The Council of the European Union has confirmed Romanian Laura Codruta Kovesi as chief European prosecutor. The naming is yet to be confirmed officially by the European Parliament.

Romania's Liberals (PNL), who have led the procedures to remove the Social Democratic government from office with the censure motion voted on Thursday, would push for MEP Siefried Muresan for a job as European Commissioner, Euractiv.com reports, quoting a high-ranking source from the European People's Party.

A series of reports in Romanian media point to a rejection by the president-elect of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, of Romanian candidate for a seat in the Commission, Dan Nica. As the government in Bucharest, who supported Nica, prepares to face a censure motion on Thursday, one Romanian MEP said late on Tuesday that any final talk on the issue would take place after the censure motion.

British Ambassador to Bucharest Andrew Noble said in an interview with HotNews.ro on Thursday that he'd not see anything good in a no-deal Brexit, but assured that even if his country leaves the EU without a deal, authorities there have mechanisms to preserve the status of Romanian citizens in the UK.

Romanian PM Viorica Dancila reacted harshly on Monday to pressure put on her government following the rejection of Romania's nomination for a seat in the European Commission. She said she would nominate somebody else instead of Rovana Plumb, but she challenged how Plumb's candidacy was rejected and blamed the situation on President Iohannis.

A top official of the governing Social Democrats has said that the visit paid by Romanian PM Viorica Dancila to the United States should not be taken lightly and that the delegation there fulfilled its mission. That is, despite missing the most important moment on the agenda - meeting US Vice President Mike Pence.

The unprecedented situation created by the decision of the JURI Committee in the European Parliament, which on Thursday opposed the Romanian and Hungarian candidates for European commissioner positions, may come to a conclusion early next week. On Monday, the European Parliament is expected to send its conclusion on Romanian nominee Rovana Plumb and the Hungarian one, Laszlo Trocsanyi, to the Eurpopean Commission. Consulted by HotNews.ro on Friday, the JURI Committee argument for its decision on Plumb showed that until a conflict of interest in her case is cleared there was significant doubt about her capacity to do the job of Transport Commissioner.

A decision by a key European Parliament committee to approve Romania's nomination for a seat of European Commissioner on Thursday prompted waves of political pressure on the government back in Bucharest. With prime minister Viorica Dancila on a trip to the United States, the opposition and the president pressed the head of government to urgently pick a replacement for rejected nominee Rovana Plumb.

Romanian Social Democrat Rovana Plumb, who has been nominated by Romania for a position as European Commissioner, is invited to "exceptional" hearing in the judicial committee of the European Parliament on Thursday. She is due to clarify information in her wealth statement, where it reads that she has a RON 800,000 loan from a person - the same amount that she has lent her party.

​A final deal between the European Parliament and the Council for Romanian Laura Codruta Kovesi to take over as EU chief prosecutor has been announced. The LIBE Committee of the EP announced negotiators for the two bodies "just agreed" Tuesday that Kovesi will take over the new European job.

Teams of negotiators for the EU Council and the European Parliament are due to meet in Brussels on Tuesday evening to confirm a joint accord on naming Romanian Laura Codruta Kovesi as top EU prosecutor, European sources have told HotNews.ro.

The Finnish Presidency of the EU Council wants to test a posible support for Romanian candidate Laura Codruta Kovesi for the position as top EU prosecutor in the COREPER Council this Thursday, sources close to the EU Council told HotNews.ro on Tuesday.

Hungary has launched a tender for the electrification and rehabilitation of 55 km of the railway linking the Western Romanian city of Oradea to Budapest, as Rail Journal reports. The move comes as the country has been pushing for upgrading its railway network considrabily, while Romania is still talking about moving things in this regard.

Romania's PM Viorica Dancila has decided to withdraw the candidacy of Ioan Mircea Pascu for the seat of interim European Commissioner left vacant by Corina Cretu, for the period of 6 weeks in the term of the current Commission, official sources told HotNews.ro. Ioan Mircea Pascu later stated in a Facebook post that he took note of the decision and was complying with it.

The President-elect of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on Tuesday announced the distribution of Commission portfolios. Romanian nominee Rovana Plumb is set for the Transport portfolio, but she faces opposition for the job.

EC President-elect Ursula von der Leyen has announced the full list of her future Commission team and Romania's Rovana Plumb, who's name has been circulated a lot for the past weeks, appears among them. But who is Rovana Plumb and what's that story of her dodging criminal inquiry with help from Romanian MPs?

The risk of Russia cutting gas transit through Ukraine is mentioned by Romania's energy market regulator ANRE in a document for the second time. This time, it's a letter it sent to the EU last week. According to the document, which was seen by HotNews.ro, ANRE mentions speculation about gas prices in the context of a significant probability of interruption in natural gas deliveries through Ukraine.

The US Attorney General has invited Romanian justice minister Ana Birchall to work together on an "advisory road map as to what the US believes are appropriate provisions and measures to take in legislation and in executive orders to ensure a strong and consistent rule of law" in the East European country. The statement was made by Godron Sondland, the US Ambassador to the EU, who just visited Romania just after meeting with newly chosen EU leaders and hailed a "reset" in US-EU relations.

​Romanian President Klaus Iohannis told British PM Boris Johnson on Tuesday that Romania's major priority when it comes to Brexit was protecting the rights of Romanian citizens in Britain.

Some 47% of Romanians living abroad want to return to their country of origin, according to a study on Romanian diaspora ordered by RePatriot project and delivered by Open-I Research. The number is lower than that reported two years ago.