Ponta Cabinet III: Everything you need to know about Romania’s new minister hopefuls

Prime-minister Victor Ponta announced the new governing coalition on Monday night, a conglomerate of ministers from PSD, UDMR, PC and UNPR.

Some of the choices were completely out of left field and took many by surprise. BR presents the more controversial nominations that the Parliament will have to approve on Tuesday, in order to swear in the new Government by Wednesday.

Ministry of Finances – Ioana Petrescu

Ioana Petrescu filled the position of fiscal counselor for Victor Ponta and is only 34 years old, a fact that has caused many eyebrows to rise. The PM said that even though Petrescu is very young, she has plenty of experience in the field.

She was appointed in September in the position of state counselor for the PM’s Chancellery. With an Economy Doctorate from Harvard University, Ioana Petrescu graduated Wellesley College with a diploma in Economy and Mathematics. Before she returned to Romania, she taught at the Maryland School of Public Policy.

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“She doesn’t have enough experience but that can be a good thing since she doesn’t have the negative experience of bureaucratic structure. The nomination was a surprise for her. She participated at a series of economically themed meetings with me and she schooled Ialomitianu in matters of applied economics. She winned me over that day and I believe she can handle it”, Ponta said, quoted by MEDIAFAX.

Minister of Information Society – Alexandru Razvan Cotovelea

Alexandru Razvan Cotovelea, 41 years old, holds a masters degree in the field of Energetics/Management from Politehnica. Since 2005, he’s a teacher at the National School of Political and Administrative Sciences (SNSPA).

Between 1997 and 1998, Cotovelea worked as an expert for the Romanian Agency of Development and in the Department for European Integration. He also filled the position of Director for the Integration Asisstance Direction, where he was responsible with implementing 3 Phare projects worth over EUR 4 million.

Cotovelea then was employed by the Ministry of European Integration and put in charge of the Authority for Coordinating Structural Instruments as part of the Ministry of Public Finances. He is also the man behind the National Strategy for Increasing Administrative Capacity and also behind the Structural Instrument Communication and Information Plan.

Minister of Sport and Youth – Gabriela Szabo 

At 38 years old, Gabriela Szabo is one of the greatest Athletes in Romanian history. In 1999 she was designated the best athlete in the world. Since 2013, she has worked as a counselor for minister Banicioiu.

Minister of SMEs and Tourism – Florin Jianu

Jianu is 38 years old and has served as the President of The Young Entrepreneur Employers of Romania since 2007. He’s also the vicepresident for the National Council of SME’s (CNIMPR). Jianu is an independent player who previously worked for the Presidency as a coordinator of territorial programs.

Florin Jianu also holds a president position for the Europroject Centre for Consultancy, an NGO that so far has paid him RON 165,000 and he earns another RON 10,000 in dividends from SC Advice Media Group SRL, writes hotnews.ro.

Delegate Minister for Energy – Razvan Nicolescu

Despite his age of only 36 years old, Razvan Nicolescu has experience in his field given that he’s been working for OMV Petrom since 2008 as a director of public affairs and regulation. He’s also the vicepresident of the European Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER), a position he earned in 2010.

From 2006 to 2008 he worked as an attache for energy problems at the European Union. Between 2007 and 2008 he represented Romania in the Russia-EU discussion group for energy problems  Since august 2008 he is part of the Petrom management team, one of the youngest to ever hold the position in the history of the company.

Delegate Minister for Romanians Everywhere – Bogdan Stanoevici

Bogdan Stanoevici (56 years old) is Ponta’s proposal for the minister in charge of Romanians everywhere. A professional actor, Stanoevici returned to Romania after he spent 22 years in France. In December last year, he was rumored to be next in line to lead the National Centre of Cinematography (CNC). There were also indications he might be named as president of ICR Berlin.

In the 80’s, he acted in “Noi, cei din linia intai” by Sergiu Nicolaescu (1985) and “Sania albastra” by Ioan Carmazan (1987). He left Romania right before the Revolution in May 1989 and settled in France for a time, before returning in 2011 to his home country.