Romanian PM sacks head of Energy Regulation Authority

The president of Romania's National Regulation Authority for Energy (ANRE) Dan Iulius Plaveti was sacked by order of the Prime Minister and replaced by Niculae Havrileţ, a former head of the State Domains Agency. This follows a row of dismissals at various state institutions, started after the new Government took office earlier this year. Earlier this month, the PM Victor Ponta sacked the vice-president of ANRE Petre Lificiu over what Ponta described as “arrogant” comments. Lificiu is reported to have belittled people complaining about the upcoming increase in domestic energy prices and dismissed the rise as inconsequential, saying “Five percent means nothing. It means we won’t leave the bathroom light on when we go to work.” More about the firing spree at public institutions in Romania in our story here. editor@romania-insider.com