Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan stated on Wednesday that he has agreed with Save Romania Union (USR) chair Dominic Fritz that the party will submit a proposal for the Defence portfolio by the end of next week, adding that the person put forward must have „a professional background demonstrating qualification” so that the ministry is managed as effectively as possible.

„I discussed with the USR leader, Mr Dominic Fritz, and we agreed that by the end of next week, meaning by 19 Friday, I will receive a proposal from USR so that I can assess it and, in turn, submit it to the President [Nicusor Dan], allowing us to complete the procedure for appointing a new Minister of Defence and the swearing-in. I will wait for the proposals until then; I cannot speculate about one person or another. The more you appoint someone to a portfolio who has expertise in that field, whose professional background demonstrates qualification, experience and authority, the greater the chance that the portfolio will be properly managed. I hope such a proposal will be submitted,” Ilie Bolojan said on Wednesday evening on private broadcaster B1 TV.

In this context, he noted that each party bears responsibility for the proposals it puts forward, when asked whether, this time, he would examine more carefully the CV of the nominee, given that in the case of former Defence Minister Ionut Mosteanu he admitted he had not insisted too much on checking the CV, since the minister came from the party entitled to make the nomination.

„I will see who the person is, but we must explain things to people correctly. When a party puts forward a proposal, if the proposed person clearly has no connection with the field, has no practical experience or has certain issues, then unless you have absolutely clear grounds on which to reject such a proposal, such a rejection takes you into an area of subjectivity and endless debate. Each party is responsible for the proposals it makes, and validation occurs over time, depending on whether the person delivers in that portfolio. Generally, in forming the Government, the parties practically had the freedom to come forward with proposals, but of course an assessment was made to ensure that ministers had no problems. They had no problems, but sometimes, as you see, you may have no issues yet still fail to deliver or fail to perform in that position,” the prime minister added.

Ionut Mosteanu resigned as Minister of Defence two weeks ago, admitting that he had made „mistakes” several years earlier in drafting his CV. The Minister of Economy, Radu Miruta, has taken over the Defence portfolio on an interim basis until a permanent minister is appointed. AGERPRES