Puscas succeeds Aurel Ciobanu-Dordea at the helm of the European Affairs Department (DAE), which stands under the government’s authority.

Vasile Puscas was appointed DAE head by the decision of Premier Emil Boc, at the proposal of the Social Democratic Party (PSD).

The European Affairs Department is coordinated by vice-Premier Dan Nica.

Born July 8, 1952, Vasile Puscas holds a degree in history and social sciences from the History – Philosophy Faculty of the ‘Babes-Bolyai’ University of Cluj-Napoca (1976). He earned a doctor’s degree in history (1991).

He worked as a university assistant professor (1979-1990), lecturer, pro-dean (1990-1991) with the Faculty of History and Philosophy, dean with the Faculty of Political Sciences and Public Administration (1995), reader with the Department of Contemporary History (1995), professor of international relations with the Faculty of History (1995-2000) of the ‘Babes-Bolyai’ University of Cluj-Napoca; dean of the Faculty of Political Sciences of the ‘Bogdan Voda’ University (1998-2000).

He was also co-director of the Centre for Democracy and Post-Communist Studies (1990-1991); senior consultant with the ‘Manfred Woerner’ Foundation, Bucharest (1997); director of the Master’s Program for the Management of International Affairs with the Institute for International Studies (ISI), director of the Journalism and Communication Training Centre and director of ISI – Cluj-Napoca (1999-2000).

Director of the Romanian Cultural Centre in New York (1991-1992); Minister-counselor and interim ambassador with the Romanian Embassy in the US (1992-1994).

Member of the Social Democratic Party as of 2001 and deputy in the 2000-2004 and 2004-2008 legislative terms.

Minister-delegate with the Ministry of European Integration – chief-negotiator with the EU (2000-2004).

Member of the Society of Romanian Historians, of the Academy for Political Science in New York and of the ‘Russian, East European and Eurasian Center’ of the Illinois University (US).

Author of nine volumes; co-author of 16 books, two courses, 70 articles and essays.

Coordinator of the ‘Politica’ (Politics) collection (’Dacia’ Publishing House, Cluj-Napoca), editor of the International politics and diplomacy collection (’Sincron’ Publishing House, Cluj-Napoca) and of the special magazines ‘Dosarele istoriei’ (History files) (Bucharest) and ‘Central European Political Science Review’ (Budapest). AGERPRES

Asked whether the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania is in the new government, Basescu said the Union was the first political party which said, from the very beginning, that it is ready to enter the Government, along with the Democratic-Liberal Party (PD-L), he added that, in a way, he has a moral duty towards the Union.

The head of state said he knows that it was said in Romania that he held talks with prime minister Tariceanu, in Brussels, for a new cooperation formula between the National Liberal Party (PNL) and PD-L. Basescu denied that, but he said he held talks with the prime minister, talks common for them, when they are in Brussels, but they were political talks, as well as talks about projects of Romania. AGERPRES

According to a release sent by the Presidential Administration to Agerpres on Wednesday, the members of the European Council are to examine the package of measures for the economic recovery suggested by the European Commission on November 26 and to establish the manner in which the European Union will give a coordinated response to the current international economic and financial crisis.

‘Another subject on the agenda of the meeting will be the Lisbon Treaty. The European leaders will aim at defining a solution and a common road to take for the Lisbon Treaty to come into force and will make several clarifications connected to the legal basis on which the European elections will be organized next year,’ reads the above-mentioned release.

The agenda also includes the energy-climate changes package. They aim at making a political agreement on the energy-climate changes law package by identifying the correct manner in which they will put into practice the target of cutting the emissions of greenhouse gas till the year 2020 by 20 percent.

The foreign agenda also includes the European security strategy, the consolidation of the capabilities of the European security and defence policies, the Eastern Partnership and the Union for the Mediterranean.

President Traian Basescu on Thursday, in his capacity as a guest, will attend the summit of the European People’s Party, which has the preparation of the European Council on its agenda. AGERPRES

‘My mission in the next 10 days is clear. I will cooperate with the PD-L, the PSD and the UDMR officials, as PSD and UDMR are two other parties having voiced a wish to join PD-L in governing the country. So, I will cooperate with them in carrying out the government programme amidst the new conditions in Romania as a result of the effects of the global credit crisis and economic recession in developed countries,’ Stolojan told the press on Wednesday after his nomination was made public at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace.

