The call of a former presidential adviser to Nicușor Dan: “It is scandalous that the main intelligence service is kept loose”

Ludovic Orban, former adviser to Nicușor Dan, urged the president “to stop hesitating” and to appoint a candidate for the position of director of the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) even if “the vehemences in the rash coalition make discussions on this subject difficult”.

Orban said the SRI “has been operating outside the law” since Eduard Hellvig resigned in July 2023, “and is headed by a first deputy appointed by Iohannis in 2017.”

“At a time when threats to national security have diversified and increased, it is scandalous that the main intelligence service, which is supposed to watch over our national security, is kept at bay, without legitimate leadership to ensure that it functions at full capacity and in accordance with the new priorities arising from the significant developments of recent times,” said the former prime minister, on Friday, in a post on Facebook.

“For Nicușor Dan was not a priority”

Ludovic Orban said that “it was not too much of a surprise” that former president Klaus Iohannis did not appoint a new director at the SRI at the end of his term, “only that in the meantime we had presidential elections and from May 26, 2025, Romania has a new president”.

“Unfortunately, I have to state that even for Nicușor Dan, the appointment of a new director of the SRI was not a priority. Otherwise, it cannot be explained why in 8 months he did not formulate any proposal for this position”, added the former presidential adviser.

Orban said he knows that “the vehemences in the fractious coalition are making it difficult to talk about this.”

“But I don't think this argument can be taken into account anymore. I draw the attention of Mr. President that it is one thing to nominate a candidate who is rejected by the parliament, another is not to nominate anyone. In the first case, the responsibility belongs to the party or parties that refuse to vote for a proposal of the president. In the second situation, the responsibility is strictly the president, who does not exercise his constitutional and legal powers”, he continued.

The former prime minister also stated that “Romania needs a legally managed SRI, led by a new team, in which the elected president can trust and which will apply the strategy of the new team from Cotroceni”.

“Stop hesitating, Mr. President! Stop waiting for a consensus from the coalition! Appoint a serious, well-prepared candidate, of unquestionable morality, attached to democratic values ​​and our membership of the Euro-Atlantic space, and go with the proposal to Parliament!” concluded Ludovic Orban.

What the president said

On January 29, in his first televised interview of this year, President Nicușor Dan said that he hoped to conclude “very soon” the discussions regarding the appointment of the next directors of the SRI and the Foreign Intelligence Service (SIE).

“There is a balance of power mechanism in any democratic system. The President proposes, the Parliament decides. For each of these services we had a long list, a short list and some discussions. I hope that very soon we will finish these discussions. I will propose, the Parliament will approve. We will have a discussion before,” said Nicușor Dan to Digi24.