Romanian Government in Crisis over Development Program

Romania’s government coalition is in major crisis after the dismissal of the country’s justice minister, Stelian Ion, by prime minister Florin Citu. After suffering two minister losses recently without prior notice, junior coalition party USR PLUS are calling on the senior coalition party, the National Liberal Party (PNL),  to name a new head of government. USR PLUS party representatives have threatened to leave the government coalition or may support a no confidence vote against the government.

The crisis around the justice minister is related to the approval of a national development program worth EUR 10 billion that prime minister Citu has insisted upon. USR PLUS argues that its approval would mean the successor program would maintain a system launched in the past that allowed pro-government mayors to access funds without any controls over EU funded projects.

Minister Ion has refused to approve the related normative act which could lead to Citu deciding to dismiss the justice minister, arguing that he “opposed the modernization of Romania.”

Source: Balkan Insight, Euractiv