Why were there 39 foreign citizens in the race in which Ponta's daughter did not get a place? MAE: “the number of places allocated to Romanian citizens, fully occupied”
The Oman – Bucharest flight, in which Victor Ponta's daughter did not have a seat, was carried out by the European Civil Protection Mechanism. 127 Romanian citizens were boarded, including 95 minors from groups of schoolchildren from Neamț, Suceava, Vrancea and 39 foreign citizens.
Victor Ponta accuses the minister Oana Țoiu. PHOTO: The Truth Collage
The air race that caused a scandal on the Romanian political scene, the one in which Victor Ponta's daughter did not get a seat, was carried out by the “European Civil Protection Mechanism”. The plane landed in Bucharest on Friday afternoon. Also on Friday, the daughter of the former prime minister arrived in the Capital, on a commercial flight.
The repatriation operations carried out through this European mechanism are, in fact, organized by each member state, but the EU can cover up to 75% of the eligible costs for flights under one condition: at least 30% of the available seats are offered to citizens of other EU countries.
In a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs it is shown that indeed also in the race that took off from Muscat (Sultanate of Oman), with the destination Bucharest, operated on Friday, March 6, 30% of the seats were reserved for EU citizens who are not Romanian, in order to respect the condition of the European mechanism.
Thus, in the race there were: 127 Romanian citizens, including 95 minors who were part of the groups of schoolchildren from Neamț, Suceava, Vrancea counties and 39 European citizens.
The MAE specified that the number of seats allocated to Romanian citizens on this flight was fully occupied.
European Civil Protection Mechanism
The European Civil Protection Mechanism was established in 2001 by the European Union to enable participating countries (EU and non-EU) to coordinate their assistance in the event of a large-scale emergency that cannot be dealt with by a country's civil protection system alone. It can be held anywhere in the world.
By 5 March, 10 Member States had activated the mechanism, namely Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, France, Italy, Cyprus, Luxembourg, Romania, Slovakia and Austria.
“No European is ever alone in a crisis situation. Their safety always comes first“, said Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib.
“From day one we have been fully mobilized to bring home the hundreds of thousands of Europeans stranded in the Middle East through our EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The EU stands with its citizens and will do everything possible to bring them home safely“, the European commissioner also said.
The EU can settle part of the costs, maximum 75%
The Emergency Response Coordination Center (ERCC) of the European Commission logistically coordinates the flights offered by the Member States. The Commission is fully mobilized to assist them and remains in contact with EU delegations and consular authorities of Member States in the region in this regard.
In addition to coordination efforts, the European Commission can pay part of the financial costs of repatriation flights, according to a statement from the European Commission.
In particular, flights offering seats to citizens of EU Member States other than the EU Member State activating the mechanism are eligible for EU co-financing.
Up to 75% of eligible flight costs can be reimbursed by the EU if at least 30% of the available seats are offered to citizens of other EU countries.
The Commission can also reserve flights through the rescEU mechanism if no Member State is able to support a country requesting support to evacuate its citizens. In this case, the Commission can cover 100% of the costs.
Any country in Europe and beyond can request emergency assistance by activating the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The Commission then plays a key role in coordinating the disaster response and contributing to the transport and operational costs of repatriation flights. Following a request for assistance, the EU ERCC promptly mobilizes assistance and expertise.
Following recent developments in Iran and the wider Middle East, EU citizens have been stranded in the affected countries, as well as in parts of Asia-Pacific and Africa, due to the closure of key airports. In this context, the EU member states and the states participating in the mechanism have started to request assistance for the repatriation support of their citizens.
Roxana Mînzatu, executive vice-president for social rights and jobs of the European Commission, explained to Digi24 that the operations are up to each individual member state: “The actual transport operation, the aircraft, is not coordinated from Brussels, but depends on the efforts of each member state that requested the activation of this mechanism.”
MAE: the number of seats allocated to Romanian citizens on this flight was fully occupied
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs specifies that the aircraft took off on Friday from Muscat (Sultanate of Oman), bound for Bucharest, with 127 Romanian citizens affected by the security crisis in the Middle East on board. These are citizens under the attention of the Romanian consulate in Dubai and the one in Oman, belonging to the priority categories for evacuation.
The 127 Romanian citizens were contacted by the consular teams to be included on the flight list. Of these, 95 are minors. The groups of schoolchildren on record (from Neamț, Suceava, Vrancea counties) were picked up with this evacuation flight.
There were also 39 European citizens on board the aircraft.
The MAE specifies that the number of seats allocated to Romanian citizens on this flight was fully occupied.
Based on the Civil Protection Mechanism of the European Union, 30% of the total capacity of the aircraft was allocated for EU citizens from other countries than Romania.
At the same time, on March 5, 2026, as part of an assisted repatriation action, a group of 16 Romanian citizens from the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan arrived in Romania via a flight organized by the authorities of the Czech Republic, based on the Civil Protection Mechanism of the European Union.
According to the records of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, over 1,000 Romanian citizens have returned so far with assisted repatriation flights, evacuation flights within the European Civil Protection Mechanism and commercial flights.
Recommendations for Romanian citizens from the Middle East
The Crisis Cell and the consular teams of the MFA in the region continue their efforts for repatriations and evacuations and focus on the priority categories: children, people with medical emergencies, pregnant women and families with small children.
The Crisis Cell of the MFA, through the diplomatic missions and consular offices of Romania in the region, maintains contact with Romanian citizens affected by the conflict in the Middle East, as well as with the authorities of the states in the region, and will continue to provide assistance and consular protection, prioritizing the safety of Romanian citizens, depending on the evolution of the security situation.
The MAE reiterates the recommendations addressed to Romanian citizens in this context: https://www.mae.ro/node/68212.
The MAE reiterates the importance of registering on the https://www.econsulat.ro/ platform.
The MAE recommends systematically checking the information transmitted by the airlines, both on official websites and via SMS or e-mail, depending on the options selected in the relationship with the airline operator. Citizens are also advised to check if they have received rescheduled tickets for the affected flights, to always follow the instructions communicated by the airlines and to report to the airport only when notified and called by airline representatives.
