Siegfried Mureșan, the joint proposal of PNL, USR, and UDMR for the position of prime minister, is one of the most influential Romanian MEPs and currently holds the position of Vice President of the European People’s Party (EPP), the largest political family in the European Union.
At 45 years old, Mureșan was elected Vice President of PNL last Sunday, in the team led by Ilie Bolojan.
He was born in Hunedoara, and his mother is of German origin.
– **Studies and Early Career**
His academic background is closely linked to Germany. He graduated from the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest, with a major in German-language instruction, and then continued his studies with a master’s degree in economics and management at Humboldt University in Berlin.
He began his career in European and German institutions, starting as a fellow and later becoming an advisor to Gunther Krichbaum, the President of the Committee on European Affairs in the Bundestag. Since 2011, he has worked in Brussels as the principal political advisor on economic issues within the European People’s Party.
– **Launched into Romanian Politics by Traian Băsescu**
Siegfried Mureșan entered Romanian politics in 2014 when he was elected as a Member of the European Parliament on the lists of the Popular Movement Party, a formation initiated by former President Traian Băsescu.
During that time, he supported Elena Udrea’s campaign in the presidential elections, and Traian Băsescu subsequently nominated him as one of his options for the position of prime minister.
In 2018, he joined PNL, where he later became the president of the Diaspora organization, and recently he was elected as the party’s vice president.
– **Key Role in Negotiations on the European Union Budget**
At the European level, Mureșan is the first Romanian MEP to be appointed as the Chief Negotiator of the European Parliament for the annual budget of the European Union, a role he held in 2018 and again in 2024.
He is also one of the negotiators for the future multi-annual budget of the European Union for the period 2028-2034. In this capacity, he contributes to negotiations on a financial package estimated at around two trillion euros.
He was a co-rapporteur for the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism (PNRR). In this role, he contributed to introducing changes such as increasing pre-financing and extending the period during which member states can use European funds.
– **Supporter of Moldova’s Integration into the EU**
Siegfried Mureșan leads the European Parliament Delegation for Relations with the Republic of Moldova and is one of the main supporters of Chisinau’s accession to the European Union.
He has negotiated several financial support packages aimed at modernizing infrastructure and reforms in the Republic of Moldova. For his work, he was awarded the Order of Honor by President Maia Sandu in 2021.
On a personal note, Siegfried Mureșan is married to Cătălina Manea, an expert in fraud prevention at the European Investment Bank in Luxembourg. He is fluent in German, English, and French.