Dacian Ciolos announced on Monday that he was resigning as Save Romania Union (USR) Chairman and mentioned he was not considering a new candidacy at the next congress of the party."I thought natural and commonsensical to tender my resignation, because the sense for which I ran for the party chairmanship was to contribute to the party modernising - which I think this party needs after the merger - and for this thing to happen I also needed the support and complicity of the National Bureau. My belief is that USR is still an alternative on the political stage of Romania, an alternative to extremism. (...) I shall no longer run for chairman. It makes no sense," Ciolos showed, in a press conference at the party headquarters.Ciolos brought to mind that before the USR Congress of 2021 he proposed Dan Barna that neither of them ran for chairman of the party, in order to create the context of a "renewal" inside the political formation."Here we are, unfortunately, we have reached the same situation, but with a few months' delay. I hope once more that my colleagues have the wisdom and together we have the wisdom to overcome this moment, for USR to become what we all wish for," he said.On the other hand, Ciolos said he had repeatedly been confronted with an 11 to 14 vote in the National Bureau, which showed a fissure in the party."It is not strength that I lacked, but the confidence that we could collaborate together. Power mustn't be concentrated in one single man. And, inside the USR, I don't believe there is anyone who can manage, any man, even from the outside, to concentrate power and carry the party in one direction all by oneself. However, without the confidence that we can collaborate with one another and have common interests, without that confidence (...) it will be tough. When you constantly have a 14 to 11 vote in the National Bureau, it shows that there is a fissure which is hard to overcome. I hope my colleagues can overcome it," said Ciolos.He mentioned that through the project he proposed to the Standing Bureau he endorsed an openness of the party to the business environment and the civil society. At the same time, he highlighted that he would remain a member of the USR."I remain a party member and I will further seek, along with the other colleagues who believe that this party, in order to have a future, needs renewal, reconnection to the society, needs the courage to admit its limits that must be overcome in the coming period," Ciolos also said.According to him, the interim leadership of the party would be ensured by Catalin Drula, the deputy chair who garnered the highest number of votes in the National Bureau. Nonetheless Ciolos said that the party should start debating on a modification of the statutes."I don't believe that 'business as usual' is still a solution for the USR. (...) I believe the USR still has ahead a period of time in which it will have to learn the lessons of the participation in the governing act, of what happened in the political crisis that we knew at the end of last year, and provide a new platform for what will happen in 2024," Ciolos said.
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 […]
