Romania

Romania’s Defence Ministry said a soldier serving in the country’s peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan was killed when his vehicle drove over an explosive device. The ministry said the soldiers were on patrol on Thursday on the highway between Kabul and Qalat, a town near Kandahar in southern Afghanistan. The dead …

Romania’s centre-left government approved new judicial codes on Wednesday, hoping to align its criminal and civil proceedings to European standards and end anti-corruption monitoring by Brussels. Earlier this month, the European Commission said Romania had taken “backward steps” in fighting corruption over the last year, urging it to amend the …

The US Department of State has criticised Romania in its annual human rights report, for ‘problems in several areas’ including government corruption, prison and detention center conditions and some restrictions on the freedom of the press, Newsin news agency reports. The report concludes that the Romanian government generally respected the …

he economies of Bulgaria and Romania are much more vulnerable to the effects of the global financial crisis compared to those of Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. This becomes clear from a report of the financial analysis agency, Standard & Poor’s, cited by the Financial Times. Standard & Poor’s …

Despite the global financial turmoil, Romania expects to have around 1.5-1.8 billion euros worth of investment this year in the energy sector alone, Economy Minister Adriean Videanu said on Wednesday. “The money will come from government and private investments, and we will encourage new private initiatives,” Videanu told participants of …

BUCHAREST, Romania: Romania’s foreign minister says his country does not want citizens suspected of committing crimes in Italy to be repatriated. Cristian Diaconescu said Romania would accept the repatriation of Romanians who have been convicted of crimes, but not suspects. Anti-Romanian sentiment in Italy has escalated after recent attacks by …

Bucharest. Romanian Foreign Affairs Minister Cristian Diaconescu will meet on Monday his Italian counterpart Franco Frattini to talk about bilateral relations, the Romanian Mediafax informed. The talks would focus on the business environment and the situation of the Romanians in Italy, ministry’s spokesperson Alin Serbanescu told Mediafax. Diaconescu will have …

Romania’s unemployment rate rose by half a percentage point in January to 4.9 percent compared to the previous month, the National Employment Agency, ANOFM, said on Thursday. In January 2008, the unemployment rate was 4.2 percent. The number of unemployed people in January stood at 444,907, while in January 2008 …

BUCHAREST,  – Romania may need external funding in the second half of this year, when a large part of short-term foreign debt falls due, central bank chief economist Valentin Lazea said on Thursday. Many economists have said the European Union state may be next in line to seek financial aid …

BUCHAREST -Romania’s Justice Minister Catalin Predoiu vowed Thursday to continue judicial reforms after the European Union warned Romania to step up the fight against corruption following a recent drop-off in efforts. “Our priority is still to promote and back the adoption by parliament of the ( civil and penal) codes,” …