Petre Daea to return as Agriculture minister, sources say

PSD leaders, convened within the National Political Council, have unanimously voted to propose Petre Daea to take over the Ministry of Agriculture, party sources told Digi24.ro.

The Social Democrats’ move comes after their minister, Adrian Chesnoiu had resigned following his investigation in a corruption file.

The PSD’s decision to nominate Petre Daea again at the Ministry of Agriculture could be a compromise made between the party’s camps. The post of Minister of Agriculture would have belonged to the PSD Olt organization, controlled by the general secretary Paul Stănescu, an organization that also proposed Adrian Chesnoiu. Stanescu would have liked the party to now propose Florin Ionuț Barbu, PSD deputy from Olt and chairman of the Agriculture Commission of the Chamber of Deputies.

On the other hand, the Ciolacu camp would have wanted Daniel Butănoiu, secretary of state in the ministry. Marcel Ciolacu stated, at the end of last month, that the party he leads has five or six options for the position of Minister of Agriculture left vacant after the resignation of Adrian Chesnoiu, saying that Petre Daea, the former Minister of Agriculture at the time when the Social Democrats were led by Liviu Dragnea, was proposed by some colleagues for this position.

Petre Daea’s previous term as Agriculture minister was sprinkled with controversial decisions and statements.

“Cormorants are having bath in the pools in Romania“, Petre Daea said in the European Parliament in 2019, where he had been called before the Fisheries Committee to present Romania’s priorities on the fishery field during the Romanian Presidency of the EU Council.

Also in 2019, EC suspected Agriculture Minister Daea had inflated ‘the record crops’ in the past two years.

Previously in 2017, Daea was accused of hiring his own daughter with the ministry, and he admitted he had done it.

“She is reviewer with a unit subordinated to the ministry. She works there for several months. It’s true and I don’t want to avoid it, I don’t have any reason. She is a child who, just like you, she wants to find a way in life. I hope she finds it, as for me as a parent, I help her find it. It’s only natural. I don’t know what her job is, this is the responsibility of those who manage the unit. I would be glad to find out she does her job and what she is asked to do,” Minister Daea told the journalists back then.