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Soviet occupation following World War II led to the formation of a communist "Peoples Republic" in 1947 and the abdication of the king. The decades-long rule of President Nicolae Ceausescu became increasingly draconian through the 1980s. He was overthrown and executed in late 1989. Communists dominated the government until 1996 when they were swept from power. Much economic restructuring remains to be carried out before Romania can achieve its hope of joining the European Union.

Romania, one of the poorest countries in Central and Eastern Europe, began the transition from communism in 1989 with a largely obsolete industrial base and a pattern of output unsuited to the country's needs. Over the past decade economic restructuring has lagged behind most other countries in the region. Consequently, living standards have continued to fall - real wages are down over 40%. Corruption has worsened. The European Union ranks Romania last among enlargement candidates, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) rates Romania's transition progress the region's worst. The country emerged in 2000 from a punishing three-year recession thanks to strong

Romania has a population of 22,271,839 (July 2003 est.) 69.5% of this country's people are Orthodox, 7% are Catholic, 8% are Protestant, and 14% are non-religious. By comparison, Romania is slightly smaller than Oregon.

demand in European Union export markets. A new government elected in November 2000 promises to promote economic reform. Bucharest hopes to receive financial and technical assistance from international financial institutions and Western governments; negotiations over a new IMF standby agreement began early in 2001. If reform stalls, Romania's ability to borrow from both public and private sources could quickly dry up, leading to another financial crisis.

Baptist and Greek Catholics, proselytizing in areas dominated by the Orthodox, claim to have suffered from some harassment and even violence. These incidences are not common and have not been connected in any way to the church hierarchy. There are reports, however, from some Protestant denominations that low-level, government officials carried out that harassment and interference with proselytizing and worship. Missionaries often have great difficulty when obtaining long-term visas.

Under the provisions of a 1948 decree, the Government recognizes 15 religions, whose clergy may receive state financial support. (The Romanian Orthodox Church predominates.) The State Secretariat for Religious Affairs has licensed 385 other faiths, organizations, and foundations as religious associations under two 1924 laws on juridical entities, entitling them to juridical status as well as to exemptions from income and customs taxes, but not recognizing them as religions. As a result, these religious associations may not found churches and are not permitted to perform rites of baptism, marriage, or burial. The official registration of faiths and organizations is extremely slow because of bureaucratic delays.

Learn more about Romania.

• Project Romania is under way.
• The current situation in Romania.
• A brief history of Romania.
• The Romanian Revolution.