Adrian Năstase is a Romanian jurist,academic/professor,blogger,and former politician who served as the prime minister of Romania from December 2000 to December 2004.
The Social Democratic Party is the largest political party in Romania,though in the European Parliament,it is the second largest by total number of political representatives,after the National Liberal Party (PNL). It is also the largest social democratic political party in the country. It was founded by Ion Iliescu,Romania's first democratically elected president at the 1990 Romanian general election. It is currently part of the National Coalition for Romania (CNR),which is a big tent grand coalition comprising also the National Liberal Party (PNL). The CNR formerly included the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR/RMDSZ) until mid June 2023.
Dan Mircea Geoană is a Romanian politician and diplomat,deputy secretary general of NATO since 2019,who served as president of the Senate of Romania from 20 December 2008 until he was revoked on 23 November 2011. From 21 April 2005 until 21 February 2010,he was the head of the Social Democratic Party,making him the longest-serving president of the PSD.
Traian Băsescu is a Romanian conservative politician who served as President of Romania from 2004 to 2014. Prior to his presidency,Băsescu served as Romanian Minister of Transport on multiple occasions between 1991 and 2000,and as Mayor of Bucharest from 2000 to 2004. Additionally,he was elected as leader of the Democratic Party (PD) in 2001.
Academia Cațavencu is a Romanian satirical magazine founded in 1991 and made famous by its investigative journalism. Academia Cațavencu also owns Radio Guerrilla,an FM radio station with national coverage;Tabu,a women's magazine,Superbebe,a magazine for new parents,Aventuri la pescuit,a magazine for fishermen,24-FUN,a free magazine for teenagers,and Cotidianul,a daily newspaper.
Gianni De Michelis was an Italian politician,a member of the Italian Socialist Party (PSI),who served as minister in many Italian governments in the 1980s and early 1990s.
Monica Luisa Macovei is a Romanian politician,lawyer and former prosecutor,and former Member of the European Parliament from the European Conservatives and Reformists and formerly a member of the Romanian Democratic Liberal Party (PDL). She was the Minister of Justice of Romania in the first cabinet of Prime Minister Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu. In this position she was credited with implementing the justice reforms required for Romania to become a member state of the European Union. Macovei was also an independent candidate in Romania's 2014 presidential elections.
Daniel Marian Vanghelie is a Romanian politician,the former mayor of the 5th Sector of Bucharest (2000–2016) and a former member of the Romanian Social Democratic Party (PSD). He ran for a fifth term in 2016 as an independent but was defeated by social-democratic candidate Daniel Florea. Vanghelie came in 3rd place,receiving fewer votes than both the social democratic candidate and the liberal candidate,Ovidiu Raețchi.
Sorin Frunzăverde was a Romanian politician. He served as the Minister of National Defense of Romania on two occasions as well as the Minister of Tourism and Ministry of Water,Forestry and Environmental Protection. He was also the President of the Caraș-Severin County Council a member of the Parliament of Romania and a Member of the European Parliament from 2007 to 2009. Formerly a member of the Democratic Liberal Party (PDL),he joined the National Liberal Party (PNL) in 2012.
Victor Viorel Ponta is a Romanian jurist and politician,who served as Prime Minister of Romania between his appointment by President Traian Băsescu in May 2012 and his resignation in November 2015. A former member of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and its leader from 2010 to 2015,he was also joint leader (2012–2014) of the then-governing Social Liberal Union (USL),an alliance with the National Liberal Party (PNL). Ponta was a member of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies for Gorj County from 2004 to 2020. In the Emil Boc cabinet,he was Minister-Delegate for Relations with Parliament from 2008 to 2009.
Cristian Silviu Bușoi is a Romanian physician and politician. A member of the National Liberal Party (PNL),he was a member of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies for TimișCounty from 2004 to 2007,and was a Member of the European Parliament from 2007 to 2013,a position he regained in 2014. He currently chairs the European Parliament's Committee on Industry,Research and Energy (ITRE).
In 2011,the European Commission’s Anti-fraud Office (OLAF) opened a formal investigation for corruption against four Members of European Parliament (MEPs)—Romanian Adrian Severin,Austrian Ernst Strasser,Spaniard Pablo Zalba Bidegain,and Slovenian Zoran Thaler—after an article in The Sunday Times claimed that they had tried to influence EU legislation in exchange for money. The Sunday Timesjournalists went undercover and approached 60 MEPs,posing as lobbyists and requesting votes to table or support certain amendments in exchange for money.
Oana Niculescu-Mizil Ștefănescu is a Romanian politician. A member of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) since 2000,with an interlude as an independent during 2012,she sat in the Romanian Chamber of Deputies for Bucharest from 2008 to 2015.
The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) is the political group in the European Parliament of the Party of European Socialists (PES). The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats was officially founded as a Socialist Group on 29 June 1953,which makes it the second oldest political group in the European Parliament after the European People's Party Group. It adopted its present-day name on 23 June 2009. Centre-left in orientation,the group mostly comprises social democratic parties and is affiliated with the Progressive Alliance and Socialist International.
Pablo Zalba Bidegain is a Spanish economist and politician and has been a Member of the European Parliament (MEP),for the European People's Party,in office June 2009 to November 2016. From 2016 to 2018 he served as President of the Official Credit Institute (ICO).
The Microsoft licensing corruption scandal was a political scandal and criminal investigation in Romania,involving large bribes paid to Romanian government members in exchange for approving increases in license fees for Microsoft products. It was called the 'biggest ever' Romanian corruption case. However,most of the charges were dropped in 2018 as the statute of limitations had expired.
Caviar diplomacy is a lobbying strategy of Azerbaijan,consisting of costly invitations to foreign politicians and employees of international organizations to Azerbaijan at the expense of the host country. Caviar diplomacy also includes expensive gifts presented as "a tribute to the Eastern tradition."
European Parliament elections were held in Romania on 26 May 2019.
DragoșTudorache is a Romanian politician of USR PLUS/USR who has been serving as a Member of the European Parliament since 2019.
