New ministers sworn in on Friday following Romania government reshuffling

All six new ministers selected in government reshuffling talks on Thursday were sworn in at noon on Friday: Ion Ariton (Economy minister), Gheorghe Ialomitianu (Finance minister), Ioan Botis (Labor minister), Anca Boagiu (Transport minister), Valeriu Tabara (Agriculture minister) and Valerian Vreme (Communications ministers). The ceremony took place at the presidential palace, where President Traian Basescu urged them to prove the capacity to explain Romanians another year of austerity lays ahead.

What Basescu said at the ceremony:

• He thanked ministers who left the government in the reshuffle ans noted that despite difficulties the Government manages to lead Romania out of economic crisis towards economic growth
• He said the six ministers for belonging to „this team which was sacrificed from the beginning given the difficult situation caused by the global economic crisis”
• He recalled the government faced the crisis with a budget which was affected by populist policies.
• He said the unpopular measures taken by the government could not be avoided if one wants Romania to dodge financial collapse

The decrees by which ministers Sebastian Vladescu, Adriean Videanu, Mihai Seitan, Radu Berceanu, Mihail Dumitru and Gabriel Sandu – some of whom ar top leaders of the governing Democratic Liberal Party (PDL) – were removed from office were signed by President Traian Basescu on Friday morning, when he also signed the decrees naming the new ministers in office.