Romanian Liberals Submit Motion To Lower Chamber, Call For Transp Minister’s Resignation

Eugen Nicolaescu, head of liberal lawmakers in the Chamber of Deputies, submitted the motion against Berceanu in the chamber’s plenary meeting on Wednesday. The motion was signed by 52 liberal deputies and Chamber Speaker Roberta Anastase concluded the motion observes the provisions of the Chamber’s Regulation.

Liberals said in the motion that the „deficiencies in Romania’s transport system and infrastructure” forced them to take a stand and act against „the lack of achievements and never-ending errors.”

Liberals say Berceanu is not at all interested in the construction of highways and he is very much like his predecessors, among whom Traian Basescu, Anca Boagiu and Gheorghe Dobre, who, according to liberals, „weren’t the least bit interested in building highways.”

According to liberals, Berceanu is only capable of embezzling state funds, which, they stress, are put at the disposal of his party’s own political clientele. They also say Berceanu shows indifference and stubbornness when it comes to airport infrastructure, as he strongly opposes the construction of an international airport in Brasov, central Romania.

Liberals also criticize Berceanu for „the lack of strategies in the transport sector,” and point out that Berceanu’s indifference sparked suspicions and doubt among private economic operators engrossed in transport infrastructure works.

Liberals consider that Berceanu is not at all interested in the absorption of European Union funds and the country’s transport system, in general. Therefore, they expressed their eagerness to bring out all irregularities seen in the activity carried out by Bercenu and called on deputies to vote in favor of the motion.

Mid-March this year, the Romanian Senate’s Standing Office approved the setting up of a committee to look into the activity unfolded by the Transport Ministry from 2005 to 2009.

The future committee will investigate the legitimacy of contracts concluded by the ministry, namely, subsequent changes in their value following alterations in the initial technical solutions, for the projects unfolded by the ministry and the country’s public roads authority CNADNR during 2005-2009.