Radu Berceanu
Encyclopedia
Radu Mircea Berceanu is a Romania
n engineer and politician. A member of the Democratic Liberal Party
(PD-L), he was a member of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies
for Dolj County
from 1990 to 2004, and has sat in the Romanian Senate
since 2004 (except for the period of April–December 2008), representing the same county. In the Radu Vasile
and Mugur Isărescu
cabinets, he was Minister of Industry and Commerce from 1998 to 2000; in the first Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu
cabinet, he was Minister of Transport, Construction and Tourism from 2006 to 2007; and in the Emil Boc
cabinet, he was Minister of Transport and Infrastructure from December 2008 to September 2010. From October to December 2009, he was also acting Minister of Agriculture following the political crisis that led to the withdrawal of the Social Democratic Party
from government.
In 1978, he married Mihaela-Marinela Bădîrcea (b. 1954). The couple have two sons, Victor (b. 1981) and Andrei (b. 1984).
; his father was an aviator and his mother a nurse. After completing secondary studies in 1972 at the city's Vasile Roaită Theoretical High School (now called "Mircea cel Bătrân"), he enrolled at the Polytehnic Institute of Bucharest
, studying Aerospace Design and graduating in 1978. He also took courses on parliamentarism in Canada
in 1990 and on democratic institutions in the United States
in 1991. Following university, Berceanu worked as an engineer in Craiova
from 1978 to 1981 at a flight testing centre. From 1984 to 1989 he also worked as an engineer at the city's airplane factory. Between 1980 and 1989, he taught at an industrial high school in Craiova.
He also took up scale model
ing, and has won prizes for both his ship
and aircraft
models. During the 1980s, he set up an amateur scale modeling circle for students, which was notably attended by future literary critic Angelo Mitchievici. According to Mitchievici's memoir of life under the communist regime
, these circumstances allowed Berceanu to attend workshops in various Eastern Bloc
countries, "and he probably thus had the opportunity to engage in some bişniţă [roughly, grey market
transactions]."
Right after the Romanian Revolution of 1989
, Berceanu entered politics. He was Dolj County vice president of the Council of the National Salvation Front in December 1989-January 1990. From February to May 1990, he was president of his county's Provisional Council of National Unity, as well as belonging to the main council in Bucharest. Since its founding in February 1990, he has headed the Dolj County PD-L chapter and that of its predecessor, the Democratic Party (PD), of which he was a founding member. At the May 1990 election, he won a seat in the Chamber, doing so again in 1992, 1996 and 2000. While there, he served as the body's vice president at various times between 1992 and 2004. From his election in 2004 until April 2008, he sat in the Senate and was vice president there as well. He then resigned in order to run in the June local election
for President of the Dolj County Council, and while gaining a seat as a county councillor, was defeated on a 42-33.8 margin by a Social Democratic
candidate. At the November 2008 parliamentary election
, Berceanu regained his Senate seat, as well as being named Transport Minister the following month. From October 2009, when the Social Democrats left the cabinet due to a political crisis, until that December, when a new cabinet was approved, he was also acting Agriculture Minister.
After re-assuming ministerial office in 2008, Berceanu announced motorway construction as his priority (in spite of serious budget cuts brought about by the financial crisis), although acknowledging the poor state of national roads and the state railway Căile Ferate Române
(CFR), as well as the need to focus on airports (such as the Braşov Airport
currently under construction). He vowed to complete the A2 motorway by 2011 (notwithstanding a 2006 promise to complete it by summer 2008), and a Bucharest-Braşov
motorway as well as a Bucharest-Calafat
one (ending at the Calafat-Vidin Bridge
) by 2014. This emphasis meant plans for twelve express roads had to be scrapped. Also planned by him is an hourly train from Gara de Nord
to Otopeni
, with a bus transfer to the nearby airport
. He has been a strong critic of his predecessor Ludovic Orban
, whom he accused of spending substantial amounts of money on studies for express roads, "not one metre" of which was built under Orban (and which, as a motorway advocate, he derided as being outdated). He has announced plans for major restructuring at the CFR, including a potential 12,000 layoffs, for which he again blamed the previous government. Orban fired back, labelling the 2009 transport budget a "cruel mockery" from an infrastructure development standpoint, accusing Berceanu of blocking the Calafat-Vidin project and of "not lifting a finger" on the Craiova-Piteşti
express road, and stating his "personal feeling" that Berceanu's days as minister were numbered. He was dismissed a year and a half later, following a cabinet reshuffle.
Berceanu's wealth has drawn attention: in 2008, his declared assets included bank accounts worth over €
800,000, three apartments (including one in Spain
), a Toyota RAV4
and a Mercedes-Benz W220
. In 2006, he made public his 300-page Securitate
file, revealing that the communist secret police agency had harassed and threatened him and his wife in the autumn of 1989 for allegedly intending to flee the country using a hang glider
he had built. He noted having given "about two ink cartridges' worth of declarations", that he was almost excluded from the Romanian Communist Party
in 1981, and that, despite being the first party member in his family, he was known for his anti-regime position and never informed on his work colleagues.
