What Young Romanians Should Know about the New President’s Priorities

Key Messages from President Dan’s First Press Conference:

After a tough battle against the rise of extremism, Nicușor Dan received no political honeymoon. In addition to a demanding foreign agenda, he faces serious domestic challenges. Among the most urgent: forming a new government, tackling a massive budget deficit, and — in the longer term — reforming the judiciary.

In this difficult context, the new president called on young people to get involved in politics and civil society, stressing that much needs to change.

1. Budget Deficit: Romania currently has the highest budget deficit in the EU — over 9% of GDP.

Proposed Solutions:

a. Tax increases, including VAT: Although Dan promised during his campaign not to raise taxes, such measures are now being considered.

“For years, we’ve been paying for a medium pizza and eating a large one. Someone has to cover that difference,” he said.

b. Cutting public sector costs:

“We need to restructure the state apparatus, cut allowances for those on various boards, eliminate sinecures, and merge many institutions,” said Dan. He estimated these changes could take at least six months to implement, starting from January 1, 2026.

2. Tax Evasion

Proposed solution:

a. Strengthening ANAF (the tax authority): Dan suggested involving the SRI (Romanian Intelligence Service) to collect information on tax evasion, which would then be passed to ANAF and prosecutors.

Context: This is a controversial proposal, as the Constitutional Court has ruled several times in the past decade that the SRI should not be involved in such investigations.

3. Fighting Corruption

“I’m not at all satisfied with the current state of anti-corruption efforts. Entire areas of corruption are being ignored by the state. Once we resolve the budget and government formation, justice will become my top priority,” Dan said.

4. Intelligence Services

Dan emphasized the need for a civilian director at the SRI and likely a new head of the SIE.

Context: The SIE is currently led by Gabriel Vlase, a Social Democrat known more for his passion for Formula 1 than for national security, even attending races during a political crisis in 2024.

Eduard Hellvig resigned as SRI director in 2023, and no replacement was named by the previous president. The service is currently led by a military general.

5. Clarifying the cancellation of the November 2024 elections: Dan acknowledged this as a serious concern and promised to address it starting in July, once he has time.

6. Disinformation

Proposed solution: Inspired by Moldova’s approach, Dan is considering shutting down websites that spread disinformation.

7. Romanian Army

The military faces multiple issues: outdated or incomplete legislation, poor equipment — including a lack of proper boots and weapons.

“I’ll get involved directly. So far, my discussions with the Army have focused only on international obligations. But I’ll treat this as a priority, and in a few months, I’ll provide a comprehensive assessment,” said the president.

8. Reforming the Constitutional Court

Proposed solution: Constitutional Court judges should be selected from among experienced magistrates.

Foreign Policy — A Key Presidential Role

a. “Romania hasn’t been active enough. That must change. We should push harder for our interests — such as Moldova’s EU integration — especially as discussions on the 2028–2034 EU financial package begin in the second half of the year.”

b. US Relations:

“The annulled elections created a moment of distrust with the U.S., though it wasn’t officially expressed. I believe we’ve largely moved past it. Within our Strategic Partnership, we have several dialogue levels — military, political, technical — and any official visits should be preceded by technical discussions.”

c. Support for Ukraine:

Dan emphasized the need to change how Romania communicates its support for Ukraine: “We must clearly explain that helping Ukraine is in Romania’s own national interest, as well as in the interest of Moldova’s security.”

d. Black Sea Strategy: Romania currently lacks a coherent Black Sea strategy that it can present to European and Euro-Atlantic partners.