Romania has selected the Turkish Cobra II four-wheel-drive armored vehicle for the country’s land forces, ordering a total of 1,059 units, https://www.defensenews.com/ informs. Under the plan, the first 278 vehicles will be made in Turkey by manufacturer Otokar, and the remainder at a plant operated in Romania by local companies. The planned sale is estimated to be worth around RON 4.263 billion ($940 million), Otokar said in a statement. Romania’s Ministry of National Defence has tasked state-run defense company Romtehnica with carrying out the procurement. The latest development comes as Bucharest is advancing a number of major procurements for the nation’s land forces. These include the planned acquisitions of new tracked infantry fighting vehicles, tanks and wheeled self-propelled howitzers. Last June, Romania chose the K9 Thunder 155 mm tracked self-propelled howitzer for the country’s military, purchasing 54 howitzers from South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace. Alexandru Georgescu, a Bucharest-based security and defense analyst, told Defense News that, following long-standing public criticism, the Romanian ministry attaches great importance to foreign suppliers’ offers of cooperation with local defense plants. Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine is encouraging Bucharest to strengthen “the undersized and overall neglected Romanian defense industry,” Georgescu said. The Cobra II has a gross weight of up to 14.5 tons (31,967 lbs) and is powered by a turbo-charged diesel engine fitted with a 360 hp capacity. The vehicle can carry a total of 11 persons, including a driver and a commander, according to data from the Turkish manufacturer.
Romania’s modern retail market has surpassed 5 million square metres of leasable space for the first time, following the delivery of roughly 190,000 sqm in 2025, according to new data released by Colliers. Despite the milestone, consultants noted that Romania still trails regional peers in retail space per capita, signalling strong potential for further development. […]
Environment minister Diana Buzoianu said during an interview on Thursday, December 4, that she will not resign following the interruption of the drinking water supply in several localities in Prahova and Dâmboviţa counties, which has been affecting over 100,000 people, as well as hospitals and schools. She argued that the ministry she heads bears no […]
Romanians are preparing to spend more this Christmas compared with last year, according to a new Raiffeisen Bank study conducted in partnership with research platform Appinio. The survey showed that 65% of respondents expect higher holiday expenses in 2025, while 26% anticipate spending similar amounts to 2024. Half of those surveyed allocate between 25% and […]
Romania’s Electric Castle was named ‘International Festival of the Year’ at the 20th edition of the UK Festival Awards. The Romanian event triumphed over major international contenders, including Afro Nation (Portugal), Beyond The Valley (Australia), Open’er Festival (Poland), Sziget Festival (Hungary), and Way Out West (Sweden),
President Nicuşor Dan, on December 4, returned to Parliament amendments tightening Romania’s law against extremism, arguing that several provisions are vague and risk enabling abuses, according to a statement released by the Presidency. The Constitutional Court had previously upheld the amendments after the Presidency challenged them, prompting criticism from organisations within the Jewish community. By […]
Fitch Ratings on December 4 affirmed the long-term Issuer Default Rating (IDR) for Romania's largest lender, Banca Transilvania (BVB: TlV), at BBB- with a negative outlook, in line with the country's sovereign rating. The price of the bank's shares rose 1.2% on the day the rating agency announced its decision, bringing the bank's market capitalisation […]
