The President of Romania, Nicușor Dan, spoke on Wednesday about USR’s proposal for the position of Ombudsman, Roxana Rizoiu, stating that he finds it „appropriate.”
The head of state said that he did not know her, but he received positive references.
"She is a lady I did not know. I requested references, I received positive references about her. I find it appropriate," stated Nicuțor Dan.
However, he criticized Renate Weber's mandate, accusing her of defending the interests of "real estate developers," not those of the citizens.
"I believe that this institution of the Romanian state must respect its name, 'of the people.' What I have seen, unfortunately, with Mrs. Renate Weber, was not really 'of the people.' There was even a very nicely elaborated complaint, which I have seen in the viewpoints of courts of real estate developers, which helps the 'people of the real estate developers,'" said the head of state.
Last week, USR proposed Roxana Rizoiu, a human rights expert, for the position of Ombudsman.
In the context of the Bolojan Government formation, the Ombudsman and CNCD institutions have returned to USR in political negotiations, so it is expected that the entire coalition will support her in the parliamentary vote.
Renate Weber's mandate expired long ago, in June 2024, but so far, the Parliament has not appointed anyone else, so she has remained in office.
Who is Roxana Rizoiu
Roxana Rizoiu is a jurist with international experience before the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), a trainer of generations of magistrates, and a "respected voice" in the field of human rights, as stated by USR in a statement released last week.
She is not and has never been a member of any political party.
"The Ombudsman must be the voice of those who have no power, not an annex of politics. Romania needs an honest, courageous, and competent person who truly defends the rights of citizens against abuses. Roxana Rizoiu has the experience, balance, and moral authority necessary to build trust in this institution," said USR leader Dominic Fritz.
After graduating from the Law Faculty of the University of Bucharest (1997), Roxana Rizoiu entered through a competition at the Ministry of Justice, where she worked in the Government Agent Directorate for the ECHR.
"She had two mandates as the Government Agent of Romania at the ECHR, within the Ministry of Justice (2000-2002) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2004-2005). In this capacity, she coordinated the defense of the Romanian state before the European Court, even participating in public hearings.
She collaborated with national institutions to promote the legislative and administrative changes necessary to prevent the repetition of human rights violations, an experience that provided her with a deep perspective on the importance of reform and the state's responsibility to its citizens," added USR.
Between 2007 and 2022, she was a trainer at the National Institute of Magistracy (INM), where she held the position of chair of Human Rights and was elected for five terms in the Scientific Council of INM.
Since 2023, Roxana Rizoiu has been the director responsible for knowledge management and professional development in a law firm and is also part of a multidisciplinary team developing an artificial intelligence solution dedicated to legal professionals.