The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, ordered the summoning of the ambassador of the Republic of Austria in Bucharest, on Thursday evening, to the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE), in order to inform her of Romania's position regarding the accession to the Schengen area and the protest of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs towards the unjustified and unfriendly attitude of Austria, "which will produce inevitable consequences on bilateral relations"."The Austrian ambassador was told that Vienna's negative vote is all the more surprising in the context of the existence of long diplomatic relations, with a tradition of over 100 years, between our countries, as well as substantial bilateral cooperation, especially in the economic field - Austria being one of the most important economic partners of Romania and the second foreign investor on the Romanian market. Equally, the Romanian-Austrian collaboration at the regional and European level, as well as the close coordination in files of common interest at the international level should have weighed considerably in Austria's voting decision", the MAE announced in a release sent on Thursday evening.Also, the ambassador was sent the firm protest against the accusations expressed by the Austrian authorities regarding the so-called pressure on Austrian companies, statements that are inadmissible, not being in accordance with reality."Furthermore, the MAE will remain fully engaged, together with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the other Romanian institutions involved, to achieve the objective of Romania's accession to the Schengen area, as an essential part of strengthening the internal security of the European Union as a whole. The MAE recalls the fact that in all during this period, the Romanian side acted firmly, through concrete and complex steps, successfully managing to remove the objections of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Sweden. In this context, it must be emphasized that the vote of the Netherlands in the JHA Council on December 8 was not given against Romania, as was clearly mentioned by the Dutch side during the meeting", the release added.At the same time, the MAE expresses its special appreciation for the support Romania received from the Czech Presidency of the EU Council, the European Commission and the European Parliament, all European partners, as well as cooperation partners from our country who supported Romania's approach.
Romanian deep-tech startup .lumen, the developer of what it says are the world’s first AI-powered glasses for the blind, has secured a new investment from EIT Urban Mobility, the European innovation community focused on advancing sustainable and inclusive urban mobility solutions. The value of the new funding round was not disclosed. The investment aligns with […]
The health spending per capita in Romania was the lowest in the EU, with spending less than half the EU average in 2023, the recently released report, State of Health in the EU - Romania Country Health Profile 2025, shows. At the same time, life expectancy in Romania is 5.1 years below the EU average, […]
Romania’s annual inflation rate stood at roughly 9.8% in November 2025, similar to October, according to data published by the National Institute of Statistics (INS). Food prices increased by 7.6% last month, while services rose roughly 11% and non-food goods climbed 10.7%. The consumer price index rose by 0.42% in November compared with October, while […]
Three French soldiers deployed in Romania as part of NATO’s Multinational Battle Group at Cincu intervened to save a truck driver following a serious traffic accident on the A3 Bucharest–Ploiești motorway, the Romanian Ministry of Defense said. The incident occurred earlier this week as the soldiers were traveling toward Ploiești and witnessed the truck crash...
Eight contemporary art galleries will present the works of the artists they represent at the third edition of the Smallest Art Fair in Town, an event dedicated to works on paper. This edition showcases works “investigating the state of wandering, disorientation, and rediscovery in the face of uncertainty.” Under the title In Dark Woods, A […]
Parents everywhere are asking an important question: What skills will truly prepare a child for a world defined by rapid change, global uncertainty, and the rise of artificial intelligence? For decades, schools focused entirely on academics. Today, research from neuroscience, performance psychology, and leading universities shows a different reality: The students who thrive long-term are […]
