Senate plenum OKs Radu Boroianu as new ICR head. President Iohannis voices concern from Rome

The Senate plenum voted on Tuesday to appoint Radu Boroianu, upon PSD proposal, to the post of president of the Romanian Cultural Institute (ICR). Radu Boroianu received 64 votes “for” and 49 “against”.

Liberal proposal Iulian Tanase received 49 votes “for” and 64 “against”. The vote was secret. Of the 168 senators present voted 117 and four ballots were annulled.

Lilian Zamfiroiu resigned as President of the Romanian Cultural Institute (ICR), his resignation being registered last Friday to the Senate Speaker Calin Popescu Tariceanu’s office.

Parliamentary sources said on April 9 Lilian Zamfiroiu is to be appointed Ambassador to Vatican.

Iohannis: At ICR changes are made on the side. I am worried, such practices should be removed

President Klaus Iohannis said Tuesday in Rome, during a meeting with students from Italy that what happens at the Romanian Cultural Institute is a change “on the side” and is of concern, pointing out that the institution should be removed from the political bargains.

“ICR is an institution that keeps what we call public diplomacy. It is an institution set up to bring forth the positive image of Romania, to show an entire world the enormous value of Romanian culture, which are our values and our beliefs,” said the president.

According to the president, “these are not easy tasks, they are done with gifted people and by thoughtful, bold and visible projects”.

“For this reason, what is happening these days with the ICR, the changing on the side of the management, is of concern. I think it would require a public debate in order to succeed, together, to understand what we actually want from ICR, as we want to restructure the institute, to make it efficient. We need professionals who know how to build a cultural project, to know what cultural management in the 21^st century means,” Klaus Iohannis said.