Nicolae VĂCĂROIU ( born on 5 december 1943, Cetatea Albă, Basarabia) economist, scientist, politician - Prime Minister, President of the Senate, Interim President of Romania, President of the Romanian Court of Accounts.
Studies : Degree in economics, awarded by the Academy for Economic Studies of Bucharest, Faculty of Finances, specialization: Finances-Credit (1969) .
Professional and political activity : between 1969-1990 he worked at the State Planning Committee - where he mainly dealt with financial, monetary and pricing problems, and he has covered various hierarchical degrees from the position of trainee economist to that of General Manager ; 1990 Deputy Minister of National Economy; 1990 -1992 Secretary of State - Chairman of the State Committee for Prices and later Secretary of State in the Ministry of Finance, Head of the Department of Taxes and Fees, In 1990, as a specialist, he was part the team that, under the direction of academician Tudor Postolache, developed the "Strategy for Reform of Romania" to ensure the transition to democracy and market economy.
Between 1991-1992, as Head of the Department of Taxes and Fees in the Ministry of Finance, he coordinated the process of reform in the tax area in preparation for the introduction of the VAT in place of the tax on the movement of goods. (The Value Added Tax has been successfully introduced from 1 July 1993). From the same position, he started the preparations for the introduction of global tax for individuals; 1992 President of the Interministerial Committee for Credit Guarantees and Foreign Trade; 1992-1996 Prime Minister of Romania, politically independent, enjoying the support of the Social Democracy Party of Romania (PDSR); In 1996 he joined the Social Democracy Party (later the PSD), holding the position of Vice President of the party.
Between 1996 and 1997 he was Vice President of the Romanian Commercial Bank; in the periods 1996-2000, 2000-2004 and 2004-2008 he was senator PSD of Argeș, serving in that capacity as President of the Senate's Permanent Bureau (1999-2000) and Chairman of the Senate (2000-2008) during two consecutive terms of office (2000-2004 and 2004-2008). Between April 20 and May 23, 2007 he was Interim President of Romania, for the period as the president was suspended himself from office by the Parliament.
Since October 2008, he is the President of the Romanian Court of Accounts, validated according to the Joint Houses of Parliament, voted for a period of nine years. On this occasion, he has autosusspended from the party.
Professional activity as Prime Minister of the Government of Romania (1992-1996)
Internally: As a result of the economic reforms in the areas of pricing, fiscality and budget, money and industry, the resumption of Romania's economic growth was possible, since 1993.
- In the period 1993-1996, the GDP grew by 17.5%, after a reduction by 24.5% during 1990-1992, so that 71% is recovered from the economic downturn.
- After a decline in industrial production in the period 1990-1992, by 49% in the period 1993-1996 this sector increased by 22%, entirely due to the growth in labor productivity ;
- 86 development strategies were drafted, with the horizon 2005, of which 55 for industry sectors, strategies which were subsequently abandoned by the government that followed.
- In 1993, the privatization process began, practically, in Romania. By the end of 1996 about 2700 companies have underwent this process, of which 710 medium and large companies. As a result, at the end of 1996, the private sector participates to the 54.9% of GDP, compared to 26.4% at the end of 1992.
- The state foreign exchange reserve increased from $ 80 million in 1992 to $ 750 in 1996.
- Following the economic performance, achieved during the period 1993-1996, the restauration of the macro-economic stability, the country rating increased to BB +, at the level of Poland and Hungary, which enabled the successful return of Romania, after 15 years, on the private capital market .
- The average consolidated budget deficit was, in the period 1992-1996, -2.2% as compared to -4.6% of the GDP in 1992.
- In the real economy, it was intended to maintain state ownership in strategic sectors (oil, gas, cement, aluminum, electricity), with the modernization of economic operators in these sectors, privatization of management and preparation at the level of 2020, the privatization of their capital.
Internationally, he continued and intensified contacts with the European Union, Council of Europe and NATO and bilateral relations with various countries through the signing of the basic political treaties and trade agreements.
- On February 1, 1993 the European Association Agreement was signed with the European Community, which entered into force on 1 February 1995.
- On October 7, 1993, Romania was accepted as a full member of the Council of Europe, signing 50 of its legal instruments, of which 30 were ratified by Parliament, including: the Framework Convention for the protection of minorities, the Charter of regional or minority languages.
- In May 1994, Romania was accepted as an associate member of the Western European Union (WEU) and participated in the embargo on deliveries of weapons in the former Yugoslavia. In the same year, Romania requested to join NATO.
- On June 21, 1995, the Government approved the National Strategy for Romania's accession to the European Union and the Political Declaration of Snagov.
- On June 22, 1995, the Government sent to Paris, to the French EU Council Presidency, the formal application to join the European Union.
- In order to ensure preparation for accession, the Government established an Interministerial Committee for European Integration which responded to the questionnaire of European Commission for assessing the state of preparation for accession to the European Union and adopted a National Plan for the harmonization of Romanian legislation with the community law , in the field of the single market.
- Romania participated in the negotiation and completion of the "Pact on Stability in Europe", adopted by the Paris Conference.
- At the request of the UN, Romania has participated in peacekeeping operations in Kuwait, Somalia and Angola.
Teaching, research and publications: in the period 1975-1985 he was Associate Professor at ASE Bucharest (Faculty of Finance) and at the University of Bucharest (Faculty of Economic Sociology); 1ˢ ͭ degree associate researcher at the National Institute of Economic Research of the Romanian Academy. He participated in conferences, meetings and scientific seminars and published numerous articles in professional journals in the economic, financial and monetary policies. Author of the book "Romania, interests games ", Intact House, Bucharest, 1998.
Prizes and awards:
- National Order "Star of Romania" Knight
- National Order of Merit of the Grand Extraordinary Cross - Paraguay
- Order of Colombian Congress in extraordinary degree of Grand Cross with Gold Card
- Grand Decoration of the Senate of Chile
- Order "Renaissance - First Order " of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
Hobbies : tennis, hunting, literature