STEPHEN McGRATH

Associated Press

Flight attendants arriving at the Henri Coanda International Airport pass under a Schengen Information sign, in Otopeni, near Bucharest, Romania, Sunday, March 31, 2024. Romania and Bulgaria joined Europe's passport- and visa-free Schengen Area, applying only to travelers arriving by air and sea. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

Romania and Bulgaria partially join Europe’s Schengen travel zone, but checks at land borders remain

Romania and Bulgaria partially joined Europe’s Schengen ID-check-free travel zone, marking a new step in the two countries’ integration with the European Union.

FILE - A boy runs past a statue of Soviet Union founder Vladimir Lenin in Tiraspol, the capital of the Russia-backed breakaway region of Transnistria, in Moldova on Nov. 1, 2021. Since Russia fully invaded Ukraine two years ago, a string of incidents in Transnistria have periodically raised the specter that European Union candidate Moldova could also be in Moscow's crosshairs. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky, File)

How events in Moldova’s breakaway Transnistria region raised fears of Russian interference

Since Russia invaded Ukraine two years ago, fears have risen in neighboring Moldova that it could also be in Moscow’s crosshairs.

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis speaks at the EPP Congress in Bucharest, Romania, Thursday, March 7, 2024. Romania's President Klaus Iohannis announced Tuesday that he will officially enter the race to become the next leader of the NATO military alliance. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

Romania’s president announces his bid to become the NATO military alliance’s next leader

Romania’s president says he will enter the race to become the next leader of the 32-nation NATO military alliance, emphasizing his country’s proximity to Ukraine and the threat from Russia.

A police officer escorts Andrew Tate, center, handcuffed, from the Court of Appeal in Bucharest, Romania, Tuesday, March 12, 2024. Online influencer Andrew Tate was detained in Romania and handed an arrest warrant issued by British authorities, his spokesperson said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

Romanian court grants UK’s request to extradite Andrew Tate, once local legal cases are concluded

A court in Romania’s capital has granted a request by British authorities to extradite the divisive online influencer Andrew Tate bt only after legal proceedings against him in Romania have been concluded.

Moldova's Foreign Minister Mihai Popsoi arrives for joint statements with Romanian counterpart Luminita Odobescu in Bucharest, Romania, Feb. 6, 2024. Moldova's foreign minister says the past two years for his country have been the hardest and most tumultuous for European Union candidate Moldova in more than three decades as it faces threats from Russia in multiple spheres of public life. (AP Photo/Alexandru Dobre)

Moldova faces multiple threats from Russia as it turns toward EU membership, foreign minister says

Moldova’s foreign minister says the past two years for his country have been the hardest and most tumultuous for European Union candidate Moldova in more than three decades as it faces threats from Russia in multiple spheres of public life.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen addresses the EPP Congress in Bucharest, Romania, Thursday, March 7, 2024. The 2024 EPP Congress takes place in the Romanian capital, with Germany's Ursula von der Leyen seeking a second term as head of the European Union's powerful Commission in a move that could make her the most significant politician representing the bloc's 450 million citizens in over a generation. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

EU’s largest party endorses Ursula von der Leyen’s bid for a second term as EU Commission chief

Moldova warns against Russian meddling as it gears up for EU referendum and presidential election - test

Moldova’s national intelligence agency warns against “unprecedented” Russian interference as the country gears up for a referendum on joining the European Union and a presidential election.

This image made available on the official Telegram channel of Supreme Council of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic shows Alexander Korshunov, Chairman of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic's Supreme Council, addressing delegates during a session in Tiraspol, the capital of the breakaway region of Transnistria, in Moldova, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. Legislators in Moldova's Russia-backed breakaway region of Transnistria used a rare meeting on Wednesday to appeal to Moscow and the European Union and other international bodies for help amid mounting socio-economic pressure they blame on Moldova's pro-Western government. (Supreme Council of the PMR telegram channel via AP)

Moldovan breakaway region appeals to Russia as a spat with the pro-Western government worsens

Officials in Moldova’s Russia-backed breakaway region of Transnistria have appealed to Moscow for protection as tensions escalate with the pro-Western government. Moldova is a candidate to join the European Union.

A woman holds a banner showing the country's president, Maia Sandu, that reads "Moldova without PAS and Sandu" during a protest against the governing Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) called for early elections and for President Maia Sandu to step down, in Chisinau, Moldova, Thursday, Feb. 1, 2024. Several thousand people from the Russia-friendly Revival Party protested in front of Moldova's parliament building on Thursday to demand the resignation of the pro-Western government. (AP Photo/Aurel Obreja)

Thousands from Russia-friendly party join anti-government protest in Moldova’s capital

Several thousand people from a Russia-friendly party have protested in front of Moldova’s parliament building to demand the resignation of the pro-Western government.

FILE - Moldova's Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu addresses the media at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11, 2023. Moldova's foreign minister Nicu Popescu announced on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, that he's resigning from his post, saying that he "needs a break" after what he described as a difficult period for Moldova but also one of "remarkable achievements for our country" punctuated by its progress toward one day joining the European Union. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis, File)

With Moldova now on the path to EU membership, the foreign minister resigns

Moldova’s foreign minister Nicu Popescu is resigning from his post, saying he needs a break from what he describes as a period of difficulty, but also of achievement in the country’s progress toward one day joining the European Union.

