Verdict for the “Anul Ilie Năstase” project, vehemently contested by USR on the grounds that it would waste public money
Article by Sergiu Alexandru – Published Tuesday, March 31, 2026, 2:08 p.m. / Updated Tuesday, March 31, 2026, 2:08 p.m.
After passing the Senate, where it was approved, the bill proposing that the year 2027 be declared “The Year Elijah was Born” will be on the agenda in the Chamber of Deputies on Wednesday. And, according to GSP.ro information, the project will be approved.
Initiated by several AUR, PSD, POT and non-affiliated deputies, the legislative proposal will be on the agenda in the Chamber of Deputies, which is the decision-making body, on Wednesday. At the end of February, the project was approved, but it caused some tensions.
The project stipulating that 2027 will be “The Year Elijah Was Born” will be approved
From the information obtained by Gazeta Sporturilor, the initiators of the project are sure that it will be approved, and then it will be sent to the president Nicușor Dan for promulgation.
“Wednesday will be on the agenda, after we had discussions on this topic and others on Monday and Tuesday. And it will pass without emotions, because we have important support, even if the USR MPs opposed it in the Senate and in the discussions at the Committees.
They argued that there will be too much expenditure, but COSR will take care of everything, just as it takes care, in a very nice way, of the “Year of Nadia Comăneci”. I say that we must honor Ilie Năstase, one of the greatest athletes in history,” a parliamentarian told Gazeta Sporturilor.
In 2027, it will be 60 years since Ilie Năstase, who will turn 80 on July 19, won the first trophy of his career, at Cannes.
Why 2027? There are at least three essential elements that underpin the time frame of this project. First of all, Ilie Năstase will celebrate his 80th birthday in the summer of next year, a completely and completely special anniversary moment, which we will honor in this way and, at the same time, we will give the outstanding personalities of Romanian society the recognition and appreciation they deserve during their lifetime.
Then, in 2027, it will be 60 years since the first tournament won by Ilie Năstase (Cannes 1967), a round celebration with deep meanings, which represented the beginning of his formidable career, so we will symbolically and circularly mark a career that has honored so many generations of Romanians.
Last but not least, we will celebrate “2026 – The Year of Nadia Comăneci”, so a natural consequence directs us towards this legislative proposal. It will be the completion of the unique gallery, of maximum performance and Romanian representation at the world level through sports: Nadia Comăneci, Ilie Năstase, Gheorghe Hagi.
All these represent, individually and together, obvious arguments for which “2027 – The Year of Ilie Năstase” becomes, undoubtedly, a natural consequence and, implicitly, another opportunity, after all, for Romanians to benefit, with pride and affection, from the image and projects of this personality.
– the motivation of the initiators of the draft law
USR opposed
In the vote in the Senate, but also in the one in the Commission for Youth and Sports, USR decided not to support the bill. And the parliamentarians abstained from voting, arguing that these projects consume the Government's budget and that it could be an opportunity to spend, with dedication, certain amounts of money.
“Of course we have to honor our personalities. We need a zero moment where we can find a mechanism to have, rather, in the political groups, a discussion about this avalanche of projects, by bringing forward the year X or Y, because otherwise their importance and significance will be diluted.
This without censuring the right of senators and deputies to initiate a normative act, because no one can do this and everyone is free to propose what they think. When these projects become endless, we enter an area where they lose their relevance”, said USR senator Violeta Alexandru, in plenary.
