2016 in Romania

The following lists events in the year 2016 in Romania.

Incumbents

 * President: Klaus Iohannis
 * Prime Minister: Dacian Cioloș

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 (Education, Transport, Communications and Diaspora) 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 (13–12, 22–22), 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 – 88 members of the Romanian national team will compete in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

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 International Poetry Festival takes place in Bucharest, having as guests more than 100 poets from more than 20 countries.
 * 11 June – Dutch violinist André Rieu and Johann Strauss Orchestra will concert in Bucharest.
 * 21 June – Queen and Adam Lambert will concert for the first time in Romania, in the Constitution Square of Bucharest.
 * 4–7 August – The second edition of Untold Festival will take place in Cluj-Napoca.

January

 * 2 January – George Alexandru, actor (b. 1957)
 * 7 January – Cristian Moisescu, Mayor of Arad (1992–96) (b. 1947)
 * 10 January – Teofil Codreanu, footballer (b. 1941)
 * 12 January – Melania Ursu, actress (b. 1940)
 * 16 January – Theodor Danetti, actor (b. 1926)
 * 17 January – Ion Panțuru, bobsledder (b. 1934)
 * 18 January – Silvia Kerim, journalist and children's books writer (b. 1932)
 * 22 January – Constantin Mihail, athletics coach (b. 1945)
 * 23 January – Elisabeta Polihroniade, chess player (b. 1935)
 * 26 January – Aurora Dumitrescu, history teacher and political prisoner (b. 1932)
 * 27 January – Elena Negreanu, actress and film director (b. 1918)
 * 31 January – Miron Chichișan, Mayor of Zalău (1992–96) (b. 1945)

February

 * 9 February – Alexandru Vulpe, historian and archaeologist, member of Romanian Academy (b. 1931)
 * 10 February – Stan Gheorghiu, football player and coach (b. 1949)
 * 16 February – Mircea Costache II, handball player (b. 1940)
 * 17 February – Gelu Barbu, ballerino and choreographer (b. 1932)
 * 18 February – Rudolf Fischer, historian and linguist (b. 1923)
 * 21 February – Pascal Bentoiu, composer and musicologist (b. 1927)
 * 28 February – Gheorghe Blănaru, writer (b. 1933)

March

 * 3 March – Gheorghe Tokay, politician (b. 1939)
 * 8 March
 * Chiriac Bucur, writer and diplomat (b. 1932)
 * Sorin Toma, journalist and politician (b. 1914)
 * 11 March – Iolanda Balaș, Olympic high jumper (b. 1936)
 * 17 March
 * Solomon Marcus, mathematician, member of Romanian Academy (b 1925)
 * Paula Sorescu-Lucian, theatre actress (b. 1942)
 * 18 March – Șerban Iliescu, journalist and linguist (b. 1955)
 * 26 March – Radu Mareș, writer (b. 1941)
 * 27 March – Mihail Coculescu, endocrinologist, member of Romanian Academy (b. 1943)
 * 28 March – Petru Mocanu, mathematician, member of Romanian Academy (b. 1931)
 * 30 March – Aristotel Stamatoiu, director of Romanian Intelligence Service (1986–1990) (b. 1929)

April

 * 5 April – Cornel Patrichi, ballerino, choreographer and actor (b. 1944)
 * 6 April – Nicolae Munteanu, sports journalist (b. 1922 or 1923)
 * 7 April – Fane Spoitoru, businessman (b. 1959)
 * 8 April – Mircea Albulescu, actor (b. 1934)
 * 13 April – Márton Balázs, mathematician (b. 1929)
 * 21 April – Valeriu Cotea, oenologist, member of Romanian Academy (b. 1926)
 * 25 April
 * Dumitru Antonescu, footballer (b. 1945)
 * Neculai Rățoi, Mayor of Pașcani (b. 1939)
 * 29 April – Gianu Bucurescu, director of Securitate (1985–1989) (b. 1934)

