In a statement, the PSD says that it will see through the proposed measures for children with disabilities and pensioners and that it will not yield to the blackmail of the new USR-PNL-AUR-POT majority, created ad hoc in Parliament. On the other hand, the USR and PNL are calling on their coalition partners in the PSD to drop the threat of blocking the vote on the state budget law and to act in the interest of citizens, because otherwise Romania will enter a functional vacuum. From the opposition, AUR insists that the pension law be applied uniformly and says it will not vote for aid. The Bucharest press describes as a failure of the four-party government—declared pro-Western, comprising PSD-PNL-USR-UDMR—the fact that Romania entered the second half of March without a state budget for 2026.
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.
Talks. Romania’s President Nicusor Dan will have 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 defense 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 defense 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 reiterate 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.
Iran. Romania’s Foreign Minister Oana Toiu has stated 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 end with 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 Organization, 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.
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. In this context, the Federation of Romanian Transport Operators has put forward a series of proposals to stabilize the fuel market and support transporters. It calls for the elimination of the additional turnover tax imposed on companies selling fuel, the capping of the markup—which varies among producers, distributors, and the final retailer—and, as a last resort, the capping of the final price at gas stations.
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.
Accident. The Romanian tugboat Astana sank on Wednesday morning in the Port of Midia on the Black Sea. The vessel was assisting with unloading operations for an oil tanker flying the Marshall Islands flag. The tugboat had five people on board, all of Romanian nationality. One, brought ashore, died despite resuscitation efforts. The other four sailors are missing, and the Romanian Navy has joined the search and rescue operations. Authorities have opened a criminal investigation to determine the causes and circumstances of the accident. (MI)
