Romanian liberals clash over €160,000 ITU candidacy funding and Francophonie summit money

The dispute over the funding request

The row started after former prime minister Ilie Bolojan told Digi24 in an interview, dated 23 October, that he had blocked a protocol spending plan at the last cabinet meeting. According to Bolojan, ANCOM was preparing to spend nearly 200,000 euros on protocol activities in Arab countries so that someone from its leadership could be elected to an international organisation. He said he withdrew the document after finding it had "a title that masked something".

Popescu, ANCOM vice president and a former PNL deputy, answered on Facebook. He said the sum was 160,000 euros, not 200,000, and that it was meant to back Romania's candidacy for a ninth consecutive term on the ITU Council at the PP-26 Plenipotentiary Conference. The draft, initiated by ANCOM, had been in public consultation since 29 September. He published the annex, which shows a total ceiling of 860,000 lei including VAT.

Dogioiu's counter-attack

Ioana Dogioiu, Bolojan's former spokesperson, responded on Facebook on Sunday and accused Popescu of lying "like he breathes". She described the request as money for a 1,000-person reception with an artistic programme and protocol gifts, aimed at giving Popescu a four-year seat on the ITU Council. She said Bolojan had blocked the decision and urged that current prime minister Niculescu could validate it if it was so good for the country.

Dogioiu also rejected Popescu's claim about the Francophonie money. She wrote that the government decision on participation in the Francophonie summit was adopted on 11 September, not at the last cabinet meeting. She said Bolojan had halved to 980,000 lei the amount the Ministry of Culture first requested. According to her, the funds cover the Romanian pavilion at the Village de la Francophonie during the XX edition of the summit, and are managed by ARTEXIM, which also organises the George Enescu International Festival.

What Popescu says about the Francophonie money

Popescu argued that in the same session Bolojan approved about 340,000 euros for the Romanian pavilion and cultural activities at the Francophonie village, where Dacian Cioloș is to press his candidacy for secretary general of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie. He called the approval "hypocrisy" in a post reported by Digi24. He wrote that Romania has been a member of the ITU since 1866 and that a new mandate is "extremely important".

Where the figures stand

The sums in the dispute are reported differently by each side. Bolojan spoke of nearly 200,000 euros, Popescu put the initial allocation at 160,000 euros, and the annex he published carries a 860,000 lei ceiling with VAT. Dogioiu's account gives a Francophonie allocation of 980,000 lei after Bolojan's cut. These figures have not been reconciled in the articles, and no chart is drawn from them.

Reporting still open

The articles do not say whether the ITU candidacy funding will be revisited or whether the Francophonie allocation will be contested further. Popescu named Radu Mihaiu and Ciprian Rus as chairs of the parliamentary committees invited to the event in Qatar, and said senator Ciprian Rus and four other senators had already confirmed they would attend.