2016 in Romania

The following lists events in the year 2016 in Romania.

Incumbents

Events

January

29 January – President Klaus Iohannis promulgates a law banning smoking in public areas, two days after the CCR declared it constitutional.

February

5 February – Five people are killed and 28 seriously injured after a bus and a tip lorry collide on the Western Belt of Ploiești.
10 February – Former commander of Râmnicu Sărat Penitentiary Alexandru Vișinescu is sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for crimes against humanity, becoming the first communist torturer to be convicted in Romania.
16 February
* The warmest day of February of the last 55 years, with temperatures 18 °C higher than the normal in Bucharest.
* Three babies die and several dozens from Prahova, Dolj and Bucharest are hospitalized with HUS-associated symptoms after being infected with a bacterium of unknown provenance.

March

14 March – The death toll of the Colectiv nightclub fire reaches 64, almost five months after the tragedy.

May

9 May – Minister of Health Patriciu Achimaș-Cadariu resigns due to mismanagement of the diluted disinfectants crisis.
12 May – US and NATO officials activate a land-based missile defense station at Deveselu, part of a larger and controversial European shield.
29 May – 20 people are injured after a footbridge breaks during an electoral event in Plopu, Prahova County.

June

1 June – About 10,000 employees in the education system protest in Bucharest, demanding the resignation of the Cioloș Cabinet, dissatisfied with the teacher pay scale proposed by the Government.
5 June – Local elections are held across Romania. The Social Democratic Party comes in first with 38.98% of mayor seats nationwide, including Bucharest, followed by the National Liberal Party with 31.50%.

July

5 June – Prime Minister Dacian Cioloş announces a cabinet shuffle as the four ministers are replaced. The new ministers took office on 7 July.

September

13 September – French President François Hollande begins a one-day state visit to Romania, the first state visit by a French president since François Mitterrand came to Romania in 1991.
24 September – A magnitude 5.3 earthquake strikes Vrancea County, with tremors being felt as far as Bucharest and the Republic of Moldova. This is the largest deep earthquake since 2009.

November

5 November – A 29-car pile-up on Sun Motorway results in four deaths and nearly 60 injuries.

December

2 December – A shooting left at least 3 people dead including the gunman and another 2 were injured. The shooting occurred in Palilula a village in Dolj County.
11 December – 2016 Romanian legislative election

Sports

2 March – 2015–16 Cupa României: 1st leg semi-final
20 April – 2015–16 Cupa Romaniei: 2nd leg semi-final
8 May – CSM București wins the Women's EHF Champions League trophy, after beating Győri Audi ETO KC by a score of 29–26, after overtime and 7-meter throws, in the final held at the László Papp Sports Arena in Budapest.
14 May – 2016 Cupa României Final
10 June – UEFA Euro 2016 Group A: France v. Romania
15 June – UEFA Euro 2016 Group A: Romania v. Switzerland
19 June – UEFA Euro 2016 Group A: Romania v. Albania
5–21 August – 97 athletes from the Romanian national team competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, recording the country's poorest performance at the Summer Olympics since 1952.

Arts and entertainment

Lara Fabian returns to Romania for two new concerts, in Cluj-Napoca, on 20 April, and Bucharest, on 22 April.
22 April – Romania is expelled from the Eurovision Song Contest 2016 after its national broadcaster TVR failed to pay debts dating back to 2007. This is the first time in the 61-year history of the Eurovision Song Contest a country is expelled from the competition.
18–22 May – The seventh edition of the International Poetry Festival takes place in Bucharest, featuring over 100 poets from more than 20 countries.
11-12 June – Dutch violinist André Rieu and Johann Strauss Orchestra held two concerts in Bucharest.
21 June – Queen and Adam Lambert played for the first time in Romania, in the Constitution Square of Bucharest.
4–7 August – The second edition of Untold Festival took place in Cluj-Napoca.

Deaths

January

2 January – George Alexandru, actor
7 January – Cristian Moisescu, Mayor of Arad
10 January – Teofil Codreanu, footballer
12 January – Melania Ursu, actress
16 January – Theodor Danetti, actor
17 January – Ion Panțuru, bobsledder
18 January – Silvia Kerim, journalist and children's books writer
22 January – Constantin Mihail, athletics coach
23 January – Elisabeta Polihroniade, chess player
26 January – Aurora Dumitrescu, history teacher and political prisoner
27 January – Elena Negreanu, actress and film director
31 January – Miron Chichișan, Mayor of Zalău

