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The largest of the Balkan countries, Romania has dramatic mountain scenery and a coastline on the Black Sea. It has seen numerous empires come and go from the Roman, to the Ottoman, to the Austro-Hungarian. After World War II the country was under communist rule although the leadership pursued a foreign policy independent of that of the Soviet Union.
Overview
Romania, a slower developer than other former communist countries of eastern Europe, took a major step away from its past when it was one of seven countries to join Nato in late March 2004. Its strategic location and Black Sea air and naval bases make it attractive to the alliance.
A worker prepares for celebrations marking Romania's EU entry
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There have been several complex exchanges of territory over the years, not least when the area formerly known as Bessarabia went to the USSR following a pact between Hitler and Stalin. That region now forms a large part of the Republic of Moldova. Romanian, a Romance language, is essentially the same as Moldovan although the latter has undergone more influence from Russian. The legacy of communist-era leader Nicolae Ceausescu, who was feared and loathed in approximately equal measure, lingered long after the uprising which brought his execution on Christmas Day 1989. Former communists dominated politics until 1996 when a centrist government came to power. It became involved in prolonged political feuding which did little or nothing to promote economic reform. The left returned in 2000 when Ion Iliescu was re-elected president. Failure to push ahead sufficiently with reforms meant that the country was not on the list of new EU members four years later. However, in April 2005 Bucharest signed the EU accession treaty, paving the way for Romania to join the union in January 2007.
Facts
- Full name: Romania
- Population: 21.3 million (UN, 2008)
- Capital: Bucharest
- Area: 238,391 sq km (92,043 sq miles)
- Major language: Romanian
- Major religion: Christianity
- Life expectancy: 69 years (men), 76 years (women) (UN)
- Monetary unit: 1 new leu = 100 bani
- Main exports: Textiles and footwear, metal products, machinery, minerals
- GNI per capita: US $6,150 (World Bank, 2007)
- Internet domain: .ro
- International dialling code: +40
Leaders
President: Traian Basescu Traian Basescu, a former sea captain and mayor of Bucharest, became president following elections in 2004.
Traian Basescu is a popular political figure
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He gained a second endorsement from the electorate in a May 2007 referendum when they rejected an attempt by parliament to impeach him. MPs had decided by a large majority to remove him from office, accusing him of exceeding his constitutional powers. The attempt to impeach the president followed tension between him and the government of Prime Minister Calin Tariceanu over the pace of reforms. Since he came to power, Mr Basescu has drawn international praise for his anti-corruption efforts and for preparing Romania to join the EU. In 2005 Mr Basescu started the process of opening the files of the feared communist-era secret police - the Securitate. Researchers cleared him of accusations that he collaborated with the Securitate. Mr Basescu was 53 at the time of his election. He was transport minister between 1996 and 2000. His predecessor, Ion Iliescu, had dominated Romanian politics since the fall of communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu in 1989. Under his Social Democrats, Romania entered Nato and moved towards EU membership. Prime minister (outgoing): Emil Boc Parliament approved the appointment of Democratic Liberal Party leader Emil Boc as prime minister on 22 December 2008.
Mr Boc has pledged to push through economic reforms
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However, only 10 months later, his government lost a confidence vote in parliament, with MPs accusing it of failing to improve the country's recession-hit economy. The prime minister had already been left at the head of a minority government by the withdrawal of his coalition partner, the Social Democrats. Mr Boc's political career has been closely associated with that of President Traian Basescu, who nominated him as executive president of the Democratic Party in 2003. The Democratic Party later merged with the Liberal Democrats to form the Democratic Liberal Party. A member of parliament in 2000-2004, Mr Boc rose to prominence in 2004 when he beat veteran nationalist Gheorghe Funar to become mayor of Cluj-Napoca, the main city of his native Transylvania. He was re-elected with 76% of the vote in 2008. An academic specializing in political science and law, Mr Boc was born in 1966 and is married with two daughters.
Media
Romania has one of the most dynamic media markets in southeastern Europe. TV is the medium of choice. State-owned Romania 1 and private Pro TV and Antena 1 command the lion's share of viewing. There are many smaller, private stations, some of them part of local networks. State broadcaster TVR operates a second national network, TVR 2, and a pan-European satellite channel. Pay TV channels have a smaller but significant audience. There are more than 100 private radio stations. State-run Radio Romania operates four national networks and regional and local stations. BBC World Service is available on 88 FM in the capital, and in Timisoara (93.9) , Sibiu (88.4) and Constanta (96.9). Most households in Bucharest have cable TV. There are hundreds of cable distributors offering access to Romanian, European and other stations. Romania's newspaper market thrived after the 1989 revolution, but many newspapers subsequently closed because of rising costs. The constitution upholds freedom of expression, but prohibits "defamation of the country". Paris-based Reporters Without Borders said in 2009 that an "anachronistic concept" of the media was evident among sections of the political class. It cited proposals to ban outlets from using material sourced from phone taps or personal documents. Around 7.4 million Romanians were online by September 2008 (Internetworldstats). The press
Television
Radio
News agencies
- Agerpres - state-run, English-language pages
- Mediafax - private, English-language pages
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