Dacian Cioloș was appointed presidential adviser by Nicușor Dan: “So that I can also act on his behalf”
Dacian Cioloș, former technocrat prime minister and former European commissioner for agriculture, will be a presidential adviser starting on April 6, according to a decree signed by Nicușor Dan and published on Friday in the Official Gazette.
Dacian Cioloș explained, for HotNews, why he was appointed to the position of presidential advisor.
“I will not deal with a specific area. It is an appointment related to my designation to be a candidate for the position of secretary general of the International Organization of La Francophonie. This involves a campaign at an international level and the president decided to make this appointment so that I can also act on his behalf, because he is the one who appointed me, together with the Government. And so, my responsibility is related to the area of La Francophonie, which I want to cover for candidacy preparation”, said Dacian Cioloș when contacted by HotNews.
He stated that he will hold the position of presidential adviser until November, when the elections for the position of Secretary General of the International Organization of La Francophonie will take place. His mandate at Cotroceni will also end if he gets the job at OIF, and if not, said the former prime minister.
What Nicușor Dan said about the candidacy of Dacian Cioloș
The head of state announced on March 23 that Dacian Cioloș will be Romania's candidate for the position of general secretary of the OIF.
The new secretary general will be elected in November, at the Cambodia summit, and his mandate will span the period 2027-2030.
The post is currently held by Louise Mushikiwabo (former Foreign Minister of Rwanda, 2009-2018), who is at the end of her second four-year term.
Apart from Dacian Cioloș, there are two other candidates, promoted by Central African countries.
“It is a good sign that we have a competition, a sign of vitality, and in this context we believe that the appearance of a new candidacy can bring an additional option and can stimulate a necessary debate about the future of the organization,” declared Nicușor Dan, in a speech at an event organized at the Cotroceni Palace on the occasion of the International Day of La Francophonie.
“For all these elements, but also for the important role that our country has within Francophonie, I have the pleasure to inform you that we are considering Romania's involvement in this competition, by officially launching a candidacy – the candidacy of Mr. Dacian Cioloș, former Prime Minister and former European Commissioner for Agriculture. It is an option that comes from a region that has never, until now, produced a Secretary General of the International Organization of Francophonie”, the president also said at the event of March 23.
Dacian Cioloș was a councilor in Cotroceni and during Bolojan's interim mandate
Cioloș was also in Ilie Bolojan's team, during the period when the current prime minister was the interim president of Romania.
The former technocrat prime minister then held the position of honorary advisor, responsible for “involvement in the activities of coordinating and monitoring the implementation of Romania's strategic partnerships”, according to the announcement made by the Cotroceni Palace at that time.
