USR Deputy Claudiu Năsui has accepted the proposal to take over the leadership of the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization in the Republic of Moldova. If appointed, he will resign from his position as a deputy in the Romanian Parliament.
The proposal was announced on Tuesday by Moldovan Prime Minister Vasile Tofan as part of a government reshuffle. Năsui is expected to replace Eugeniu Osmochescu, who has been proposed to lead the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry, reports Calea Europeană.
As this is a reshuffle, Năsui does not need to be individually voted on by the Parliament in Chișinău. The appointment is to be made by decree of President Maia Sandu, at the proposal of the Prime Minister, after which the new minister must take the oath.
"I have accepted to take over the portfolio of Minister of Economy in the Government of the Republic of Moldova," announced Claudiu Năsui in a post on Facebook.
He says he resonated with Prime Minister Vasile Tofan's plan to transform the Republic of Moldova into a more entrepreneur-friendly country and that he wants to contribute to the continuation of the liberalization and privatization process started after the fall of communism.
"I have chosen to respond to Mr. Tofan's invitation to join the Government of the Republic of Moldova, even though this step involves resigning from my position as a deputy in the Romanian Parliament and dedicating my experience to a new reform effort," Năsui conveyed.
The former minister argues that the prosperity of the Republic of Moldova depends on respecting private property, economic freedom, and reducing state intervention in the economy.
"Wealth and prosperity, before they can be redistributed by the state, must first be produced, and the necessary premises for this are precisely the values of the free market, which have worked wherever they have been applied," he wrote.
Năsui believes that the Republic of Moldova is at a decisive moment, where it must make the necessary reforms to join the European Union. "Prime Minister Tofan has the difficult but honorable mission of leading his country in the right direction: towards freedom and closer to Romania and Europe," added the USR deputy.
Received Citizenship of the Republic of Moldova
Also on Tuesday, President Maia Sandu signed the decree granting Claudiu-Iulius-Gavril Năsui the citizenship of the Republic of Moldova. The decree came into effect on the date of signing.
Prime Minister Vasile Tofan presented him as an economist with experience in the private sector, politics, and central administration. Năsui holds a degree in Economics from the University of Paris-Dauphine and a master's in Finance from Bocconi University. He has worked for PwC and BCR and holds the CFA financial certification.
"Throughout this period, he has built a very clear profile: less bureaucracy, more transparency in how the state spends money, more discipline in the public sector, and more space for entrepreneurs," conveyed the Moldovan Prime Minister, according to Unimedia.
Claudiu Năsui has been a deputy since 2016 and led the Ministry of Economy, Entrepreneurship, and Tourism in the Florin Cîțu Government from December 23, 2020, to September 7, 2021. In 2014, he launched Open Budget, a platform that presents in an accessible form data on the state's budget and expenditures.
Precedent Anca Dragu
Năsui is not the first Romanian politician called to hold an important position in the Republic of Moldova. Anca Dragu, former Minister of Finance and former President of the Romanian Senate, received Moldovan citizenship and was appointed in December 2023 as the governor of the National Bank of Moldova. She then resigned from her position as a USR senator in the Romanian Parliament.
Dragu was the first woman to lead the Romanian Senate and is also the first woman to head the National Bank of Moldova. Her term as governor is seven years.
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