Joint plenary meeting of Parliament for the appoinment of BNR BD and Fiscal Council members started

The Senate and the Chamber of Deputies gathered on Wednesday in a joint extraordinary session to appoint the new members of the Board of Directors (BD) of the National Bank of Romania (BNR), the Fiscal Council and the president of the National Audiovisual Council (CNA). BNR Governor Mugur Isarescu received a favourable approval on Tuesday, for a new mandate at the helm of the BNR, being unanimously voted by the budget-finance committees of the Deputies' Chamber and the Senate. Moreover, also unanimously validated were the members proposed for the BNR Board of Directors, namely Florin Georgescu - BNR First Deputy Governor office, Leonardo Badea - Deputy Governor, Eugen Nicolaescu- Deputy Governor, Balint Csaba, Gheorghe Gherghina, Cristian Popa, Dan Radu Rusanu and Virgiliu Jorj Stoenescu. The committees rejected the candidacies of Ionut Dumitru, Ion Horia Neamtu, Aura Gabriela Socol and Marin Dinu. On Monday, head of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Viorica Dancila and the head of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE) Calin Popescu-Tariceanu announced after the governing coalition meeting they endorse Mugur Isarescu's candidacy for a new term as the governor office of the BNR. Last week, several PSD MPs said they did not want another governor mandate for Isarescu. "No PSD senator expressed his support for the renewal of Mugur Isarescu's mandate as head of the National Bank of Romania," leader of the Social Democrats in the Senate Serban Nicolae stated. And PSD deputy Lia Olguta Vasilescu announced that she won't vote to further keep Mugur Isarescu in this office. The joint plenary meeting of Parliament will also appoint on Wednesday the members of the Fiscal Council. The candidates for a Fiscal Council membership are the following: George Georgescu nominated by the Romanian Academy, Bogdan Octavian Cozmanca nominated by the National Bank of Romania, Georgiana Camelia Cretan, nominated by the Bucharest University of Economic Studies (ASE), Daniel Daianu nominated by the IBR and Bogdan Sebastian Capraru nominated by the ARB, all of whom received a favourable approval from the parliamentary budget-finance committees. Moreover, Parliament will also appoint the President of the National Audiovisual Council (CNA), with Maria Monica Gubernat being the proposal for the office. AGERPRES (RO - author: Irinela Visan, editor: Andreea Rotaru; EN - author: Rodica State, editor: Cristina Zaharia)