Prime Minister-designate Ludovic Orban has submitted to the Parliament the list of ministers and the governing program for debate and vote in the joint session of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate which could take place, at the earliest, next week.
The government proposed by the PNL leader respects the previous public commitment to consist of a small number of ministries. Reorganization means the disappearance of the Ministry of Energy as a distinct entity, as it is incorporated into a new Ministry of Economy, Energy and Business Environment. The PNL deputy Virgil Popescu, deputy chairman of the Committee on Industries and Services of the Chamber of Deputies, is proposed as minister.
The elimination of the Ministry of Energy was strongly criticized by reputed voices in the energy community, among which Răzvan Nicolescu, the former head of the Energy Department (2014). “I hope these rumors about the disappearance of the Ministry of Energy will not come true! The last thing the energy sector needs is the disappearance of the ministry. It would be a big mistake for this to happen. It could even be the fatal blow”, Răzvan Nicolescu wrote on Facebook, on October 13th.
Since December 2014, an delegated minister for energy, small and medium-sized enterprises and business environment was created in the Ponta IV government, occupied by Andrei Gerea. In the Cioloș government, the Ministry of Energy was headed by Victor Grigorescu (November 2015-January 2017). The three PSD-ALDE governments that followed during the 2017-2019 had two Energy Ministers, from ALDE: Toma Petcu (January 2017-January 2018) and Anton Anton (January 2018-August 2019).
Composition of the Orban Government
- Prime Minister – Ludovic Orban
- Deputy Prime Minister – Raluca Turcan
- Ministry of Education and Research – Monica Anisie (president of PNL Sector 2)
- Ministry of Economy, Energy and Business Environment – Virgil Popescu (PNL deputy)
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Bogdan Aurescu (presidential adviser, career diplomat)
- Ministry of Defense – Nicolae Ciucă (General, Chief of Defense Staff)
- Ministry of Labor and Social Protection – Violeta Alexandru (PNL president Bucharest)
- Ministry of Public Works, Development and Administration – Ion Ștefan (PNL deputy)
- Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests – Costel Alexe (president PNL Iași)
- Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure and Communications – Lucian Bode (PNL deputy)
- Ministry of Public Finance – Florin Cîțu (leader of PNL senators)
- Ministry of Justice – Cătălin Predoiu (PNL deputy)
- Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development – Adrian Oros (PNL deputy)
- Ministry of Health – Victor Costache (non-affiliated)
- Ministry of Internal Affairs – Marcel Vela (PNL senator)
- Ministry of European Funds – Marcel Boloș (non-affiliated, director general of the North-West Regional Development Agency)
- Ministry of Culture – Bogdan Gheorghiu (PNL deputy)
- Ministry of Youth and Sport – Ionuț Stroe (PNL deputy)
- General Secretariat of the Government – Gabriel Andronache (PNL deputy)
PNL leader Ludovic Orban is the prime minister appointed by President Klaus Iohannis to form the new government, following the censure motion dismissed by the PSD cabinet led by Viorica Dăncilă.