For the first time in Romania, a Romani person has been appointed minister
One appointment stood out nonetheless, that of 41-year-old Petre-Florin Manole, the first Romani person to serve as a minister in the country's history, in charge of labor, family, youth and social solidarity. "The first openly Romani person to obtain a ministerial position – and not just any ministry," said Romani sociologist Ciprian Necula with satisfaction. The word "openly" is significant in Romanian, as many public figures avoid disclosing their Romani origins for fear of stigma. The 2021 census, which allowed people to declare their affiliation with one of the country's 19 national minorities, counted 569,477 Romani people out of a population of 19.1 million. In reality, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and Romanian authorities estimate the true number is two to three times higher.
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7 days ago
- Euronews
How young Romanians may contribute to EU security and earn some money
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Euronews
22-07-2025
- Euronews
Moldovan oligarch accused of €850m bank fraud detained in Greece
A fugitive oligarch from Moldova accused of a $1 billion (€850 million) bank fraud and other illicit schemes was detained in Greece on Tuesday, Moldova's national police said. Vladimir Plahotniuc fled Moldova in 2019, as he faced a series of corruption charges, including allegations of complicity in a scheme that led to $1 billion disappearing from a Moldovan bank in 2014, which at the time was equivalent to around one-eighth of the country's annual GDP. Plahotniuc has denied any wrongdoing. Moldovan police said in a statement they were informed by Interpol's office in Athens that two Moldovan citizens had been detained, including Plahotniuc, who was placed on Interpol's international wanted list in February. Authorities did not name the other detainee. The Greek police unit tackling organised crime said Interpol was seeking Plahotniuc on suspicion of participating in a criminal organisation, fraud and money laundering. Moldova's Ministry of Justice and Prosecutor's Office are in the process of exchanging information to begin seeking extradition of Plahotniuc and the other detainee, a government official told AP. Plahotniuc, one of Moldova's wealthiest men, fled to the US from Moldova in June 2019 after failing to form a government with his Democratic Party. The US declared him persona non grata in 2020, and his whereabouts were unknown for years. The influential businessman and politician was added to a US State Department sanctions list in 2022 for alleged corruption. The charges included controlling the country's law enforcement to target political and business rivals and meddling in Moldova's elections. He was added to a UK sanctions list in 2022 and barred from entering the country. His assets were frozen in Britain and its overseas territories. Plahotniuc was accused of involvement in pro-Russian political campaigns and efforts to derail Moldova's pro-EU course. The news of his arrest is likely to be viewed positively by President Maia Sandu's camp and her Romanian and EU supporters ahead of September's crucial parliamentary elections, in which the Kremlin is already involved through proxies in massive disinformation and voter manipulation campaigns.
Euronews
21-07-2025
- Euronews
Calm before EU-US trade storm as deadline approaches, Newsletter
Key diary dates In spotlight MEPs will be in their constituencies for the Parliament's last full business week before the summer this week, apart from a few who are heading to the US on missions. Delegations from the committees for budgets and foreign affairs will both visit Washington DC, and the visits come at a sensitive moment. US President Donald Trump has told European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen he intends to raise tariffs on European products to 30% starting 1 August – the end of next week – while the Commission claims to remain ready to work on an agreement before that date. "We of course remain fully and deeply engaged in the negotiations, and technical work continues to reach a mutually beneficial agreement by 1 August," said a Commission spokesperson. The budget committee delegation will meet officials from the US Departments of Treasury and State and members of the Congress and Senate. They have a range of issues on the table relating to the finance, EU and US defence funding, Ukraine reconstruction plans and the impact of the USAID funding termination. The Parliament Vice-President leading the delegation, Romanian socialist Victor Negrescu, said that the mission 'comes at a crucial moment for reinforcing the transatlantic partnership through a budgetary lens', and is looking forward to 'discussions with our American counterparts on shared challenges - be it strengthening our industrial base, developing a Transatlantic Erasmus, securing our supply chains, or ensuring a fair digital transition.' Meanwhile the delegation from the Committee on Foreign Affairs will also be in Washington DC this week as part of its first official visit to the US since last year's Parliament elections and Donald Trump's return to the White House, where they will hold meetings in Congress and the US State Department on EU-US political relations. Neither the US Congress or Senate or the European parliament has any direct heft in the ongoing trade negotiations however, and the it seems likely that the dispute will simply hover ominously in the background of any discussions. Everything they are discussing depends on any outcome to the trade negotiations, however. How much the EU and US are prepared to cooperate on 'shared challenges' and EU-US political relations will depend wholly on whether the outcome is stable or destructive. By the end of next week the two sides will either resolve on normalisation of trade relations, albeit with tariffs playing a fundamental role, or descend into an ugly high-tariff retaliatory stand off that seems destined to harm both sides, and render any dialogue between EU and US lawmakers redundant. Policy newsmakers Drive for child protection online The European Commission offered online platforms further guidance last week on how to protect minors, addressing issues such as addictive design, cyber bullying and harmful content in a bid to ensure that children enjoy high levels of privacy, safety and security. The largest online platforms should not have any issues implementing looming age verification solutions, Denmark's digital minister told Euronews later in the week in response to heavy lobbying around online child protection measures by the tech industry. 'They are the biggest companies in the world, with a bigger economy than most of our countries could ever dream of. I think they will manage to find a solution,' said Caroline Stage Olsen. Policy Poll Will the EU and US reach a trade deal before August 1st? Yes No Vote
