Oana Gheorghiu and the Minister of Economy, accused of controversial links with German groups. The Government union demands their resignation
The Union of Government Employees (SAALG) calls for the resignation or dismissal of Deputy Prime Minister Oana Gheorghiu and Minister of Economy Irineu Darău, amid accusations of institutional interactions with the German group Schwarz / Schwarz Digits.
Oana Gheorghiu Photo: inquam photos
According to a statement sent by the Union, the two dignitaries would have used the authority of their positions to open “institutional colors” to a private operator, as part of contacts that would have targeted several state institutions, including the Authority for Digitization of Romania (ADR) and the Special Telecommunications Service (STS).
SAALG claims that the official explanations, according to which the actions would have had a character “exploratory”are insufficient and do not clarify the real nature of the interactions.
“The Government of Romania is not a business development agency. Vice-premiers and ministers are not commercial agents for private companies”, it is shown in the union position.
The union also invokes provisions from Law no. 49/2025, according to which members of the Government are obliged to register in the RUTI register all meetings with third parties. Planned meetings must be published at least two days in advance, and unplanned meetings within two days of the event.
The union is demanding compliance with legal obligations and the publication of all records of contacts with the Schwarz group.
The trade union organization also raises a possible situation of institutional incompatibility, claiming that the current president of the Authority for the Digitization of Romania, Aurel-Cătălin Giulescu, was previously a state adviser in the apparatus of Deputy Prime Minister Gheorghiu.
His appointment to lead ADR would have been assumed by Minister Darău together with Deputy Prime Minister Oana Gheorghiu, which SAALG considers relevant in the context of relations between institutions.
“When a man from the deputy prime minister's office reaches the head of the institution that manages Romania's digitization, the Government can no longer ask the public to believe in simple administrative coincidences”the union claims.
The Union also refers to the SAFE program, through which Romania has access to over 16.6 billion euros from the European Instrument for Security.
According to media reports, six of the 15 contracts could be carried out by the German group Rheinmetall. The union requests clarifications regarding the contacts between the Romanian authorities and foreign industrial groups involved in security and digitization projects. The union raises the question whether these far-reaching interactions and programs are aimed exclusively at the public interest of Romania or whether there are other interests involved in the decision-making process.
Consequently, the Union demands the honorable resignation of the two dignitaries or, failing that, their dismissal by the interim prime minister. At the same time, it calls for the full publication of emails, minutes and agendas of meetings with the Schwarz group, verification of the situation by the Prime Minister's Control Body and full transparency regarding all interactions with private entities interested in digitization, cloud and public procurement.
