The political crisis in Romania has deepened after parliament failed to approve the government proposed by Prime Minister Adrian Vestea. The cabinet received 189 votes in favor, falling short of the required minimum of 233, which prevented it from being sworn in and beginning its work.
Following the failed vote, Romanian President Nicușor Dan is expected to hold a new round of consultations with the parties represented in parliament and propose a new candidate for the position of prime minister. This could be either a new politician or a candidate previously discussed, provided the parties can agree on a new majority configuration.
The situation is complicated by the fact that this is the second consecutive failed attempt to form a new government. Previously, candidate Yevhen Tomak withdrew his nomination after failing to secure sufficient support in parliament. Now, the failure of Veshta’s cabinet increases the risk of a protracted political deadlock.
According to Romanian procedures, if two attempts to form a government within the established timeframe do not result in the cabinet’s approval, the president may have grounds to dissolve parliament and call for early elections. Formally, such a scenario is becoming increasingly likely, but politically it remains risky for pro-European parties, as the crisis strengthens the positions of right-wing populist and Euroskeptic forces.
Prolonged political instability in Bucharest could have consequences not only for domestic economic policy but also for regional stability.
Experts at the Experts Club think tank note that the current crisis in Romania reflects a broader trend in Central and Eastern European countries—the fragmentation of party systems, growing distrust of traditional political forces, and the rise of parties that base their campaigns on criticism of Brussels, migration policy, support for Ukraine, and fiscal discipline.
For Ukraine, the situation in Romania is of particular importance. Bucharest remains an important partner for Kyiv in the areas of security, transportation infrastructure, and European integration. Significant volumes of Ukrainian trade pass through Romania, and the Danube region has taken on strategic importance for Ukrainian exports since the start of the full-scale war.
According to an assessment by Experts Club, the baseline scenario for now remains that early elections will not be held, but rather that political parties will attempt to agree on a new, possibly more limited or technical government. The reason is simple: early elections could strengthen parties that are already benefiting from the crisis of confidence in traditional political elites.
At the same time, every new failed attempt to form a government raises the cost of compromise. The longer Romania remains without a fully functioning government, the more difficult it will be to make decisions regarding the budget, reforms, relations with the EU, and economic stabilization.
Romania is already facing a high budget deficit, inflationary pressures, and the need to maintain access to European funding. Under these conditions, a political crisis could increase uncertainty for investors and slow down the implementation of reforms necessary to support macroeconomic stability.
He noted that Romania is entering a period of heightened political turbulence, where the issue of forming a government is directly linked to exchange rate stability, economic policy, and the country’s role in the region.
early elections, EXPERTS CLUB, GOVERNMENT, RISK, ROMANIA, voting
The public organization “Union of Rectors of Higher Education Institutions of Ukraine” has appealed to the Ministry of Education and Science to reconsider the minimum admission score for a number of majors in 2026.
According to the appeal to Minister of Education and Science Oksen Lisovyi, the Union of Rectors proposes lowering the minimum admission score from 150 to 130 for admission to the majors “International Relations,” “Public Management and Administration,” “Law,” “International Law,” “Dentistry,” “Medicine,” “Pediatrics,” “Medical Psychology,” as well as for the specialization “International Economic Relations” within the major “Economics and International Economic Relations.”
For the “Pharmacy” major, the organization proposes setting the minimum admission score at 140.
The Union of Rectors explains the need to revise the requirements by citing the difficult conditions under which graduates took the national multi-subject test in 2026. A significant portion of the testing took place amid air raid alerts, rocket attacks, power outages, and the effects of prolonged distance learning.
The statement notes that low NMT scores are often linked not only to the level of preparation among applicants but also to high psychological strain, stress, and the instability of the educational process amid a full-scale war.
Representatives of the Union of Rectors also point to the risk of an increased exodus of Ukrainian applicants abroad if high cutoff scores are maintained for certain majors. According to the organization, the proposed changes will allow a greater number of 2026 graduates to continue their studies in Ukraine and will help preserve the potential of the Ukrainian higher education system.
As previously reported, the issue of the minimum admission score has also been raised in the context of the labor shortage in the pharmaceutical industry. Participants in the roundtable discussion “Labor Shortage in the Pharmaceutical Industry: Challenges, Regulatory Solutions, and the Role of Public Policy,” organized by the Ukrainian Pharmacists Association, noted that requiring applicants to pharmaceutical programs to score more than 150 points could exacerbate the labor shortage in the industry.
