Romanian Lower House Ratifies Missile Defense Shield Agreement

The bill was adopted in the plenum with 261 votes for, four against and one abstention.

The bill was drafted by the Defense Ministry and the Foreign Affairs Ministry and was approved by the Government in October. It will be sent to the Senate, which has the final say on the matter.

Negotiations between Romania and the U.S. on the shield lasted one year and an agreement was signed on September 13 in Washington by Romanian Foreign Affairs Minister Teodor Baconschi and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The agreement will take effect after it is ratified by both houses of Parliament.