Romanian lawmakers will come under pressure from the European Union and from their own government in the coming days to reconsider a key piece of anti-corruption legislation rejected by the parliament's upper chamber on Thursday.

A day after the Romanian Senate voted down a proposed law that would allow the country's anti-corruption prosecutor to investigate senior politicians and judges, Traian Basescu, the president, invited the heads of political parties to meet him next week to discuss the legislation. The move followed a request from Calin Tariceanu, the prime minister, that Mr Basescu resubmit the bill to parliament.