In the last 12 months, food prices in Romania increased by 5.8%, non-food goods by 5.5%, with the highest price increases seen in fish, beer, fresh fruits, and meat. Edible oil prices significantly decreased by 27.5%. Service charges for water, sewage, sanitation, postal services, and medical care saw some of the highest increases. Among non-food goods, detergents, medicines, and footwear topped the list of price hikes. The European Commission's forecast for 2024 predicted a 9.8% inflation rate for Romania in 2023, while the National Bank of Romania's latest estimate from the previous November expected a year-end inflation rate of 7.5% for 2023. Experts and financial institutions anticipate a decrease in the inflation rate for 2024, albeit at a slower pace than previously estimated due to new taxes and duties introduced at the end of 2023, which will also be reflected in prices.

Cătălin Cherecheş, former mayor of Baia Mare, Romania, was extradited from Germany to Romania to serve a five-year prison sentence for bribery. After his conviction on November 24, Cherecheș fled the country under a false identity but was apprehended by police in Augsburg. His lawyer, Răzvan Doseanu, stated that Cherecheș would undergo a 21-day quarantine at Rahova Penitentiary, followed by transfers to Aiuid and then Baia Mare. Legal proceedings, including an annulment contestation at the Cluj Court of Appeal, will continue. Cherecheș's escape led to the dismissal of the head of the Border Police, Victor Ştefan Ivaşcu. The Munich Regional Court decided on March 13 to extradite Cherecheș after his lawyers unsuccessfully attempted to halt the extradition, citing poor detention conditions in Romanian prisons.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is in Kyiv to announce the UK's largest delivery of drones to Ukraine, as part of a new military aid package. The UK government will also sign a historic security cooperation agreement with Ukraine, formalizing support including intelligence sharing, cybersecurity, medical and military training, and defense industry cooperation. Sunak has pledged to increase the UK's financial support to over $3 billion in the next fiscal year. The announcement comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky calls for more Western support against Russia, amid concerns of waning ally interest in the prolonged conflict. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has urged EU countries to step up their support, while US aid is uncertain due to internal political rivalries.

A significant prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia has been announced, with over 200 soldiers from each side to be released following negotiations mediated by the UAE. Nearly 100 people were killed in Iran during a commemoration ceremony for General Qassem Suleimani, with Iranian officials labeling the explosions as a terrorist attack. Tensions in the Middle East are escalating with various developments, including the killing of a high-ranking Hamas leader in Beirut, which has been condemned by Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah. The US, UK, and other countries have warned the Houthi rebels in Yemen of consequences for attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea. The situation has prompted a visit from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to the region. Additionally, the Romanian government has been criticized for discretionary allocation of funds and the blocking of hospital staff hiring, while nostalgia for Ceaușescu poses a challenge to democracy in Romania.

The European Commission's forecasts indicate that Romania's inflation rate will continue to decrease but will remain over 2% higher than the European Union average. Romania's economic growth is expected to surpass the EU average, with a projected GDP growth of 3.1% compared to the EU's 1.3%. Unemployment in Romania is predicted to fall below the EU average, while public debt is set to increase but remain significantly lower than the EU average at 49% of GDP compared to 85%. However, Romania's budget deficit is expected to be higher than the EU average.

A historic agreement on the reform of the EU's migration system was announced, concluding years of negotiations. The pact, proposed by the European Commission in September 2020, includes stricter controls on migrant arrivals, closed centers near borders for rapid return of non-asylum seekers, and a mandatory solidarity mechanism among member states. Human rights organizations criticized the reform, fearing it could lead to a poorly designed, costly, and harsh system. The political agreement must be officially approved by the European Council and the European Parliament, with the aim to adopt migration laws before the European elections in June 2024. The current EU faces a significant increase in irregular arrivals and asylum applications, with over 355,000 border crossings and an estimated one million asylum requests by the end of 2023.

Residents in Tulcea and Galați counties in Romania received a RO-Alert message warning them to take shelter due to indications of aerial attacks on Ukrainian territory near the Romanian border. No specific localities where the message was transmitted have been named, and no incidents have been reported in the targeted areas. The alert follows warnings from Ukrainian air forces about Russian-launched Shahed drones heading towards southern Odessa, near Romania. Romania plans to install Europe's most advanced anti-drone system at the border with Ukraine to protect against attacks from Russia. Four cases of Russian drones used against Ukraine landing in Romania have been documented, believed to be accidental with no intent to attack Romania. Monitoring in the drone incident areas has been intensified, with additional sensors installed and the Border Police taking similar measures. A crater from a presumed drone was found in Tulcea, and flight restrictions have been imposed in northern Dobrogea near the Ukraine border.

NATO condemned the Russian attack on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, while the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Russian ambassador to protest against a drone crash in Romania, which they consider a violation of international law and a war crime. The Ministry of National Defense reported unauthorized airspace penetration and found a crater from the drone crash. Ukrainian forces destroyed multiple drones in the Herson, Mykolaiv, and Odesa regions, with civilian damage and injuries reported. Russia also claimed to have downed hostile drones over Moscow.

Romanian teachers will receive a 13% salary increase from January 1st, with an additional 7% in June, according to a government ordinance draft. This is less than the 15% increase initially outlined in the Education Law. An earlier draft had proposed an even smaller increase of 8%, which the Ministry of Finance claimed was an error. Despite previous government promises that starting salaries for new teachers would reach the national average wage by 2024, current and projected salaries remain below this threshold. The government's failure to deliver on its promises and the inconsistency of unions in their negotiations have led to accusations of betrayal from protesters.

Public sector employees in Romania have initiated a series of protests over salary increases proposed in the 2024 budget. Police officers, healthcare workers, public health directorates, Ministry of Culture employees, Payment and Intervention Agency for Agriculture staff, National Institute of Statistics employees, and judicial clerks are expressing dissatisfaction with the planned 5% salary increase, demanding higher raises and equity. The protests come shortly before the government's approval of the state budget, which Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu says will include a 5% raise for all public sector workers, except dignitaries, and an increase in the minimum wage.

Florin Cîțu, former Prime Minister of Romania, is under criminal investigation for complicity in abuse of office with particularly serious consequences related to COVID-19 vaccine procurement. The National Anticorruption Directorate alleges that Cîțu approved the purchase of a significantly higher number of Pfizer and Moderna vaccine doses than necessary, without legal provisions or necessary analyses. Despite the accusations, Cîțu maintains that his actions were lawful. The case also implicates former Health Ministers Vlad Voiculescu and Ioana Mihăilă, with the Romanian President approving the start of their prosecution. The additional vaccines, which may have caused a state budget loss of 1 billion euros, were procured despite existing contracts being sufficient for the national vaccination campaign.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the nation on January 9, discussing Ukraine's defensive actions against Russian attacks and the international support for Kyiv. He confirmed that sanctions against Russia are effective, emphasized the need to block sanction evasion schemes, and discussed international measures against those aiding Russia. Zelensky thanked Romania and President Klaus Iohannis for their support and cooperation, particularly in the Danube region and Black Sea, and for backing Ukraine's EU integration. He also mentioned discussions with Polish President Andrzej Duda and other European leaders about Ukraine's peace formula ahead of the Davos meeting, which includes Russian withdrawal from occupied territories and accountability for Russian leaders.