The public organization “Union of Rectors of Higher Education Institutions of Ukraine” is a professional association of Ukrainian university leaders. The organization serves as a platform for coordinating the positions of higher education institutions and discussing issues related to educational policy, legislation, funding, educational quality, and international cooperation. The organization is headed by Petro Kulikov. He previously served as president of the Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture and participates in public discussions on reforms in higher education.
Ministry of Education and Science, Union of Rectors of Ukraine
Ukraine should consider education as a separate export sector capable of bringing in foreign currency revenues, forming international ties and strengthening the country’s influence on the global market, believes Golda Vynogradska, president of the Public Union “International Movement ‘PRORYV’”, Doctor of Philosophy in the field of education.
In a blog on the website of the Interfax-Ukraine agency, she noted that in public discussion about new drivers of the economy, the agricultural sector, metallurgy, IT, the defense industry, energy and logistics are most often mentioned, while educational exports remain almost outside attention.
According to Vynogradska, in many countries education has long become not only a social sphere, but also a full-fledged export of services, an instrument of soft power and part of economic policy. This approach is used by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, France, Türkiye and China, forming through international education networks of future partners, managers, entrepreneurs, doctors, engineers and opinion leaders.
Ukraine also has a basis for developing this area: hundreds of higher education institutions, strong scientific schools, experience in training foreign students, teaching potential and the international reputation of Ukrainian specialists.
Before the full-scale war, Ukraine was a notable player in the international education market. In 2019-2021, about 76-80 thousand foreign students from more than 150 countries studied at Ukrainian higher education institutions. The largest centers were Kharkiv, Kyiv, Odesa, Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia, while among the key countries of origin of students were India, Morocco, Nigeria, Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Turkmenistan and China.
After 2022, the number of foreign students decreased significantly due to the war, security risks, the closure of air traffic and the complication of entry procedures. In 2023, about 51.7 thousand foreign students remained in Ukraine, which is almost 30 thousand fewer than before the full-scale invasion. As of the beginning of 2026, more than 21 thousand foreign students from 127 countries were studying at Ukrainian universities, and in 2025 about 5.5 thousand new students were enrolled, which slightly exceeded the 2024 figure.
Vynogradska notes that these data indicate not only losses, but also the preservation of potential. In her opinion, demand for Ukrainian education has not disappeared completely even under conditions of war, but the model of attracting foreign students has largely remained pre-war.
The expert considers the outdated architecture of access to Ukrainian education to be the key limitation. Traditionally, the system was built around the physical arrival of a student in Ukraine even before the start of full-fledged studies. In peacetime, such a model worked, but under current conditions it has become one of the main barriers.
“The full-scale war did not destroy the international education market for Ukraine, but revealed the weak point of the old model: ‘first come to Ukraine, and then enroll,’” Vynogradska noted.
In her opinion, a student of the 21st century expects digital admission, remote communication with the university, transparent verification of documents, flexible formats of study, clear procedures and service that meets international standards.
Among possible steps for the development of educational exports, Vynogradska names the digitalization of foreign students’ admission, transferring primary procedures online, remote verification of documents, the development of the “study online first, arrive later” model, the definition of priority markets and the development of English-language programs.
Promising areas for Ukraine may include medicine, engineering, IT, agricultural technologies, infrastructure recovery, energy, cybersecurity, defense technologies, crisis management, public administration and post-war reconstruction.
According to the author’s assessment, educational exports have not yet become the same state priority as attracting investment, supporting the export of goods or promoting Ukrainian technology companies abroad. At the same time, a separate university cannot independently form the national brand of Ukrainian education, therefore the development of this area requires coordination between the state, universities, business and international partners.
Vynogradska believes that every foreign student is not only tuition fees, but also a future specialist, a potential partner of Ukrainian business, a doctor, an engineer, an official, a scientist or an entrepreneur who can maintain a connection with Ukraine for decades.
“Ukraine competes for investment, export contracts, international assistance, technologies and markets. It is time to begin competing just as seriously for students as well,” she emphasized.
Golda Vynogradska is president of the Public Union “International Movement ‘PRORYV’”, Doctor of Philosophy in the field of education, expert in public-private partnership, innovation and human capital development, adviser to the Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine in 2016-2021.
