PNL turns back on Eugen Tomac as Mureșan demands majority government and economic reform
Romania's National Liberal Party (PNL) will not back the cabinet proposed by PMP leader Eugen Tomac, PNL MEP Siegfried Mureșan told Adevărul, citing the need for a parliamentary majority and deep economic reforms.
PNL rejects Tomac's cabinet
Siegfried Mureșan, a PNL MEP, told Adevărul that his party will not support the government put forward by Eugen Tomac, the leader of the People's Movement Party (PMP). Although PMP remains a member of the European People's Party and has two representatives in the Romanian Parliament, Tomac won his European Parliament seat on a joint list and now sits with the Renew Europe group. Mureșan argued that any prime minister without a proper parliamentary majority cannot enact the economic reforms Romania urgently needs. He noted that the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) hold a populist majority in the legislature, united behind a common agenda.
If Mr. Tomac were a Mario Draghi, then perhaps we would look at him differently, but reality is otherwise.
Economic legacy and stabilization
Mureșan described the economic situation Romania faced after former PSD prime minister Marcel Ciolacu left office as "extremely delicate." The budget deficit had ballooned to over 9%, triggering a real risk of losing access to EU funds and a credit rating downgrade below investment grade. Over the past year, Ilie Bolojan's leadership has stabilized the economy, though the danger is not fully past. The necessary reforms, Mureșan said, are already spelled out in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) and annual European Commission country reports. What is missing is not a diagnosis but the political will to act.
- Ciolacu government leaves deficit over 9%, risking EU fund freeze and rating downgrade
- Ilie Bolojan stabilizes the economy over the past year
- PNL's Siegfried Mureșan rejects Eugen Tomac's proposed cabinet in Adevărul interview
Party unity and long-term strategy
The PNL MEP called for party discipline in any confidence vote and warned that the strategic goal remains winning the next elections to form a majority without the PSD. He underscored that PNL will not be part of any executive that includes social democrats, directly or indirectly. Tomac's proposed cabinet, lacking its own parliamentary base, does not meet that threshold.
