Romania Activates EU rescEU Mechanism to Repatriate Citizens from Middle East

Jerusalem, 9 March, 2026 (TPS-IL) -- Bucharest (Agerpres) – Romania, through the Department for Emergency Situations within the Ministry of Interior, has requested the activation of the European rescEU mechanism for the repatriation of Romanian citizens located in the Middle East, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Romania is the first country to request the activation of the European rescEU mechanism for repatriation purposes since its creation in 2019.

Two evacuation flights carrying Romanian citizens on the route Muscat (Oman) – Bucharest landed in the country on Monday morning.

The costs of the rescEU flights are fully covered by the European Union.

The two flights, operated by the Polish airline LOT, which has been designated to provide flight capacity for the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, carried 273 Romanian citizens affected by the security crisis in the Middle East, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated.

These are Romanian citizens who were under the care of the Consulate General of Romania in Dubai and the Embassy of Romania in Abu Dhabi, belonging to priority evacuation categories (children, medical cases and pregnant women).

On board the two flights there were also 83 eligible citizens from EU Member States and third countries participating in the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

Road transport to Muscat was provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the evacuated persons, who were under the care of the Romanian Consulate in Dubai and the Romanian Embassy in Abu Dhabi. The coaches were accompanied throughout the journey by a mobile consular team, the ministry said in a press release.

Road transport costs will be reimbursed by the European Commission up to 75%.

The Embassy of Romania in Muscat also ensured the reception and coordination of Romanian citizens until their boarding of the aircraft, together with the mobile consular team of the Rapid Response Unit of the Crisis Cell of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Embassy of Romania in Abu Dhabi and the EU Delegation to Riyadh, which is also accredited for Oman, undertook all necessary démarches with the authorities in the United Arab Emirates to facilitate passage through the border crossing point from the UAE to Oman.