The engineering and construction company Rauta has published a guide titled “Fastening Cantilevered Structures to Sandwich Panels,” intended for designers and specialists working with building envelopes.
According to the company’s website, the guide will be useful when calculating loads on Ruukki sandwich panel cladding caused by suspended elements. The guide contains recommendations on the level of utilization of the panels’ load-bearing capacity, requirements for calculating fasteners for suspended elements, as well as specifics for determining loads from vertically installed U- and Ω-profiles or cantilever supports for cable ladders.
The document also specifically addresses point loads from through-fasteners. This is important for industrial, warehouse, logistics, and commercial facilities where engineering components, cable trays, additional structures, cladding, or auxiliary equipment may be attached to facades or wall panels.
For the construction market, these guidelines are of practical importance, as sandwich panels are widely used in prefabricated buildings, industrial facilities, cold storage warehouses, agricultural infrastructure, and retail and logistics complexes. Errors in the design of fasteners can lead to improper load distribution, damage to the cladding, compromised airtightness, or reduced durability of the building envelope.
Rauta operates in the engineering and construction solutions sector and offers building design, the supply of frames, sandwich panels, ventilated facades, and prefabricated buildings, as well as structural installation, general contracting, client services, building commissioning, and maintenance.
The company positions itself as a provider of reliable construction solutions in Ukraine and European Union countries. Rauta uses certified European-manufactured products and is the exclusive supplier in Ukraine of commercial products from the Finnish Ruukki Group.
One of Rauta’s key areas of activity is Ruukki sandwich panels. According to the company, these panels are manufactured using Finnish technologies at Ruukki’s European plants and comply with the European standard EN 14509. The supply of panels is accompanied by consultations on selection, the design of building envelopes, technical solutions, components, panel layout on facades and roofs, as well as calculations of the structures’ load-bearing capacity.
Rauta also develops its own engineering solutions. These include a patented frameless building design using sandwich panels, a construction technology for multi-story buildings that uses sandwich panels as walls, solutions to improve building airtightness, and technologies for renovating structures using energy-efficient sandwich panels.
In 2024, the company received a patent from the Ukrainian National Office of Intellectual Property and Innovation for a technical solution for a frameless building made of sandwich panels. According to Rauta, this technology can be applied to single-family homes, cottage communities, cold storage rooms, refrigerated warehouses, and other single-story residential or commercial buildings.
In addition, Rauta is a member of relevant business and industry associations. The company is part of the Ukrainian Center for Steel Construction, the Finnish Business Group, the Finnish-Ukrainian association UkraineOffice, and the German-Ukrainian Chamber of Industry and Commerce (AHK Ukraine).
The release of the new guidelines indicates that the company is focusing not only on the supply of materials but also on providing engineering support for projects. For clients, this can reduce risks during the design and operation phases of buildings, and for the market, it can raise standards for working with sandwich panels and cantilevered structures.
Ukraine’s transport industry, under martial law, staff shortages, border blockades and the rapid adaptation of legislation to EU standards, needs stronger professional representation of carriers’ interests, the development of legal support and the preservation of the institutional capacity of the Association of International Road Carriers of Ukraine (AsMAP). This was stated by the participants of a press conference dedicated to the 35th anniversary of AsMAP Ukraine.
“Despite everything that is happening in our country, the TIR system is operating steadily. We are in fifth place among the associations that work in the guarantee chain system. If last year the guarantee fund amounted to UAH 170 million, today it is UAH 200 million,” said Vice President of AsMAP Ukraine Volodymyr Balin at a press conference at the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Tuesday.
According to him, the IRU requirements for the guarantee fund amount to $3,000 per participant, while some carriers expect a level of $8,000. Balin emphasized that the association is working on financial stability and defending the interests of carriers in matters of employee reservation, interaction with Territorial Recruitment Centers, border crossing by drivers, preventing unlawful disconnection from the “Shliakh” system and preventing decisions that may harm business.
“AsMAP must be the main representative of Ukrainian international road carriers in Ukraine, in the EU and in other international organizations. The protection of every carrier must be a priority — regardless of the size of the company,” the vice president of AsMAP emphasized.
He also reported that he had submitted an application to participate in the competition for the position of president of AsMAP Ukraine.
