Romania has suspended its voluntary payments to the United Nations' Palestinian aid agency (UNRWA), the foreign ministry (MAE) said on Monday, joining a series of countries to do so pending a full investigation into accusations that its employees were involved in the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, Reuters correspondent reports. "We express our full confidence that the U.N. investigation will clarify the situation as soon as possible," the ministry said. "Until the investigation is concluded, the ministry will ... not make any new voluntary contributions to UNRWA." MAE also said it welcomes the swift response of UNRWA leadership to immediately terminate the contracts of the individuals concerned. It went on to express full confidence that the UN investigations will clarify the situation. “Until the conclusion of the investigation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will not launch procedures for new voluntary contributions to UNRWA. The needs of Palestinian civilians will continue to be a priority for Romania, and we will maintain our coordination with our partners, including at the European level,” the statement added. The decision comes after a shocking revelation that agency staff were allegedly involved in the attacks on Israel. "The Israeli authorities have provided UNRWA with information about the alleged involvement of several UNRWA employees in the horrific attacks in Israel on October 7," said Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA's Commissioner-General. Following these allegations, ten other countries have announced so far that they are suspending funding for the UN agency. The United States immediately announced on Friday the temporary cessation of any future financial contributions to UNRWA. Similar decisions were then taken by Canada, Australia, Italy, the United Kingdom, Finland, the Netherlands, and Germany. The agency announced that it had dismissed 12 employees, according to the United States. In 2022, funds from the UN budget and contributions from other UN entities to the agency amounted to USD 44.6 million. The EU is demanding an “urgent” audit of the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA and says it is reviewing funding, following Israeli allegations that some staff participated in Hamas’s October 7 attack. The audit should be led by European Commission-appointed experts and be conducted alongside a UN investigation into the claims, commission spokesman Eric Mamer tells journalists. The EU was the agency’s third largest funder in 2022, behind the US and Germany, which have already announced funding freezes.
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 […]
