Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan noted that President Nicusor Dan’s upcoming nominations for the intelligence services will require coalition dialogue to ensure parliamentary backing.

He stressed that when it comes to candidates „from outside politics,” the issue lies with individuals, not parties.

The prime minister, speaking on Digi 24, was questioned about President Nicusor Dan’s view that nominees for the top posts at the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) and the Foreign Intelligence Service (SIE) should come from beyond the political sphere.

„It’s not the parties that are the problem, it’s the people. In my 20 years in administration I’ve worked with people from every party. You don’t choose who you work with — if there’s a minister in charge, you carry out projects with him. Most of the time, the problem wasn’t the party but the individual. You can be a career politician with long experience — which can help you, or on the other hand, give you the image of belonging to an underperforming side — but still be a serious person who does the job. Or you can come from outside politics and still be competent and reliable. Regardless of who is nominated for a position, when it comes to the intelligence services, the president must make the proposal, and a parliamentary majority is needed to approve it,” explained the prime minister.

He added that there will be a discussion within the coalition on this matter once the president puts forward a proposal.

„Certainly, the parties in the coalition should ensure the parliamentary vote for such a proposal. And when the president considers it appropriate to come forward with this proposal, there will definitely be a discussion, so that a majority is secured for the proposal to pass in Parliament. (…) It is a necessary condition – dialogue – to ensure that, with a coalition of four parties plus the minorities group, there is a vote in Parliament,” Ilie Bolojan said. AGERPRES