Alexandru Athanasiu

Alexandru Athanasiu (born January 1, 1955) is a Romanian politician and jurist. A former leader of the Romanian Social Democratic Party (PSDR), he is a member of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) since 2001. Athanasiu served as Prime Minister on an interim basis from December 13 to December 22, 1999, heading the Romanian Democratic Convention (CDR) cabinet after the resignation of Radu Vasile. On January 1, 2007, with the accession of Romania to the European Union, Athanasiu became a Member of the European Parliament for the PSD (inside the Party of European Socialists).

An author of several scientific works, he is the recipient of a PhD in Law, as well as a professor at the University of Bucharest (since 1999). In 1995, his volume Legea Asigurărilor Sociale ("The Law on Social Security") received the Romanian Academy's Simion Bărnuţiu Award.