May

 * 13 May – Doina Florica Ignat, politician, member of the Senate of Romania (b. 1938)
 * 14 May – Neculai Alexandru Ursu, linguist, philologist and literary historian (b. 1926)
 * 17 May – Alexandru Lăpușan, politician, Minister of Agriculture (b. 1955)
 * 20 May
 * Vasile Duță, politician, member of the Senate of Romania (b. 1955)
 * Bogdan Ulmu, theatre director and writer (b. 1951)
 * 22 May – Dan Condrea, businessman (b. 1975)
 * 25 May – József Tempfli, Roman Catholic bishop (b. 1931)
 * 26 May – Ted Dumitru, football manager (b. 1939)
 * 30 May – Andrei Ciontu, engineer (b. 1933)
 * 31 May – Mihail Gabriel Corgoja, economist (b. 1977)

June

 * 1 June – Grigore Obreja, sprint canoeist (b. 1967)
 * 5 June – Lucian Gheorghiu, journalist (b. 1955)
 * 6 June – Mihai Dragolea, writer (b. 1955)
 * 8 June
 * Alexandru Bizim, athletics coach (b. 1934)
 * Gheorghe Buluță, philologist (b. 1947)
 * 10 June – Nicolae Păsărică, oină player (b. 1955)
 * 11 June – Sigismund Gram, footballer (b. 1933)
 * 13 June
 * Viorel Mihai Ciobanu, jurist and university professor (b. 1950)
 * Ioan-Liviu Negruț, politician, member of the Chamber of Deputies of Romania (b. 1937)
 * 14 June – Ilie Călian, journalist (b. 1942)
 * 18 June
 * Mircea Chiorean, physician, co-founder of SMURD (b. 1933)
 * Nae Cosmescu, theatre and television director (b. 1940)
 * 19 June
 * Mihnea Berindei, historian (b. 1948)
 * Nicolae Bocșan, historian (b. 1947)
 * Victor Stănculescu, general officer and politician (b. 1928)

July

 * 1 July
 * Ion Ianoși, writer and essayist (b. 1928)
 * Gheorghe Drobotă, rugby union player (b. 1934)
 * 2 July – Elie Wiesel, writer, professor, political activist, Nobel laureate and Holocaust survivor (b. 1928)
 * 8 July – Dan Dermengiu, physician (b. 1957)
 * 11 July – Dale Băsescu, actor (b. 1956)
 * 18 July – Medi Wechsler Dinu, painter (b. 1908)
 * 20 July
 * Radu Beligan, actor (b. 1918)
 * Nicolae Duță, rugby union player (b. 1943 or 1944)
 * 21 July – Alexandru Jidveianu, singer (b. 1968)
 * 28 July – Constantin Busuioceanu, director, editor and lecturer (b. 1924)

August

 * 1 August – Queen Anne of Romania (b. 1923)
 * 3 August – Paul Gherasim, painter (b. 1925)
 * 4 August – Alexandru Mészáros, footballer (b. 1933)
 * 5 August – Ionel Lupu, dendrologist (b. 1934)
 * 6 August – Iosif Viehmann, speleologist (b. 1925)
 * 7 August – Nicolae Mărășescu, athletics coach and politician (b. 1937)
 * 12 August – Dénes Sándor, professor (b. 1936)
 * 19 August – Adrian Enescu, musician and composer (b. 1948)
 * 21 August – Marin Moraru, actor (b. 1937)

September

 * 1 September – Victoria Darvai, folk singer (b. 1926)
 * 25 September – Niculae Mircovici, officer and politician (b. 1950)
 * 26 September – Ioan Gyuri Pascu, musician and actor (b. 1961)
 * 27 September
 * Sebastian Papaiani, actor (b. 1936)
 * Aurelian Preda, folk singer (b. 1970)

October

 * 4 October – Ion Ochinciuc, writer and playwright (b. 1927)
 * 9 October – Marin Petrache Pechea, jazz singer and saxophonist (b. 1944)
 * 19 October – Radu Câmpeanu, politician (b. 1922)
 * 20 October – Valeriu Moisescu, theatre director and university professor (b. 1932)
 * 21 October
 * Vasile Andru, writer, theoretician and essayist (b. 1942)
 * Constantin Frățilă, footballer (b. 1942)
 * 25 October
 * Margit Bara, actress (b. 1928)
 * Dumitru Boabeș, politician (b. 1951)
 * 27 October – Nicolae Coman, composer, teacher, poet, translator and musicologist (b. 1936)
 * 30 October – Iustinian Chira, bishop (b. 1921)

December

 * 8 December – Romulus Rusan, writer (b. 1935)