At the informal meeting of EU foreign ministers (Gymnich) in Toledo on August 31, Foreign Minister Luminita Odobescu referenced Russia's attacks this summer in the immediate vicinity of the Romanian border, on the Ukrainian Danube ports of Reni and Ismail, the Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a release.Odobescu "highlighted the need for an integrated approach to the Black Sea that would also include ensuring the resilience of the Republic of Moldova, a state severely affected by the consequences of the war".During debates on Russia's aggression against Ukraine, the Romanian top diplomat reiterated the continuation of the multidimensional support for Ukraine. Regarding EU's military support, she emphasized the importance of quickly reaching a political agreement on the eighth installment of the European Peace Facility. Also, the Romanian foreign minister expressed support for the consolidation of the EU Military Assistance Mission for Ukraine (EUMAM).Regarding the EU's long-term security commitments, Luminita Odobescu emphasized the need for flexibility and predictability of EU assistance to Ukraine and welcomed the future directions of action and the support for the creation of a special fund dedicated to Ukraine by a top-up of the European Peace Facility; discussions will continue to clarify the technical and implementation aspects.In preparation for the high-level week of the UN General Assembly in September, the European ministers looked at ways to sync their diplomatic efforts at global level. The Romanian minister expressed full support for the ten-point peace formula proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and emphasized the importance of building arguments in dialogue with third countries based on the UN Charter and international law.During the informal exchange of views with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Luminita Odobescu presented the European partners the latest measures taken by Romania as part of its multidimensional support for Ukraine, with an emphasis on our country's efforts to develop existing capacities and corridors so as to double the transit of Ukrainian grain through Romania from the current 2 million tons per month to 4 million tons per month. The Romanian official informed that up until now, more than 22.5 million tons of Ukrainian grain and goods have been exported with Romania's assistance.The European foreign ministers had informal talks with Nigerian Foreign Minister Hassoumi Massoudou, and President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Omar Touray.The European top diplomats looked at the situation in Niger following the July 26 coup and the seizure of power by the military junta led by General Abdourahmane Tchiani, seeking to define a coordinated EU response to the current crisis.The Romanian official strongly condemned the coup d'état in Niger, which is damaging regional stability and the humanitarian situation in this state, and called for the return to constitutional order. Odobescu voiced support for ECOWAS efforts to manage the crisis and for coordination with "like-minded" partners, expressing concern for the humanitarian and security situation and reiterating Romania's commitment to ensuring security in the Sahel region and to participating in the EU Capacity Building Mission Sahel Niger (EUCAP Sahel Niger) and the EU Military Partnership Mission Niger (EUMPM Niger), both of which have temporarily suspended their activity and limited their presence following developments in the field.
The Praid Salt Mine, in central Romania, is still closed to tourists due to the flooding that took place following last week’s rains. Salt extraction activities are also halted due to the risk of collapse, while efforts are underway to remove the water accumulations. The management announced last week that the salt mine is temporarily […]
Romania’s Competition Council has approved the acquisition of Karamolegos Bakery Romania by Vel Pitar, a company fully owned by global bakery group Bimbo, the authority announced on May 12. Karamolegos Bakery Romania is involved in the production and sale of packaged bread under brands such as KB Toast, KB Selected, and Mândra. It also supplies […]
The National Bank of Romania (BNR) probably spent/sold EUR 6 billion of its foreign exchange reserves to prop up the local currency (leu) last week after the victory of far-right presidential candidate George Simion in the first round of elections, which led to the collapse of the government, according to an analysis by Austrian bank […]
Romania’s foreign trade deficit (goods) widened by 27% y/y to EUR 8.45 billion in Q1, according to data published by the statistics office INS. Exports rose by 2.7% y/y while imports surged by 8.1% y/y. Romania’s deficit in foreign trade in goods has reached EUR 35.2 billion in the four quarters to March 2025, or […]
Romania’s Treasury has launched new issues of government bonds under the Tezaur and Fidelis schemes, paying yields of 6.75% (1-year) to 7.8% (5-year) for the local currency debt and up to 6.25% (7-year) for euros. After the Treasury raised RON 21.4 billion (EUR 4 billion) under the two schemes year to date, the households’ demand […]
Romania’s Treasury on May 12 placed RON 540 million (EUR 100 million) of Government bonds on the domestic market at an average yield of 8.45% by reopening an issue that matures at the end of July 2026, according to the National Bank (BNR). The yield is 1.5 percentage points up from roughly two weeks earlier, […]
