*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.
Romania took the presidency of the Central European Initiative (or CEI) on Wednesday, November 26, according to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE). The organization is a regional intergovernmental forum established in 1989, following the fall of the Berlin Wall. It gathers 17 Member States in Central, Eastern, and South-Eastern Europe […]
Trade between Romania and Poland continues to grow, with annual bilateral exchanges in goods now valued at more than EUR 12 billion, according to figures presented by the Polish-Romanian Bilateral Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PRBCC). The data was released during a reception in Bucharest marking Poland’s Independence Day and Romania’s National Day. Polish investments […]
As Romania moves closer to implementing the EU Pay Transparency Directive, local employers are preparing for one of the most consequential shifts in workplace regulation in over a decade. The directive, set for transposition by June 2026, introduces strict new rules on salary disclosure, pay reporting, and equal-pay verification, aiming to close persistent gender gaps […]
A young Romanian has developed a new system that allows people to return entire bags of recyclable packaging at once, replacing the traditional method of inserting bottles one by one into reverse-vending machines. The concept, called IZI, was created by Ștefan Parascanu, who returned to Romania after studying and working in the United Kingdom. The […]
JTI, the global owner of both Winston and Camel, announced on Thursday, November 27, a plan to build a new, state-of-the-art factory in Ștefăneștii de Jos, Ilfov County. Designed to replace the current Bucharest production site, which is operating under space constraints, the facility is scheduled for completion in 2027. Ground works at the new […]
The City Hall of Oradea, in northwest Romania, has begun installing new smart parking meters as part of its ongoing modernization and digitalization of the municipal parking system. The first batch of devices has already been placed in central areas, and the entire system is expected to become operational by the end of the year. […]