“I have the experience, knowledge and motivation to effectively perform the duties of president of AsMAP Ukraine. My goal is to strengthen the association, which has influence, enjoys trust and effectively protects every carrier,” Balin stated.
For his part, Oleksandr Dereza, director of Transtempo LLC, which has been operating in the international passenger transportation market for about 25 years, emphasized the importance of practical support for carriers from a professional association.
“There are issues that were not resolved for years and that virtually no one dealt with in the regulatory process. Today AsMAP is probably that ‘lifesaver’ for carriers that represents our interests. New regulatory requirements related to Ukraine’s approximation to European procedures often create difficulties for business due to insufficient preparation of mechanisms for their practical application. In such situations, carriers need a structure that can promptly help and convey the position of business to the authorities,” Dereza noted.
The head of the separate subdivision of the NGO Ukrainian Transport Union in Kyiv region, Oleh Sotnikov, stated that the industry is operating under conditions of rapid legislative reform and therefore needs specialists capable of formulating a consolidated business position and preparing alternative proposals to draft laws and government decisions.
“Ukraine is rapidly adapting its legislation to the legislation of the European Union. The state is transforming legislation, and the transport industry must have people who are able to explain, write alternative draft laws and resolutions of the Cabinet of Ministers,” Sotnikov emphasized.
According to him, in the current flow of changes it is important to work with the relevant ministry and the parliamentary committee already at the stage of preparing documents.
“Volodymyr Balin is a person who in fact accumulates the wishes of the industry and presents the consolidated position of carriers both in the relevant ministry and in the Verkhovna Rada committee on transport issues in order to improve the work of the industry,” Sotnikov noted.
Deputy Director for Operations of Trans-Logistic LLC Serhii Kuzmenko reported that his company has a fleet of more than 220 vehicles, operates in international traffic and within Ukraine, and about half of its vehicles transport temperature-controlled cargo. According to the carrier, the industry is going through difficult times because of the war, border blockades, staff shortages and economic instability.
“AsMAP has always been and remains a support for carriers. But today’s challenges force all of us to move to a new level of high-quality, constant and systematic work,” Kuzmenko added.
Among the key problems, he named new requirements regarding drivers’ working and rest time regimes, which, in his opinion, may create risks during the transportation of expensive temperature-controlled cargo.
“From June 26, requirements regarding the driver’s working and rest time regime come into force. Let us imagine a situation: a driver is carrying medicines worth UAH 120–150 million and has no right to spend the night in the cabin. He leaves the vehicle with the cargo and goes to a hotel, but in Ukraine there is in fact not enough infrastructure where such transport can be safely left,” Kuzmenko noted.
He also drew attention to the need for parity conditions for Ukrainian carriers in the international arena and protection from disproportionate fines. According to him, since the beginning of the year the company has paid about $12,000 in fines, some of which were related to technical GPS failures or minor errors in documents.
“The GPS signal did not work, or the dispatcher made a spelling mistake — and for each such case we received a $3,000 fine. These are very significant penalties for things that, in my opinion, are minor,” the representative of Trans-Logistic emphasized.
Kuzmenko called for the creation of a system of round-the-clock international legal support for carriers, and among other problems he named the digitalization of AsMAP, promotion of the driver profession, participation in training programs for women drivers, control over the possible introduction of toll roads, standards for parking areas and services for drivers, revision of restrictions on the movement of freight transport through Kyiv and employee reservation.
The moderator of the press conference, political consultant and chairman of the board of the Institute of Ukrainian Politics Oleksii Usachov, emphasized that Ukrainian carriers had historically been an important part of European trade and logistics routes, and during the full-scale war had proved their critical role for the state, the army and society. According to him, logistics became one of the key factors of Ukraine’s resilience during the evacuation of people, the provision of military logistics and the delivery of humanitarian aid.
“After the start of the full-scale war, Ukrainian carriers showed their efficiency and heroism during the evacuation of people, the provision of military logistics and the delivery of humanitarian aid. This saved thousands and tens of thousands of lives,” Usachov stated.
He emphasized that AsMAP is needed not only by carriers, but also by the state as an institution that represents Ukrainian business in the international arena and ensures dialogue between the industry and the authorities. At the same time, Usachov stated that there were risks of weakening the association and called on the relevant ministry and law enforcement agencies to monitor the situation around preparations for the election of the organization’s leadership.