Romanian air force F-16 fighter planes fly above the Baza 86 military air base, outside Fetesti, Romania, Monday, Nov. 13, 2023. NATO member Romania inaugurated an international training hub for F-16 jet pilots from allied countries and other partners, including Ukraine, with airplanes supplied by the Royal Netherlands Air Force, and instructors and maintenance provided by Lockheed Martin, the aircraft maker. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Romania inaugurates an F-16 jet pilot training center for NATO allies and neighboring Ukraine

NATO member Romania has inaugurated an international training hub for F-16 jet pilots from allied countries and other partners, including Ukraine.

An elderly Moldovan woman is helped to cast her vote, at a hospital, during local elections in Chisinau, Moldova, Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023. Moldovans are casting ballots in nationwide local elections amid claims by Moldovan authorities that Russia has been conducting “hybrid warfare” to undermine the vote in the European Union candidate country. (AP Photo/Aurel Obreja)

Moldova’s pro-Western government hails elections despite mayoral losses in capital and key cities

Moldova’s ruling pro-European party has lost a bid for the mayorship of the country’s capital and other key cities despite victories in many areas in local elections that were overshadowed by accusations of Russia’s meddling.

An elderly Moldovan woman looks at the ballot before casting her vote in a mobile urn at a hospital, during local elections in Chisinau, Moldova, Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023. Moldovans are casting ballots in nationwide local elections amid claims by Moldovan authorities that Russia has been conducting “hybrid warfare” to undermine the vote in the European Union candidate country. (AP Photo/Aurel Obreja)

Moldova holds local elections overshadowed by accusations of Russian interference

Moldovans cast ballots in nationwide local elections amid claims by Moldovan authorities that Russia has been conducting “hybrid warfare” to undermine the vote in the European Union candidate country.

This handout photo released by Belgorod region governor Vyacheslav Gladkov's telegram channel on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023, shows a damaged house destroyed by debris of a Ukrainian drone that was shot down by Russian air defense outside Belgorod, Russia. Three people, including a child, were killed in Russia's Belgorod region overnight after drone debris fell on a private house, setting it on fire, Belgorod Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov reported Thursday. Two others have been hospitalized with severe injuries, the official said. (Belgorod region governor Vyacheslav Gladkov telegram channel via AP)

NATO member Romania finds more drone fragments on its soil after Russia again hits southern Ukraine

Authorities in Romania found a crater on their territory near the border with Ukraine that they say was likely caused by a crashed drone that exploded on impact.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, right, attends a welcoming ceremony at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace together with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, in Bucharest, Romania, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

Ukraine’s Zelenskyy visits neighboring Romania to discuss security and boost ties

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with his counterpart in Romania for talks on regional security and to strengthen bilateral ties against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of his country.

Mateea Petrescu, spokesperson for Andrew Tate, holds a press release as she sits next to lawyer Eugen Vidineac, after US and UK legal representatives of alleged victims of Andrew Tate held a press conference to announce a united stand against Tate and his followers' harassment and intimidation, in Bucharest, Romania,Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023. On June 20, 2023, Romanian prosecutors charged the Tate brothers and two other suspects with human trafficking, rape and organizing a criminal group for the sexual exploitation of women. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Lawyers of alleged Andrew Tate’s victims say their clients are being harassed and intimidated

Lawyers for the alleged abuse victims of Andrew Tate, the divisive social media influencer charged with rape and human trafficking, say that their clients are being subjected to harassment and intimidation by the accused and his followers.

Andrew Tate turns away to look at media as he leaves the Bucharest Tribunal, in Bucharest, Romania, Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023. Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan, who both face human trafficking charges in Romania, appeared on Tuesday at a court in Romania's capital, Bucharest, to ask that the current judicial measures imposed on them be lifted as well as measures that saw a number of their assets seized during investigations. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

Romanian court eases geographical restrictions on divisive influencer Andrew Tate

A court in Romania’s capital on Thursday has eased geographical restrictions on Andrew Tate, the divisive social media influencer who is charged with rape, human trafficking and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women.

Farmers hold a Bulgarian flag during a protest in the town of Pernik, Monday, Sept. 18, 2023. Farmers in Bulgaria blocked major roads and border crossings nationwide on Monday to protest against their government's decision to lift a ban on imports of food products from Ukraine, complaining that products from the war-torn country will cause an influx and distort local prices. (AP Photo/Valentina Petrova)

Farmers across Bulgaria protest against Ukrainian grain as EU divide grows

Farmers across Bulgaria protested Monday after the government lifted a ban on food products from Ukraine, complaining that the move will cause an influx that drives down prices for local growers.

