Public Sector Pay Reform Clash: Romania’s five biggest trade union confederations rejected the draft public-sector salary law, warning the lower base reference value and bonus cap would deepen inequities and jeopardize a key Recovery and Resilience milestone tied to €770m in EU funds. Constitutional Court & Integrity Law: Parliament is set to reconvene in special sessions to revisit integrity legislation after the Constitutional Court published its motivation for a contested provision. Danube Water Emergency for Cernavodă: Romania approved new operational steps to raise Danube levels—dredging, a groyne diversion, reservoir releases from Olt, and high-capacity pumps—while Cernavodă remains offline amid record low river flows and a nationwide August state of emergency. Black Sea Security: Romania scrambled F-16s to destroy a Russian naval drone near the Neptun Deep gas project, with President Nicușor Dan blaming Russia for escalation. Regional Fallout—Moldova Drone Incursion: A Shahed-type drone crossed into Moldovan airspace during Russian strikes, reinforcing concerns about deliberate testing of regional response. EU Aid to Serbia Wildfires: The EU deployed helicopters and firefighting teams to Serbia as wildfires burn, including support routed via Romania. Germany-Russia Arms Plot Link: German authorities reported a weapons cache near Berlin allegedly intended for contract killings linked to Russian intelligence, with a suspect detained in Romania. LGBTI+ Rights Push: MozaiQ urged lawmakers to debate civil partnership legislation following a Constitutional Court ruling on the Integrity Law. Sports & Culture: Sarajevo Film Festival ended with Austria’s “Everytime” winning top narrative prize; Romanian coach Cosmin Olaroiu’s Al Jazira completed a major signing with Malcom.