In Romania, social support for Ukrainian refugees under temporary protection is provided, in particular, through the minimum inclusion income system; when determining eligibility for such assistance, the applicant’s total income is taken into account, including their Ukrainian state pension. This is stated in the explanations provided by the Dopomoha.ro portal.
According to the published information, Ukrainians under temporary protection in Romania are eligible for various social benefits under Law No. 196/2016 on the minimum inclusive income, as well as other support programs. The platform’s materials note that assistance depends on the applicant’s individual circumstances and legal status.
As indicated by publications on this topic, when transitioning to this support model, the authorities assess the household’s total income, and the Ukrainian pension is included in this calculation as income. This means that the amount of the Romanian social benefit may be reduced to account for the pension already received from Ukraine.
At the same time, other forms of assistance remain available to Ukrainians in Romania, including child benefits, support for mothers of newborns, unemployment benefits, and access to social services for people with disabilities. The amount and type of support depend on the specific category of the applicant and the documents submitted.
Thus, the key change for some Ukrainian refugees in Romania is that the pension from Ukraine is considered part of their total income and affects the amount of targeted social assistance they can receive under the Romanian system. According to Eurostat, as of the end of January 2026, there were over 193,000 people under temporary protection in Romania who had left Ukraine.
According to Serbian Economist, Romania has prepared a strategic study on the creation of a 781.9-km railway corridor from Constanța to the Hungarian border, which will combine modernized sections with speeds of 160–200 km/h and new double-track sections designed for speeds of up to 250 km/h. This is reported by Romanian business publications.
According to the study, the most suitable route is the Constanta–Bucharest–Brasov–Sighisoara–Târgu Mureș–Cluj-Napoca–Zaleu–Oradea–Hungarian border corridor. The project is estimated at €14.93 billion, with an average investment cost of approximately €19 million per kilometer.
The first phase involves the construction of a new double-track line between Bucharest and Cimpina with a design speed of 250 km/h, while the Cimpina–Brasov section is proposed to be upgraded to 200 km/h. The second phase covers the new Brasov–Cluj-Napoca line via Targu Mures, the third—Cluj-Napoca–Oradea via Zalau, and both of these new lines are also designed for 250 km/h. The fourth phase includes upgrading the Bucharest–Fetești section to 200 km/h and constructing a new double-track section between Fetești and Constanța for speeds of 250 km/h.
The document examines the technical, investment, operational, and institutional parameters of the project and recommends phased financing after 2027 through European funds, the state budget, and, potentially, public-private partnership mechanisms.
https://t.me/relocationrs/2476
The Romanian authorities have extended the transition period for submitting applications to regain Romanian citizenship without the mandatory B1-level Romanian language certificate by one more year.
The transition period itself has been moved from March 15, 2026, to March 15, 2027. Thus, over the next 12 months, applicants under this procedure will still be able to begin the process without providing a language certificate at the application stage.
The requirement to demonstrate proficiency in Romanian at the B1 level was introduced by Law No. 14 of March 12, 2025, and the agency’s leadership initiated steps to postpone its practical implementation.
This does not mean the cancellation of the language requirement itself, but rather an extension of the transition period for another year.
Source: https://relocation.com.ua
A Ukrainian citizen illegally crossed the border with Romania in a light aircraft and was detained in Suceava County after a call to the 112 emergency service, according to the Romanian Border Police. The official statement was published on the website of the Sighetu Marmației Territorial Inspectorate of the Border Police.
According to the Romanian side, the incident occurred on March 8 at around 10:30 a.m. near the village of Frătăuții Vechi in Suceava County. After receiving the signal, police and border guards arrived at the scene and identified the man by his Ukrainian biometric passport. Romanian authorities also found the aircraft in the garden behind one of the houses in the village.
According to the Border Police report, the man requested temporary protection in Romania due to the war in Ukraine. At the same time, Ukrainian border authorities were notified of the incident through the Porubne contact point.
Criminal proceedings have been opened against the Ukrainian citizen under two articles: for illegally crossing the state border and for operating an aircraft without the necessary certification documents.
According to the UNHCR and the Romanian government, there were 201,860 refugees from Ukraine in the country at the end of December 2025.
Romania and the U.S. company Critical Metals Corp have agreed to prepare a project to create in Romania facilities for processing rare-earth raw materials, which are planned to be supplied from the Tanbreez deposit in Greenland.
As Romanian Energy Minister Bogdan Ivan told Antena 3, the authorities intend to determine the financial model of the project and the list of metals to be processed by mid-April, after which the government should approve the relevant memorandum.
Back in December 2025, Critical Metals announced plans to form a joint venture with Romania’s FPCU to build a facility to process rare earth minerals from the Tanbreez project, with the company intending to supply Romania with 50% of the concentrate for the entire life of the mine. The company emphasized that the project is designed to reduce Europe’s dependence on Chinese processing capacity.
Zaporizhstal Iron and Steel Works has begun supplying rolled steel to Metinvest’s pipe plant in Romania, Metinvest Tubular Iasi, which became part of the group at the end of 2025.
According to a press release on Thursday, since the beginning of 2026, the company has shipped 22,000 tons of hot-rolled structural steel certified to the European standard EN 10025. In total, up to 180,000 tons of rolled steel are planned to be supplied to the pipe plant this year.
“Zaporizhstal’s rolled products are in demand among European and Ukrainian pipe manufacturers: every year, up to 80% of our metal products are shipped for the manufacture of straight-seam pipes and profiles. We are pleased to welcome Romanian pipe manufacturers to the Metinvest Group and to establish a new format of cooperation to strengthen the economic partnership between Ukraine and Europe,” said Taras Shevchenko, acting CEO of Zaporizhstal, whose words are quoted in the report.
It is specified that hot-rolled products made of mild structural steels are in high demand in the pipe industry due to their mechanical properties, which ensure the reliability and strength of finished products. Such products can withstand significant loads, including impact loads, operate under pressure, weld well, and maintain stable performance characteristics.
“Zaporizhstal’s rolled products are used to manufacture round, profile, and rectangular welded pipes that comply with European standards EN 10219 and EN 10217 and are used in geothermal engineering, energy, construction, and fire extinguishing systems, among others. Zaporizhstal steel pipes have proven to fully meet high requirements during testing, so we are establishing long-term mutually beneficial cooperation with Zaporizhstal metallurgists,” said Cosmin Toma, CEO of Metinvest Tubular Iasi, as quoted by the company’s press service.
The largest consumers of pipes produced by Metinvest Tubular Yassy are the domestic market of Romania, as well as companies from Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, and other European countries.
As reported, Zaporizhstal produced 3.5 million tons of pig iron, 3.2 million tons of steel, and 2.8 million tons of rolled products in 2025.
Zaporizhstal is a joint venture of the Metinvest Group, whose main shareholders are System Capital Management (71.24%) and Smart Steel Limited (23.76%). Metinvest Holding LLC is the managing company of the Metinvest Group.
METINVEST, PLANT, ROLLED PRODUCTS, ROMANIA, SUPPLY, ZAPORIZHSTAL
