Dragoș Pîslaru and Oana Gheorghiu join PNL, REPER calls the move a personal decision

The defection

On Saturday, Minister of Investments and European Projects Dragoș Pîslaru and interim vice prime minister Oana Gheorghiu enrolled in the PNL. Both appear on the list of eight vice presidential candidates that party leader and prime minister Ilie Bolojan is putting forward at the PNL's extraordinary congress on Sunday. Pîslaru, a former co‑president of the reformist party REPER, had been serving in the government as an independent minister. Gheorghiu’s role as interim vice premier had also been outside formal party affiliation.

It is simply a matter of lending a hand at a difficult moment, both for PNL and for Romania.

Pîslaru's justification

Speaking to journalists, Pîslaru denied that his entry into the party was a condition of his ministerial post. He said that over nearly a year he had enjoyed the trust of the PNL and Ilie Bolojan to carry out his mandate.

Never did the president of the National Liberal Party force me to become a party member, nor was there any moment when my participation in the government was conditional on PNL membership.

He also highlighted results at his ministry, noting that Romania had reached a new record in non‑agricultural EU fund absorption of over 10 billion euros. Pîslaru added that he does not intend to compete with excellent colleagues inside the party but, through his public profile and the ministry's track record, to contribute to the party's effort.

REPER's response

REPER, the party Pîslaru co‑founded after leaving USR in May 2022, issued a statement calling his move a personal decision that must be respected. The party stressed that it was never built around a single person but around a community united by values, competence and public responsibility. REPER president Camelia Sălcudean said the party would continue its course without hesitation, investing in people, expertise and serious public policies.

People can choose different paths, but the principles that lay at the foundation of this project remain the same.

The statement also argued that the cooptation of Pîslaru into the government confirmed the value and seriousness of the organization.

Broader context

Pîslaru’s move comes amid what REPER describes as unprecedented pressure on reformist forces, with no‑confidence motions without alternatives and attacks on those who resist a clientelist system. The minister said he would welcome a joint reformist and pro‑European effort with REPER for the 2028 electoral cycle, but that such decisions rest with REPER's leadership.

I would be glad to see a common political effort for 2028, but these decisions are at the level of REPER's leadership. No one can push REPER to take decisions one way or another.

Pîslaru's political career includes serving as labor minister in the Cioloș government, as an MEP, and as co‑president of REPER alongside Ramona Strugariu until 2025. The PNL congress on Sunday is expected to confirm Ilie Bolojan's leadership team, with the two former REPER figures now part of that slate.

Legislative note

Separately, Pîslaru said work continues on the salary law. Consultations were held on Friday with local administration structures and he expects to present a much improved version of the bill next week.