February

9 February – Alexandru Vulpe, historian and archaeologist, member of Romanian Academy
10 February – Stan Gheorghiu, football player and coach
16 February – Mircea Costache II, handball player
17 February – Gelu Barbu, ballerino and choreographer
18 February – Rudolf Fischer, historian and linguist
21 February – Pascal Bentoiu, composer and musicologist
28 February – Gheorghe Blănaru, writer

March

3 March – Gheorghe Tokay, politician
8 March
* Chiriac Bucur, writer and diplomat
* Sorin Toma, journalist and politician
11 March – Iolanda Balaș, Olympic high jumper
17 March
* Solomon Marcus, mathematician, member of Romanian Academy
* Paula Sorescu-Lucian, theatre actress
18 March – Șerban Iliescu, journalist and linguist
26 March – Radu Mareș, writer
27 March – Mihail Coculescu, endocrinologist, member of Romanian Academy
28 March – Petru Mocanu, mathematician, member of Romanian Academy
30 March – Aristotel Stamatoiu, director of Romanian Intelligence Service

April

5 April – Cornel Patrichi, ballerino, choreographer and actor
6 April – Nicolae Munteanu, sports journalist
7 April – Fane Spoitoru, businessman
8 April – Mircea Albulescu, actor
13 April – Márton Balázs, mathematician
21 April – Valeriu Cotea, oenologist, member of Romanian Academy
25 April
* Dumitru Antonescu, footballer
* Neculai Rățoi, Mayor of Pașcani
29 April – Gianu Bucurescu, director of Securitate

May

13 May – Doina Florica Ignat, politician, member of the Senate of Romania
14 May – Neculai Alexandru Ursu, linguist, philologist and literary historian
17 May – Alexandru Lăpușan, politician, Minister of Agriculture
20 May
* Vasile Duță, politician, member of the Senate of Romania
* Bogdan Ulmu, theatre director and writer
22 May – Dan Condrea, businessman
25 May – József Tempfli, Roman Catholic bishop
26 May – Ted Dumitru, football manager
30 May – Andrei Ciontu, engineer
31 May – Mihail Gabriel Corgoja, economist

June

1 June – Grigore Obreja, sprint canoeist
5 June – Lucian Gheorghiu, journalist
6 June – Mihai Dragolea, writer
8 June
* Alexandru Bizim, athletics coach
* Gheorghe Buluță, philologist
10 June – Nicolae Păsărică, oină player
11 June – Sigismund Gram, footballer
13 June
*Viorel Mihai Ciobanu, jurist and university professor
*Ioan-Liviu Negruț, politician, member of the Chamber of Deputies of Romania
14 June – Ilie Călian, journalist
18 June
* Mircea Chiorean, physician, co-founder of SMURD
* Nae Cosmescu, theatre and television director
19 June
* Mihnea Berindei, historian
* Nicolae Bocșan, historian
* Victor Stănculescu, general officer and politician

July

1 July
* Ion Ianoși, writer and essayist
* Gheorghe Drobotă, rugby union player
2 July – Elie Wiesel, writer, professor, political activist, Nobel laureate and Holocaust survivor
8 July – Dan Dermengiu, physician
11 July – Dale Băsescu, actor
18 July – Medi Wechsler Dinu, painter
20 July
* Radu Beligan, actor
* Nicolae Duță, rugby union player
21 July – Alexandru Jidveianu, singer
28 July – Constantin Busuioceanu, director, editor and lecturer

August

1 August – Queen Anne of Romania
3 August – Paul Gherasim, painter
4 August – Alexandru Mészáros, footballer
5 August – Ionel Lupu, dendrologist
6 August – Iosif Viehmann, speleologist
7 August – Nicolae Mărășescu, athletics coach and politician
12 August – Dénes Sándor, professor
19 August – Adrian Enescu, musician and composer
21 August – Marin Moraru, actor

September

1 September – Victoria Darvai, folk singer
25 September – Niculae Mircovici, officer and politician
26 September – Ioan Gyuri Pascu, musician and actor
27 September
* Sebastian Papaiani, actor
* Aurelian Preda, folk singer

October

4 October – Ion Ochinciuc, writer and playwright
9 October – Marin Petrache Pechea, jazz singer and saxophonist
19 October – Radu Câmpeanu, politician
20 October – Valeriu Moisescu, theatre director and university professor
21 October
* Vasile Andru, writer, theoretician and essayist
* Constantin Frățilă, footballer
25 October
* Margit Bara, actress
* Dumitru Boabeș, politician
27 October – Nicolae Coman, composer, teacher, poet, translator and musicologist
30 October – Iustinian Chira, bishop

December

8 December – Romulus Rusan, writer