This image released by the Romanian Ministry of Defense (MAPN), shows a concrete shelter built by the army's engineering units in the village of Plauru, on the Danube river border between Romania and Ukraine on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. In the Danube village of Plauru, which is situated opposite Ukraine's Danube port of Izmail, Romania's defense ministry has erected prefabricated concrete shelters for residents, measuring 9.6 meters long, 2 meters wide inside, and 1.5 meter high (about 31 feet long, 6.5 feet wide and 5 feet high). (Romanian Defense Ministry MAPN via AP)

NATO member Romania finds fragments of drones near its border with Ukraine for the third time

Defense officials in NATO member Romania say they have found new fragments of drones similar to those used by the Russian army near its border with war-torn Ukraine, in the third such finding in the past week.

NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana sits with children during a school opening ceremony in Ghergani, Romania, Monday, Sept. 11, 2023. According to Eurostat, in 2022 Romania had the highest percentage of early school leavers in the European union with 16 percent of youngsters between the ages of 18 and 24 abandoning education. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

‘No risk’ that NATO member Romania will be dragged into war, senior alliance official says

NATO Deputy-General Secretary Mircea Geoana says there is “no risk” that alliance member Romania will be dragged into a war following the recent discovery of drone fragments on its territory near the border with war-torn Ukraine.

A fireball lights the horizon on the Ukrainian shore of the Danube, seen from Chilia Veche in eastern Romania on the night of Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023. The discovery of drone debris on Romanian territory this week has left some local residents fearing that the war in neighboring Ukraine could spread into their country, as Russian forces bombard Ukrainian ports just across the Danube River from NATO-member Romania. (Mircea Franc via AP)

Proximity of Russian attacks on Ukraine’s Danube ports stirs fear in NATO member Romania

The discovery of drone debris on Romanian territory this week has left some local residents fearing that the war in neighboring Ukraine could spread into their country, as Russian forces bombard Ukrainian ports just across the Danube River from NATO-member Romania.

Romania's President Klaus Iohannis, left, shakes hands with Moldova's President Maia Sandu at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023. Romania hosts the two-day Three Seas Initiative Summit and Business Forum, bringing together high ranking officials from twelve EU member states between the Baltic, Black and Adriatic seas. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Romania hosts summit to boost ties between 12 EU countries and partners

A two-day summit in Romania has started in the country’s capital bringing together 12 European Union member states situated between the Baltic, Black and Adriatic Seas.

In this image released by the Romanian Defense Ministry, Defense Minister Angel Tilvar, left, speaks to a local resident in a Danube Delta village close to the Ukrainian border, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023. Romania's defense minister said Wednesday that pieces apparently of a drone from Russia's recent attacks on Ukraine's port on the Danube River have been found on the territory of his country. Romania is a NATO member. (Romanian Defense Ministry via AP)

NATO member Romania says it has found drone pieces from Russian attacks in Ukraine on its territory

Romania’s defense minister says that pieces, apparently of a drone from Russia’s recent attacks on Ukraine’s port on the Danube River, have been found on the territory of his country. Romania is a NATO member.

In this image released on July 27, 2023 by the Center of Legal Resources Romania, a malnourished child lies on an improvised bed in the basement of a care home in in the village of Bardesti in the central Romanian Mures County. The Centre for Legal Resources, or CLR, which conducted an unannounced inspection of the home, found alarming levels of neglect and abuse, saying that, on top of 23 residents inside the main building, seven more were found living in appalling conditions in a dingy basement beneath. Four of the residents who had severe disabilities, they said, were "lying on mattresses soiled with feces, urine, and blood." (Center of Legal Resources via AP)

Romanian care homes scandal spotlights abuse described as ‘inhumane and degrading’

A string of disturbing revelations of “inhumane and degrading” maltreatment of older and disabled people at Romanian care homes have sparked concerns over the country’s capacity to adequately care for its socially vulnerable.

FILE - Andrew Tate gives a thumbs up upon exiting the Court of Appeal in Bucharest, Romania, on July 6, 2023. Andrew Tate, the divisive internet influencer who is charged in Romania with rape, human trafficking, and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women, won an appeal on Friday Aug. 4, 2023 to be released from house arrest and will instead be put under judicial control measures, his spokesperson said. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru, File)

Influencer Andrew Tate released from house arrest while he awaits human trafficking and rape trial

Andrew Tate, the divisive internet influencer who is charged in Romania with rape, human trafficking, and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women, has won his appeal to be released from house arrest.

Andrew Tate gives a thumbs up upon exiting the Court of Appeal in Bucharest, Romania, Thursday, July 6, 2023. Andrew Tate, the divisive social media personality and former professional kickboxer who is charged in Romania with rape, human trafficking, and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women, lost an appeal on Thursday against a court's earlier decision to keep him under house arrest, his spokesperson said. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

Andrew Tate loses appeal against house arrest in Romania as human trafficking case continues

Andrew Tate has lost an appeal against a court’s earlier decision to keep him under house arrest. Tate is the divisive social media personality who is charged in Romania with rape, human trafficking and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women.

3,000 at Romania anti-vaccination protest amid COVID-19 rise

Around 3,000 anti-vaccination protesters from across Romania have converged outside the parliament building in Bucharest as authorities announced new restrictions amid a rise of COVID-19 infections.