*As signatory of the ICC Rome Statute, Romania is obliged to arrest Netanyahu if he sets foot in the country. Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu's announcement of a meeting between the governments of Romania and Israel in Bucharest and his invitation to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signals they could be the next country to defy the ICC international arrest warrant, www.euractiv.com reads. As Romania is one of 125 signatories of the International Criminal Court Rome Statute and Netenyahu is subject to an arrest warrant for "crimes against humanity" related to military actions in Gaza, it would be obliged to arrest him when he sets foot in the country. However, it seems that arresting Netenyahu would not be on the cards. Ciolacu wrote on X that Romania and Israel share a relationship of strategic importance and solidarity, reiterating that the prime minister had been invited to the meeting. Former EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in November that the ICC decision to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant is binding on all member states. But France said days later it believed Netanyahu had immunity to actions by the ICC, given Israel has not signed up to the court statutes. Poland then said Netanyahu would have immunity from arrest if he attended Auschwitz memorial events, something most Poles disagree with. Meanwhile, outgoing US President Joe Biden has called the issuing of warrants against Israeli officials, including Netanyahu, "outrageous". In his message, Ciolacu made no mention of the ICC arrest warrant. Earlier on Sunday, the Romanian prime minister welcomed the release of the first group of three hostages from the Gaza Strip following the entry into force of the ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian movement Hamas. Two of the hostages released, Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher, are of Romanian origin. Ciolacu praised the sustained and substantial efforts of high-level mediators from Qatar, the US, and Egypt to conclude the agreement. Romania has excellent relations with Israel, and during the Cold War, it was the only communist country not to break its diplomatic ties. In April 2018, Romania announced that it would move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. On 17 October 2023, Ciolacu, during his previous mandate as prime minister, was the first foreign leader to visit Israel after the deadly Hamas-led attack on Israel.
The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on December 15 ruled in favor of judge Cristi Danileţ in his case against Romania and ruled that the Romanian authorities had violated Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights that guarantees freedom of expression, which includes the right to hold opinions […]
Romanian car battery producer Rombat SA has been fined a total of EUR 20.2 million by the European Commission for breaching European Union competition rules, the Commission said in a decision announced on December 15. Rombat is a subsidiary of the South African automotive components group Metair. The Commission found that Rombat participated in anti-competitive […]
Romania’s industrial output rose by 0.3% y/y in October, despite a negative performance (-0.3% y/y) in the core manufacturing segment, thanks to a robust 6.6% y/y advance in the segment of utilities, according to data published by the statistics office INS. On a monthly basis, the seasonally-adjusted industrial output advanced by 0.4% m/m despite 0.5% […]
Romania’s gross external debt increased by EUR 22 billion in the first ten months of 2025 to reach EUR 225.5 billion at the end of October, equivalent to 61% of gross domestic product (GDP), according to data published by the National Bank (BNR). Long-term liabilities accounted for 78.7% of the total stock. BNR data showed […]
Romania’s current account (CA) deficit widened by 1.9% y/y to EUR 3.19 billion in October 2025, bringing the deficit in the rolling 12-month period to EUR 29.8 billion – up 9.5% y/y and at 8.2% of the GDP, according to data published by the National Bank (BNR). The CA-to-GDP ratio was 8.2% for the previous […]
Wizz Air officially reopened its base in Suceava, northeastern Romania, on Monday, December 15, marking a key step in its local expansion. With the allocation of two next-generation Airbus A321neo aircraft, the airline now operates a total of 41 aircraft in Romania, with two additional planes already announced for 2026. The reopening coincides with the […]
