Luminița Odobescu

Luminița-Teodora Odobescu (born 3 May 1969) is a Romanian ambassador and diplomat who has served as Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2023. She previously served as presidential advisor in the European Affairs Department from 2021 to 2023.

Luminița Odobescu
Luminița Odobescu in 2023
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Assumed office
15 June 2023
Prime MinisterMarcel Ciolacu
Preceded byBogdan Aurescu
Personal details
Born (1969-05-03) 3 May 1969
Reghin, Romania
AwardsNational Order of Merit (2007)
Legion of Honour (2015)
Order of the Star of Romania (2019)
Grand Cross of Merit with Star (2023)

Education and early career

Odobescu graduated from the Faculty of Commerce at the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest in 1992. After graduating she became a researcher at the "Virgil Madgearu" National Institute until 1995. From 1995 to 1999, she held various positions in the European Union division of the Department for Foreign Trade. From 1999 to 2002 she was head of unit at the same department, where she was responsible for the management of trade relations between European communities and Romania in the framework of the European Union Association Agreement.[1]

Odobescu obtained a PhD in International Economic Relations from the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest in 2003.[2]

Career

2002–2023

Odobescu held various positions in the Permanent Representation of Romania to the EU, where she was responsible for negotiating the energy, economic and monetary union, taxation, trade of Romania's accession to the EU. She was also in charge of trade relations and trade defence measures between Romania and the EU. From June 2008 to February 2012 she served as director general of the European Union Department within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where she coordinated the EU affairs and political dialogue between EU Member states, the acceding states to the EU and EFTA countries. From February to November 2012 she served as State Secretary on European Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[2][1]

Odobescu was state counsellor and advisor on European Affairs and External Relations to the Romanian prime minister from 8 November 2012 to 1 August 2015. She was the permanent representative of Romania to the EU from September 2015 to November 2021, where she managed the first Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2019. She was presidential advisor for European Affairs from November 2021 to June 2023.[3][2]

Minister of Foreign Affairs (2023–present)
Odobescu with Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba at the sidelines of the Ukraine Recovery Conference on 21 June 2023

Odobescu was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Ciolacu Cabinet on 15 June 2023.[2][4]

Personal life

Odobescu is married with two children.[1]

Honours

References
  1. "Odobescu". www.presidency.ro. Retrieved 2023-07-03.
  2. "Luminița-Teodora Odobescu". Ministerul Afacerilor Externe. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  3. "Mrs Luminița Odobescu". Journal Général de l'Europe. 2019-01-02. Retrieved 2023-07-03.
  4. "Romania taps social democrat Marcel Ciolacu as new PM". POLITICO. 2023-06-15. Retrieved 2023-07-03.
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