2012 month by month in Romania- May: New government sworn in, Europa League final, controversial art and freaking out drink drivers

In May, the new Social Liberal Union government got down to business. There weren't many fireworks at first; the right noises were made to keep the IMF and the international community happy and acrimony between PM and President took a while get into full swing.

There's a long tradition of scaring the bejesus out of the population with public health and safety campaigns and there have been some truly frightening examples over the years. The Romanian police made a fine contribution to the public safety heritage with a wonderfully gothic and theatrical drink driving campaign in May. Groups of women dressed in traditional black mourning costumes were positioned outside drink driving hot spots, like nightclubs, where they would weep, wail and sing drink driving themed laments to party-goers on their way home. Romanian Police campaign against drunk driving using choir of mourners near clubs Public art is invariably tricky and it's rare that a new piece meets with universal approval. Controversy continued in Bucharest in May over a statue of the Roman Emperor Trajan, who conquered Ancient Dacia, depicted naked and cradling a wolf in his arms. Some described the statue as hideous or ridiculous but others had a different opinion. “It is a modern work, from one of our best sculptors, of an impeccable professionalism. […] I think these people would refuse even Brancusi these days,” said Mihai Oroveanu, director of the National Museum of Contemporary Art and president of the Public Monuments Commission. The statue is one of a series of three identical depictions of Trajan by the late Vasile Gorduz. The other two statues are in Rome and and Seville, Spain, where the venerable Trajan was born. Bucharest mayor inaugurates 'controversial' naked Trajan emperor and Dacian wolf bronze statue After gaining power via the vote of no confidence, the Social Liberal Union (USL) got down to business. New PM Victor Ponta named his new cabinet, which was duly approved by a comfortable parliamentary vote. Victor Ponta unveils new Government: Number two in Romanian Central Bank becomes Finance Minister New Government gets green light in Romania’s Parliament, already sworn in There was good news for Romanian oil and gas company Petrom, which is majority owned by Austrian OMV. The company announced record first quarter profits in May 2012. Q1 profit reached EUR 385 million, 65 percent up on the same period in 2011. Higher crude oil prices and increased gas demands during the hard winter helped Petrom to the record profits.