“I appeal to the leadership of the relevant ministry and to law enforcement officers to keep the situation under control and not allow manipulations, machinations and falsifications during the process of electing the new leadership of AsMAP,” Usachov emphasized.
Summing up the meeting, Volodymyr Balin expressed hope that international carriers, during the vote, would make a choice in favor of developing an association that would work “for each carrier without exception,” and not for a separate group of individuals.
INTERNATIONAL CARRIERS, LEGAL PROTECTION, OLEH SOTNIKOV, OLEKSII USACHOV, SERHII KUZMENKO, TRANSPORT INDUSTRY, ВОЛОДИМИР БАЛІН, ОЛЕКСАНДР ДЕРЕЗА
Ukraine’s European integration is entering a new practical stage, at which dialogue between the state and business is becoming one of the key tools for preparing the country for future EU membership.
This is stated in a column by Viktoriia Lobun, adviser to the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, published by the Interfax-Ukraine agency.
According to her, a historic step was the opening on June 15, during the Second Intergovernmental Conference between Ukraine and the EU in Luxembourg, of Cluster 1 “Fundamentals of the EU accession process.” This cluster is fundamental for the entire negotiation process, opens it and will remain open until the completion of the negotiations.
“Today Ukraine faces an ambitious task — to ensure the high-quality preparation of the state for future membership and to implement the changes that will allow it to function fully within the European Union,” Lobun noted.
She emphasized that European integration is not limited to the adoption of legislation or the fulfillment of formal negotiation conditions. It is about how changes will affect the economy, individual sectors, communities, citizens, state institutions, local self-government and business.
Some Ukrainian companies are already effectively operating in a single economic space with the EU: entering European markets, looking for partners, adapting to common rules and changing their own business processes. At the same time, the perception of Ukraine by European business is also changing: Ukrainian partners are increasingly viewed not only as an opportunity, but as a factor of competitive advantage in restructuring supply chains, developing new production facilities and strengthening Europe’s economic resilience.
The EU remains Ukraine’s largest trading partner — accounting for more than 63% of foreign trade in goods. The next step, according to Lobun, should be the transition from perceiving Ukraine as an external partner to perceiving it as part of the common market.
Platforms for discussing Ukraine’s economic integration with the EU play a separate role in this process. In particular, these issues were raised at the EU-Ukraine Business Summit in Brussels and will be discussed during the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdańsk. As part of the conference, a workshop is planned on how to combine Ukraine’s recovery with preparation for EU membership.
One of the practical tools for preparing for European integration has been a series of regional dialogues with business. In the first half of the year, such dialogues have already taken place for the agricultural sector, the metallurgical industry and the pharmaceutical industry. They were joined by representatives of business, sectoral associations, authorities, parliament and the expert community from different regions of Ukraine.
In fact, this is about creating a permanent mechanism of interaction between the state and business on issues of European integration.
One of the main questions of such dialogues is what Ukraine’s integration into the EU internal market will look like in practice. The transition from the model of external partnership to the model of the common market requires a new balance between competition and integration.
In some areas, this process already has practical examples — in particular in the energy market and roaming. At the same time, there are more complex areas where Ukraine is a strong player, in particular the agricultural sector and metallurgy. It is precisely here that it is important to ensure integration into the EU internal market without losing the competitive advantages of Ukrainian producers.
Lobun notes that dialogue with business makes it possible to better understand the expectations and concerns of companies regarding individual areas of integration. Meetings in the regions where business operates under conditions of constant risks are especially important. This makes it possible to shape policy focused not only on compliance with European requirements, but also on the real capabilities of the Ukrainian economy.
Ahead, Ukraine is expected to fulfill the conditions and benchmarks of the “Fundamentals” Cluster, as well as to work on opening the next negotiation clusters. They cover a significant part of the economic component of future membership — the internal market, competition policy, freedom of movement of goods and services, and other areas important for Ukrainian business.
Thus, dialogue between the state and business is becoming not only a communication tool, but one of the mechanisms for Ukraine’s practical preparation for membership in the European Union.
The success of the negotiation process, as Lobun emphasizes, will be determined not only by the number of opened or closed clusters. Its real result should be the creation of a modern, competitive and resilient state, ready to function fully as part of the European community.
Source: Interfax-Ukraine, Viktoriia Lobun’s column “European integration is moving into the practical dimension: why dialogue with business is becoming critically important.”
