PM Dacian Ciolos mentioned on Wednesday that he never thought to reshuffle JusMin Raluca Pruna, stating that he supports her because “she’s doing a good job”.
“Mrs. Raluca Pruna… I have never thought to a reshuffling. I appreciate that she boldly assumes the responsibility she has as a Minister of Justice. It’s a complicated position, especially here, in Romania, where we have so many opinions on how Justice must or must not do its job. She has some responsibilities to ensure the respect of the law, to ensure the existence of a right and substantial legislation. From my point of view, she does a great job and I support her”, stated Dacian Ciolos at TVR, according to Agerpres.
Regarding Minister of Agriculture, Achim Irimescu, subject to a simple motion in Parliament, PM stated that he had a conversation with him after the motion and he “put in his mind very clearly what he has to
“For the Agriculture there was a simple motion which passed and I considered very seriously the content of this motion, despite the fact that there were delays since the last year in preparing the software system for paying the grants. Some decisions were delayed because, of course, the former Minister of Agriculture wished to have several consultations with the farmers, but this caused some delays in taking the decisions on the granting schemes for the farmers and then decisions and delays in chain in designing the software. Things were accelerated, direct payment per hectare were already performed in an extent of more than 95 percent, over 1.4 billion EUR were paid and now the other grants are under payment on various sectors, especially in the animal field where we wish to accelerate things. So the minister knows very well what he has to do. First of all, I’m interested in performance. I had a conversation with him after this motion. I was very clear on what he has to do and I asked him to report as progresses are made”, added the Prime-Minister.
Ciolos also said that he didn’t negotiate the changes of the four ministers operated on Tuesday and that he announced the leaders of the two big parties on his intention shortly before making the announcement.
“I didn’t negotiate these changes. (…) According to the Constitution, reshuffling ministers is the responsibility of the PM who makes these proposals and which President has to accept in order for them to become operational. Indeed, I have consulted the leaders of the two big parties – PSD leader and PNL leaders. Regarding these nominations, I haven’t consulted them, but informed them. I wanted them to learn from me, and not from the press, about these nominations, and few minutes earlier than making the announcement and that statement, I had these phone-conversations in which I informed them about the decisions I took. I take decisions based on the performance of the ministers, which I measure by the targets I set”, PM said.
Liviu Dragnea, unsatisfied by the reshuffling made by PM Dacian Ciolos. Who should have also been reshuffled in the PSD President’s view
President of the Social Democrat Party, Liviu Dragnea, stated on Wednesday that one day earlier he was called by the phone by PM Dacian Ciolos, around 15 min. before he appeared in public, on the matter of reshuffling, saying that he asked pm WHY Raluca Pruna and Achim Irimescu are not on the list.
“Yesterday, before announcing the reshuffling, PM Dacian Ciolos called me by the phone to tell me about this intention before making the public announcement. I had the same question as you – why he stopped only here. He said that this reshuffling process might be not finished yet. I said that I am not very interested, given that Agriculture continues to be a field causing a very high level of dissatisfaction. He told me that associations in Agriculture are satisfied if they have a minister. In all the electoral campaign, while traveling in the country, I’ve never heard in any county any positive opinion on what’s happening in Agriculture; on the contrary – there are a lot of fears, a lot of angers because of cutting the grants and because of the possibility to submit projects financed by European funds was delayed in a very high extent. This was the conversation; I don’t have anything to comment. I had a single question – why the two ministers (Pruna and Irimescu – e.n.) are not on the list, and he said he thinks about it”, Dragnea stated at the end of the PSD’s National Standing Bureau (BPN) .
He appreciated that he was called first, deming this gesture of the PM as being “civilized”.
“But it wasn’t satisfying. There were other reshufflings in this technocrat Government, unfortunately there is an NGO approach – it doesn’t mean that the NGO approach is not right. (…) I saw a lot of words, I heard a lot of words, less actions, so I don’t have great hopes related to the new ministers. For instance, I don’t actually know where Mr. Curaj had a mistake. Mr. Curaj had no connection to PSD, but I didn’t feel such a big problem in the educational system, undoubtedly hi didn’t make spectacular things, but I didn’t understand why he was changed with the University’s rector”, Dragnea said.
PSD President mentioned that he was at the headquarters of the party when the Prime-Minister called him and that the Social Democrat parliamentarians will not a punishing behavior related to the Government.
“No, because we will not scold the Government for changing some ministers, out of which some were good or less good, and some were bad. I said I am disappointed for not expanding the reshuffling with two more ministers, as he was asked not only by me. I don’t have any personal matter with Mr. Irimescu or Mrs. Pruna, there are very many angers caused by these people in various social categories. I saw they’ve launched the country project yesterday, a very consistent one; it’s very good that after 8 months since we made this request, PSD is working for months at this document and at this project, we are open to cooperate with everybody. (…) But meetings like the yesterday one, which ended without any conclusion, and they will go on, it means this is only for image; PSD will not be part of this, we are busy. (…) Three weeks ago, nobody was speaking about the country project”, Liviu Dragnea stated.
