Romania adopts law against forced marriage as Minister files discrimination complaint

In Romania, the Chamber of Deputies has adopted a new law to criminalize forced marriages and forced cohabitation. The legislation aims to protect minors and adults from being coerced into relationships against their will. For children under 16, violations can result in prison sentences of 2 to 7 years, while adults or older minors face 1 to 5 years. The law also includes penalties for transporting victims across borders to facilitate forced unions.

Separately, interim Environment Minister Diana Buzoianu has filed a complaint with the National Council for Combating Discrimination (CNCD) against Marian Artimon, a PSD general councilor and Metrorex union leader. The complaint follows Artimon’s public remarks suggesting that having too many women in leadership positions is a source of problems at Metrorex. Buzoianu criticized the mindset as dangerous for the hundreds of thousands of women in Bucharest.

Regarding environmental policy, Minister Buzoianu announced that the Ministry of Environment has met all milestones set in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). Key achievements include the reorganization of Romsilva and the completion of the Lesu dam, though she noted the loss of over EUR 300 million in potential funding for other water infrastructure projects due to implementation failures.