Dacian Ciolos:Ending year with many complicated decisions, it is our duty to continue what was started

The chairman of USR (Save Romania Union) says that the party he is leading is ending the year with "many complicated decisions", highlighting that in the current context, marked by a deep "dissatisfaction towards politicians and the governors", there needs to be one that will make the party more responsible, in order to continue matters that were begun, the objective being modernizing Romania, agerpres reports.

"We started 2022 as a ruling party, empowered by the elections, determined to do what we promised to the people. We hanged on to the reforms which we proposed, we sought solutions that will take Romania on the good road. We saw, during full governing, how far away other parties are from our reforming vision, despite that the fact on paper we put those reforms together", Dacian Ciolos said.

He reminds that USR ministers managed to negotiate Romania's National Recovery and Resilience plan (PNRR), managed the COVID pandemic, relaunched infrastructure projects and began repairing the "damages made to Justice by Dragnea and his lot".

"Through our ministers we managed to negotiate with the European Commission the most ambitious country plan in the last 30 years - with commitments of reform and exceptional financing for health and education, even for continuing the construction of highways. We took on a terrible fight in order to avoid the collapse of the sanitary system, in full pandemic. We began repairing the damages made to the Justice system by Dragnea and his lot, and even relaunching the country's infrastructure - highways, but also the grand digital projects, to liberate the economy", Ciolos said.

He says that "despite these efforts or maybe even due to them", USR ends the year in opposition.

"PNL (National Liberal Party) and UDMR (Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania) preferred to recoil in a conformable and well-known alliance, along with PSD (Social-Democratic Party), but - we believe, is deeply damaging to the country and for the Romanian people. We are ending the year with many complicated decisions. An year where most of the time we chose well, and in other situations we chose poorly. It is normal and necessary to do this now, honestly, at the end of the year, our self critical analysis, in order to then shape a real vision in the new political and social context. A hard context, marked by a deep dissatisfaction towards politicians and the ruling class, of anger from some, of fear from others, with the rise of extremist and anti-European currents, never before seen in Romania. But this moment should be one that would make our party more responsible, as people true to our word, active citizens that we chose to put our back into modernizing Romania. We still have a duty towards those that placed and still place their hopes in us, but also towards ourselves. The duty of continuing that which was started. Of listening to the people and identifying solutions together. The duty of inspiring and mobilizing through our actions, through our verticality, through our honesty, common-sense, perseverance and vision", Ciolos said.

The leader of USR points out that this year's end finds the members of the formation, which he leads, with many questions about "our future as a party, with many expectations from USR, with hopes about what we can do for this country".

"Regardless of where you are, regardless of where you live, in the country or in diaspora, we have the duty of regaining your trust and motivation in what we can do together. To find new ways of expressing messages and vision, to show that we are a real alternative for Romania's development. I thank you all that you are alongside USR. I wish you all a Happy New Year, a better year, a kinder year, smarter and more generous. An year in which together with your loved ones you can enjoy and where we will achieve much together", Dacian Ciolos concludes.