Bucharest
Romania became part of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom Southeast Europe’s sub-region in the early 1990s. The regional SEE office was already established 1999 in Bucharest when in 2006, the entire central coordination of FNF’s work was moved to Sofia. In 2014 FNF re-opened a bureau for Romania and its sister-country of Moldova in Bucharest. In over 20 years of ceaseless activity, the FNF has worked with all the local liberal parties, forces and NGO’s, and by doing so, made thousands of young people interested in liberalism. Today the main political partner is the USR party. The FNF is also in contact with all the local NGO’s who fight for the ideal of freedom.
News
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Defending Democracy in the Digital Age: Insights from the Bucharest Roundtable on Election Interference
How can we tackle the shift from external election threats to more complex, hybrid challenges? Experts from across Europe joined in Bucharest to discuss strategies to counteract interference and strengthen democratic resilience, ahead of Romania's critical presidential elections.
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Pro-Europe Signal from Bucharest: Romania Votes against a Moscow course
The Romanian presidential election has become a geopolitical crossroads: with Nicușor Dan's victory, Romania is reaffirming its pro-European stance and protecting Europe from a security policy breakdown.
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Civil Society in Eastern Europe Mobilises for EU Integration
To mark Europe Day, NGOs from Moldova, the Caucasus and the EU gathered in Chisinau to coordinate their efforts on European integration. The workshop highlighted the crucial role of civil society in combating disinformation and promoting European values.
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Society 6.0 and Romania’s Democratic Future
As Society 6.0 gains momentum, a key question emerges: is it a real path toward a more just and human-centered future—or just a tech utopia wrapped in buzzwords? The concept envisions AI, IoT, blockchain, and automation as core elements shaping future societies, though it remains largely speculative.
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The State of Mass Media in Romania
Romanian media faces major challenges, from reliance on public funding, intimidation, government influence and digital transformation pressures. These issues erode independence and threaten the freedom of press. Protecting journalists and ensuring access to information is vital for democracy.
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DEX - Security Zone Explaining the Transnistrian Issue
The Transnistrian issue has never been a priority for Moldovan society. Interest in the topic temporarily increased after the Russian Federation attacked Ukraine. The region evokes an injustice that many know about but very few understand.
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Regional energy security - Lessons Learned from the Russian war in Ukraine
Energy security is a key factor in Ukraine's and Europe's resilience to Russian aggression. Cutting the energy supply is a core element of Russian offensive tactics - on the one hand, to demoralise Ukraine, and on the other, to break the West's unity in supporting Ukrainian consumer protests. How could the energy supply be restored and secured in the shortest possible time?
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8th of March - More Than Just a Day
To mark International Women's Day, adopted in 1977 by a UN General Assembly resolution, this year we brought the issue of violence against women to the fore. A topic of interest to everyone because no stage in the lives of girls or women is immune to the impact of violence, whether we face it or choose to look the other way. Despite the prevalence of violence, its victims often go unnoticed.
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Bringing Europe Closer to Citizens via EU Institutions
The third edition of the Future of Europe Youth Summit took place this year in northern Romania. It is the largest youth event in Eastern and Southeastern Europe and had a special format this year: it hosted the FNF ESEE regional hackathon. Participants discussed the future of Europe in the context of the war in Ukraine and the increasing impact of phenomena such as fake news and disinformation on young people.
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Historic Rally in Chișinău: Europe is Moldova, Moldova is Europe
"Moldovans are Europeans, and Moldova must become an equal member of the European Union by 2030." With these words, Moldovan President Maia Sandu addressed more than 75,000 people who came to a pro-European rally on Sunday. The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, had also arrived, having announced to the crowd already in her speech in Romanian: "I have come to deliver a message: Europe is Moldova, Moldova is Europe".
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Dream Big and #BEFREE
The Festival of Arts, initiated 4 years ago by the FNF, united this year nine performances from Moldova, Romania, Austria and Germany. On the Theatre Satiricus' stage in Chisinau, during one week, the artists expressed "The Power of Freedom" through theater, music, dance, movie. Our new partners are the Goethe-Institute, the Romanian Cultural Institute; National Cultural Institutes of the EU, Swiss Cooperation Office; Austrian Embassy; UNHCR-Moldova.
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BLACK BOOK of public money waste in Republic of Moldova
"The Black Book of Public Money Waste" is an annual publication that provides truthful information about how public money is used in the Republic of Moldova. The first edition was published in Chisinau in 2019, following the example of the Bulgarian investigative journalists. The Black Book is now one of the best known regional projects investigating the embezzlement of European funds.
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Women's Representation in Romanian Politics
This report provides a brief description of women’s representation in the Romanian parliament, government and the local councils and is founded on an extended data collection. The final sections provide the reader with a comparative analysis of women’s political representation in order to contextualize Romania’s situation.
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Champions of Change
Champions of Change is a project organized by LID Moldova in cooperation with FNF Romania and Moldova, which rewards people with innovative ideas, outstanding initiatives and impactful actions, who despite all the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and regardless of circumstances or political contexts, have managed to continue developing projects in their fields of activity.
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Journalism in 2021: an obstacle course with fewer and fewer winners
The new report released by The Center for Independent Journalism, supported by FNF Romania, reveals the true price of the profession of journalist, but also the cost society has to pay when lacking credible sources of information. The report may be read in full here.
Social Media
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⏳ Workshop update: shifting focus from national to regional cooperation at the workshop “Strengthening Civil Society in Eastern Partnership Countries: Coalition Building”—held in collaboration with European Liberal Forum. Participants are zeroing in on International Coalition Building with Milosz Hodun ( European Liberal Forum Board Member): connecting national coalitions into transnational alliances and aligning efforts with EU integration and democratic reforms. Inspiring case studies from the region ware being shared. Later,Dan Nicu (Laboratory of Initiatives for Development Moldova) lead a session on defining a common mission and next steps—drafting joint programs, exploring digital collaboration tools, and planning for upcoming workshops in Tbilisi and Brussels. #ELFEvents #FNFRomania #EasternPartnership #FNFMoldova #CivilSociety #CoalitionBuilding #LIDMoldova
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⏱ Workshop Update: “Strengthening Civil Society in Eastern Partnership Countries: Coalition Building” Our day is in full swing with a dynamic panel on Developing Common Messaging and Advocacy Strategies. Under the guidance of Sofia Morch, European Liberal Forum Governance Fellow on EU Enlargement, participants are diving deep into the art of crafting unified messages that truly resonate—both with local communities and policymakers. More updates soon! #ELFEvents #FNFRomania #EasternPartnership #FNFMoldova #CivilSociety