Stolojan thanked President Basescu and PD-L for their trust vested in him.

‘I want to thank the country’s President, Traian Basescu, for his trust vested in me by appointing me the prim minister-designate. I would also like to thank the Democratic-Liberal Party (PD-L), which has supported all my activity as one of their members and vested its trust in me when it decided that I should be recommended to President Basescu for the office of the prime minister,’ said Stolojan. AGERPRES

‘As I got engaged into December 5 consultations, I invite you Monday, December 8, at 20.00 hours, at Cotroceni Palace, with a party delegation formed of the party’s president accompanied by two party members to a meeting where representatives of all parliamentary political parties were invited. I am convinced we will conduct a dialogue exclusively based on the national interest imperative’, reads the invitation addressed by President Basescu to the parliamentary party leaders. AGERPRES

‘If we do not find any negotiating points, we are not going to join a ruling coalition. We have expected a proposal from PD [Liberal Democratic Party] … I do not want to shut the door, but PNL is in no mood for trying to join the government,’ said Tariceanu.

The PNL leader said that, during the talks with the Social Democrats and with the Liberal Democrats there appeared converging points but also points that cannot be negotiated, some of the latter ones being the change of the Constitution and the flat tax.

‘During the talks with PD-L, the change of the current constitutional structure is not acceptable to us. We cannot possibly accept the switch to a presidential regime, with the weakening of the role played by parliament,’ said Tariceanu. AGERPRES

‘This is why, being a complex process, the change of the Constitution requires long lasting reflection but also an extensive debate, a fact that would imply a previous negotiation among political parities on the subject of the change, a debate with representatives of the academic and research environment, whose members are politically non-committed, but are well acquainted with the various constitutional systems, also a debate with the civil society and leaders of public opinion and it would finally imply a debate among citizens,’ Basescu told the ceremony organized by the Constitutional Court of Romania at the Parliament Palace.

The Head of State said that the Constitution put down the principles of the economic, political, social and legal life in close connection with the fundamental values the state promoted and defended. ‘These values are the separation of powers in the state, the guarantee and protection of the citizens’ fundamental rights and freedoms, the independence of justice, political pluralism and justice, the protection of the human dignity,’ said Basescu.

According to the President, in order to be able to get and preserve the people’s respect, the Constitution ‘must be able to meet the needs of the present but also the ones of the future, have a visionary character, that is, be able to solve the problems a fundamental law will encounter in the natural evolution of the life of a democratic society.’

‘From this point of view the step of revising Romania’s Constitution in 2003 was a natural one, but it must not be regarded as being an isolated one difficult to repeat in the time to come. This is the more so as Romania’s capacity as a European Union member state and the evolution of the state institutions in the past few years made the Romanian State and the entire Romanian society face new challenges and political, social, economic and legal demands, making it imperative to adapt and change a large number of general rules, irrespective of their legal character but also the change of many social and even cultural attitudes,’ added Basescu.

He added that he would be a consistent defender of the fundamental values of the Romanian Stare and a loyal ally of any institution taking action for the defence of the most important fundamental values to be found in Romania’s Constitution.

‘By virtue of the constitutional tasks we have, I assure you that I will watch over the observance of the Constitution and the good functioning of the state authorities and will not hesitate at all to resort to the Constitutional Court to ensure the guarantee of the supremacy of the Constitution,’ said Traian Basescu. AGERPRES

‘Our option is to have UDMR with us in any ruling formula, which we can shape after an analysis at the meeting of the National Standing Bureau, ‘ Boc said, after talks with the UDMR leaders.

He stressed that PD-L appreciates the fact that UDMR has been the first party to have voiced its intention to cooperate, at government level, with the Democrat-Liberals.

On the other hand, Boc said that PD-L and UDMR are interested in the initiation of a national programme for the thermal rehabilitation of dwellings. In his opinion, the process has to benefit from a substantial contribution from the state.

‘This programme would have two advantages, first the depressing of the dwelling up-keep price, secondly, our 45 percent contribution to the price of fuel will be seen more clearly, ‘ stressed Boc. AGERPRES

PD-L delegation is formed among others of party’s President Emil Boc and prime vice-presidents Theodor Stolojan and Adriean Videanu. AGERPRES