Luminiţa Odobescu

Luminiţa-Teodora Odobescu is the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania from 15 June 2023. 

A career diplomat, Luminiţa-Teodora Odobescu was Presidential Adviser from November 2021 to June 2023, as Adviser for European Affairs to the President of Romania, also coordinating the Foreign Policy Department, and the Permanent Representative of Romania to the European Union between September 2015 and November 2021, successfully managing, in this capacity, the first Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU (the first semester of 2019). 

Luminita Odobescu was State Counsellor, adviser on European Affairs and External Relations to the Romanian Prime Minister, between November 2012 and August 2015. In December 2014, she was granted the diplomatic rank of Ambassador. 

Between February and November 2012, she was State Secretary on European Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and between June 2008 and February 2012 she was Director General of the European Union Department within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, coordinating the EU Affairs and the bilateral political dialogue with the EU Member States, the acceding states to the EU (including Turkey), as well as the EFTA countries. 

Between 2002 and 2007, she held various positions in the Permanent Representation of Romania to the European Union in Brussels, being responsible for several chapters of negotiation in the context of Romania’s accession to the EU (energy, economic and monetary union, taxation, trade). Moreover, she was in charge with the trade relations and trade defence measures between Romania and the EU. 

She holds a PhD in International Economic Relations from the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest, a degree obtained in 2003. In 1992, she graduated the Faculty of Commerce at the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest. 

In 2007 she was conferred the “Order of Diplomatic Merit” in the rank of Officer for the contribution to the process of Romania’s accession to the European Union. In 2015 she was conferred the French National Order of the Legion of Honour in the rank of Knight, and in 2023 the “Grand Cross of Merit with Star” of Germany. 

In November 2019, Luminița-Teodora Odobescu was awarded the National Order ”Star of Romania” in the rank of Knight for her significant contribution to the success of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first semester of 2019.