The National Order of Merit ( ro, Ordinul Național Pentru Merit) is an
order which is part of the
National System of Decorations of
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
. A medal of merit also exists, but does not confer membership in the order.
History
The current order continues a tradition going back well over a century.
Composition of the order
The National Order of Merit is awarded in five grades in civil and military divisions, as well as a wartime division. It may be awarded to Romanians, foreign citizens, and military units. Its number is limited to 7,500 members. Members of the order are referred to as Knights of the Order for Merit, regardless of grade. Awards to foreigners, awards to military units, and awards in the wartime division are not figured in the total number under the order's limits. Awards are limited by grade and division as follows:
*
Grand Cross
Grand Cross is the highest class in many orders, and manifested in its insignia. Exceptionally, the highest class may be referred to as Grand Cordon or equivalent. In other cases, there may exist a rank even higher than Grand Cross, e.g. Grand ...
,
150 civilian and
50 military
*Grand Officer,
300 civilian and
100 military
*Commander,
675 civilian and
225 military
*Officer,
1,500 civilian and
500 military
*Knight,
3,000 civilian and
1,000 military
*Medal:
Civil and
Military Merit Medal
Criteria
The National Order of merit recognizes important civil or military services rendered to Romania. Qualifying important services may include:
[
*Safeguarding the independence, sovereignty, territorial unity and integrity of the Romanian State
*Developing the national economy
*Accomplishments in the fields of science, art, or culture
*Contribution to the development of relationships between Romania and other countries or international organizations
*Meritorious military service organizing and managing military operations
*Deeds committed on the battlefield or during military conflicts
]
Notable recipients
Historical form
* Moses Gaster
Moses Gaster (17 September 1856 – 5 March 1939) was a Romanian, later British scholar, the ''Hakham'' of the Spanish and Portuguese Jewish congregation, London, and a Hebrew and Romanian linguist. Moses Gaster was an active Zionist in Romani ...
(1856–1939), "For Merit" National Order of the first class (1891)
Current form
* Nineta Barbulescu
*Marek Belka
Marek Marian Belka (; born 9 January 1952 in Lódź) is a Polish professor of economics and politician who has served as Prime Minister of Poland and Finance Minister of Poland in two governments. He is a former Director of the International M ...
* Valentina Butnaru
* Ion Caramitru
* Franz, Duke of Bavaria
* Mircea Hava
*Keith Hitchins
Keith Arnold Hitchins (April 2, 1931 – November 1, 2020) was an American historian and a professor of Eastern European history at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, specializing in Romania and its history.
He was born in Schenect ...
* Ion Jinga
* Mark A. Meyer
* Mihnea Motoc
*Raymond T. Odierno
Raymond Thomas Odierno (8 September 1954 – 8 October 2021) was an American military officer who served as a four-star general of the United States Army and as the 38th chief of staff of the Army. Prior to his service as chief of staff, Odiern ...
* Mircea Răceanu
* Prince Radu of Romania
*Iancu Țucărman
Iancu Țucărman (30 October 1922 – 8 January 2021) was a Romanian Jewish agricultural engineer and survivor of the Holocaust and the Iași pogrom. He was the penultimate survivor of the "Death's Train" () that was used to deport Jews from t ...
References
External links
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{{Romanian National Decorations System
Orders, decorations, and medals of Romania
Orders of merit
National Order of Merit (Romania)