Romania

All the main parties competing in the December election are issuing impressive-sounding promises about jobs and taxes – which experts say will be hard to deliver.New jobs, an increase in the minimum monthly wage and cutting corporate and personal income taxes are among the electoral promises that the main parties …

The foreign ministers of Greece, Romania and Bulgaria are meeting in Sofia to discuss European Union enlargement in the Western Balkans and border security.Dimitris Avramopoulos from Greece, Romania’s Titus Corlatean and Nikolay Mladenov from Bulgaria will focus on aligning their positions on the EU integration of the other Balkan countries.

After loggers ravaged many forests in Romania in recent years, the authorities are planning to revive areas stripped of their vegetation by planting millions of saplings.“Let’s reforest the country,” an initiative of the Environment Ministry, plans to plant around 26 million saplings in November alone, mainly in areas worst affected …

Bucharest has ordered strict limits on what politicians may hand out to voters during the election campaign – though some wonder if the measures will make much difference.A month before crucial parliamentary elections in Romania, the government on Tuesday adopted an emergency decree aimed at curbing the tradition of vote-buying …

Romania’s Foreign Minister opens his country’s consulate in ErbilThe Romanian Foreign Minister, Titus Corlăţean has opened his country’s consulate in Erbil, the capital city of Kurdistan region, in the presence of Erbil’s Governor, Nawzad Hadi and the President of the Presidium of the Kurdistan region, Fouad Hussein.

The leftist coalition governing Romania is firmly on course to win December’s parliamentary elections.Romanian parties have officially announced their candidates for the general elections scheduled for December 9. Some 4,000 people – including many businessmen, journalists and artists – will run for the 452 seats in Romania’s bicameral parliament.

As the Justice Minister names new bosses for the country’s two main anti-corruption institutions, experts react cautiously, saying they will wait to see how they act.Romania’s Justice Minister, Mona Pivniceru, on Thursday announced nominations for the posts of Chief Prosecutor and head of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, the DNA. Tiberiu …

The European Commision has expressed concern about a Senate decision to ignore a verdict of the Supreme Court.Romania’s upper chamber, the Senate, on Tuesday ruled that Mircea Diaconu, an MP from the ruling coalition, should retain his position in parliament at the end of his mandate in November despite a …

The Netherlands has decided to keep restrictions on Bulgarian and Romanian workers in its labour market until 2014.The agreement is the result of a political deal between Dutch parties reached before Monday, when they outlined their plans for government. The section dealing with immigration and integration says that restrictions on …

The two neighbours will be more closely linked following completion of the new bridge between Vidin and Calafat.Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta and his Bulgarian counterpart, Boyko Borisov, were the first two people to officially walk across the almost complete Danube bridge on Wednesday.