Romania's central bank governor hires former PM Dancila as personal advisor

The National Bank of Romania (BNR) confirmed on May 18 that former prime minister Viorica Dancila (Social Democratic Party) is an adviser to BNR governor Mugur Isarescu.

While this prompted public perplexity, equally relevant is the identity of another adviser revealed by G4media: former MEP Ioan Mircea Pascu. The appointment of both politicians was broadly seen as a threat to the central bank's credibility, given their problematic expertise.

The BNR governor has several advisers in his team, whom he appoints personally.

"Her experience as prime minister and her knowledge in the field" recommended former PM Dancila, explained Dan Suciu, BNR's communications director.

Economica.net learned that Dancila would serve in a team dedicated to elaborating a "national sustainability and green energy strategy."

Viorica Dancila (57) has served as prime minister between May 27, 2019 and November 26, 2019, and lost her mandate following the no-confidence motion following which the National Liberal Party (PNL) replaced the Social Democrat government. Dancila graduated, in 1988, from the Oil and Gas Institute (Ploiesti), and she worked until 2009, when she started her MEP career, for Petrom (later OMV Petrom).

In 2019, during PM Dancila's term, BNR governor Isarescu was given a new mandate as governor, Ziarul Financiar daily reminds.

G4Media learned that another Social Democrat top politician, former MEP Ioan Mircea Pascu, serves in a similar position of a personal advisor to BNR governor Isarescu.

An alumnus of the Foreign Trade faculty of the Academy of Economic studies - which was educating the economic nomenklatura later promoted in the intelligence services abroad - Pascu has served in high defence and security positions in Romania after the fall of communism in 1990, culminating with the role of the deputy president of the European Parliament. Incidentally, Isarescu graduated from the same Academy, same faculty of Foreign Trade, in the same year as Ioan Mircea Pascu.

In separate news, the Romanian body charged with investigating the documents of the former Communist secret services (Securitate), CNSAS, concluded last June that Isarescu collaborated with the communist secret police.CNSAS has filed a request to the Court of Appeal, in line with the procedures, asking it to rule on the status of BNR governor Isarescu as a former collaborator of Securitate, based on documents submitted.