Romania’s new defense and economy ministers take the oath of office

Romania’s new ministers of defense and economy took the oath of office on Tuesday, December 23, at the Cotroceni Palace, during a special ceremony. As such, Radu Miruță (picture, right) is the new minister for defense, and Irineu Darău (picture, left) is the minister for economy.

The Save Romania Union (USR) party proposed Radu Miruță, then-minister of economy, for the position of minister of defense, and Irineu Darău as his replacement at the former ministry. The two were later validated by the party’s political committee.

Radu Miruță also held the interim position at the Defense Ministry after party colleague Ionuț Moșteanu resigned in November amid a scandal related to his university studies. The controversy erupted after Libertatea reported that Moșteanu had falsely claimed in his first official CV to have graduated from Athenaeum University, an institution that said he was never a student. He later admitted to the mistake and presented a different diploma obtained in 2015. He had been in office for only 5 months.

According to USR, the new defence minister already “demonstrated rigor in governmental activity” and was involved in the implementation of the SAFE Program in Romania, an EU-backed program for equipping the Army. Miruță will also be a deputy prime minister in the coalition government.

“I managed to set important things in motion at the Ministry of Economy and, as the responsible deputy prime minister also overseeing this area, I will ensure that we maintain the right direction we have embarked on together with a committed team, with my colleague Irineu Darău alongside me in leadership. At the Ministry of Defense, I will do everything within my power to ensure that the Romanian Army receives the respect it deserves and that our country continues forward on the right path,” Miruță said on Facebook, sharing the oath ceremony.

Darău, in turn, has over 15 years of professional experience accumulated in the private sector, including international contexts, working for companies and complex projects in the industrial, financial, and technological fields. His activity has included software architecture, coordination of projects and teams, as well as collaboration with major international clients. He was elected as a senator for Brașov in 2020.