Nicușor Dan summons party leaders on 12 July to break political deadlock and save EU funds

Call for talks

President Nicușor Dan has summoned the leaders of Romania's parliamentary parties to Cotroceni Palace on Monday, 12 July, to seek a way out of a protracted political crisis. According to multiple political sources, the meeting will include Ilie Bolojan (PNL), Sorin Grindeanu (PSD), Dominic Fritz (USR) and Kelemen Hunor (UDMR). The president wants each leader to publicly state their vision for a governing majority and a new cabinet.

At this moment, strictly at this moment, I don't feel that a solution is emerging.

The invitation follows weeks of stalled negotiations after the dismissal of Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan. President Dan, who has just returned from a NATO summit in Brussels, insists that the main responsibility lies with the parties themselves.

At Monday's meeting I want each leader to say what majority solution they see, and I will ask them not only to tell me, but to tell you as well, because they bear the primary responsibility.

Stalemate and conditions

The political deadlock centres on a rotating premiership proposal and mutual distrust. PSD has indicated it would accept a rotation only if it holds the post first. Meanwhile, PNL, together with USR and UDMR, has nominated Siegfried Mureșan as premier. PSD demands that PNL first annul internal resolutions that rule out any coalition with the Social Democrats.

A first step would be not to invent something else; they should make a decision that we've overcome that and sit down to talk.

A "truce government" scenario backed by PSD-PNL-UDMR but excluding USR has also been floated, with finance minister Alexandru Nazare mentioned as a possible premier.

EU funds at risk

Beyond forming a government, the talks are urgent because Romania risks losing 4.5 billion euros in European Union recovery funds if parliament does not meet in an extraordinary session to pass six critical pieces of legislation. These include a new urbanism code and a unified salary law. Dismissed prime minister Bolojan has stressed that a temporary arrangement is needed to enact these laws before any new executive takes office.

We have requested a reciprocity agreement... guarantees that can be put into practice, so that such an installation has the effect of implementing the measures that Romania needs. For things are not over.

He warned that simply overcoming the immediate fund absorption deadline would not stabilise the situation.

Next steps

President Dan's direct call for public answers marks a shift toward transparency, as he seeks to force the parties to commit in front of the electorate. Whether the 12 July meeting will break the impasse remains uncertain, but the pressure of the looming EU fund deadline and the prolonged political instability raise the stakes for all sides.