In 2000, French President Jacques Chirac
conferred the rank of Chevalier of the Ordre national du Mérite
upon Berceanu. Within his party, he has been secretary, vice president for organisational affairs, and vice president. He has also served as a delegate from the Romanian Parliament to the Council of Europe
(1996–1998, 2000–2006, 2007–2008).
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n engineer and politician. A member of the Democratic Liberal Party
Democratic Liberal Party (Romania)
The Democratic Liberal Party is a populist, centre-right party in Romania. It was formed on 15 December 2007, when the Democratic Party merged with the Liberal Democratic Party. From 2004 to 2007, the Democratic Party was part of the governing Justice and Truth Alliance...
(PD-L), he was a member of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies of Romania
The Chamber of Deputies is the lower house in Romania's bicameral parliament. It has 315 seats, to which deputies are elected by direct popular vote on a proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms...
for Dolj County
Dolj County
Dolj -Jiu, "lower Jiu", toward Gorj ) is a county of Romania, in Oltenia, with the capital city at Craiova .- Demographics :In 2002, it had a population of 734,231 and a population density of 99/km²....
from 1990 to 2004, and has sat in the Romanian Senate
Senate of Romania
The Senate of Romania is the upper house in the bicameral Parliament of Romania. It has 137 seats , to which members are elected by direct popular vote, using Mixed member proportional representation in 42 electoral districts , to serve four-year terms.-Former location:After the Romanian...
since 2004 (except for the period of April–December 2008), representing the same county. In the Radu Vasile
Radu Vasile
Radu Vasile is a Romanian politician, historian and poet.-Education and Professional Activity:*1967 - Graduate, with exceptional results, of the Faculty of History - University of Bucharest...
and Mugur Isărescu
Mugur Isarescu
Mugur Isărescu is the Governor of the National Bank of Romania. From 22 December 1999 to 28 November 2000 he served as Prime Minister. He is a member of the Romanian Academy....
cabinets, he was Minister of Industry and Commerce from 1998 to 2000; in the first Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu
Calin Popescu-Tariceanu
Călin Constantin Anton Popescu-Tăriceanu is a Romanian politician. He was the Prime Minister of Romania between 29 December 2004 and 22 December 2008...
cabinet, he was Minister of Transport, Construction and Tourism from 2006 to 2007; and in the Emil Boc
Emil Boc
Emil Boc is the Prime Minister of Romania, having served since December 2008. In June 2004, he was elected Mayor of Cluj-Napoca, the largest city in Transylvania. Boc is also the president of the Democratic Liberal Party, who designated him as Prime Minister in 2008. On October 13, 2009, his...
cabinet, he was Minister of Transport and Infrastructure from December 2008 to September 2010. From October to December 2009, he was also acting Minister of Agriculture following the political crisis that led to the withdrawal of the Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party (Romania)
The Social Democratic Party is the major social-democratic political party in Romania. It was formed in 1992, after the post-communist National Salvation Front broke apart. It adopted its present name after a merger with a minor social-democratic party in 2001. Since its formation, it has always...
from government.
In 1978, he married Mihaela-Marinela Bădîrcea (b. 1954). The couple have two sons, Victor (b. 1981) and Andrei (b. 1984).
Biography
He was born in Râmnicu VâlceaRâmnicu Vâlcea
Râmnicu Vâlcea is the capital city of Vâlcea County, Romania .-Geography and climate:Râmnicu Vâlcea is situated in the central-south area of Romania...
; his father was an aviator and his mother a nurse. After completing secondary studies in 1972 at the city's Vasile Roaită Theoretical High School (now called "Mircea cel Bătrân"), he enrolled at the Polytehnic Institute of Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, studying Aerospace Design and graduating in 1978. He also took courses on parliamentarism in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1990 and on democratic institutions in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1991. Following university, Berceanu worked as an engineer in Craiova
Craiova
Craiova , Romania's 6th largest city and capital of Dolj County, is situated near the east bank of the river Jiu in central Oltenia. It is a longstanding political center, and is located at approximately equal distances from the Southern Carpathians and the River Danube . Craiova is the chief...
from 1978 to 1981 at a flight testing centre. From 1984 to 1989 he also worked as an engineer at the city's airplane factory. Between 1980 and 1989, he taught at an industrial high school in Craiova.
He also took up scale model
Scale model
A scale model is a physical model, a representation or copy of an object that is larger or smaller than the actual size of the object, which seeks to maintain the relative proportions of the physical size of the original object. Very often the scale model is used as a guide to making the object in...
ing, and has won prizes for both his ship
Ship model
Ship models or model ships are scale representations of ships. They can range in size from 1/6000 scale wargaming miniatures to large vessels capable of holding people....
and aircraft
Model aircraft
Model aircraft are flying or non-flying models of existing or imaginary aircraft using a variety of materials including plastic, diecast metal, polystyrene, balsa wood, foam and fibreglass...
models. During the 1980s, he set up an amateur scale modeling circle for students, which was notably attended by future literary critic Angelo Mitchievici. According to Mitchievici's memoir of life under the communist regime
Communist Romania
Communist Romania was the period in Romanian history when that country was a Soviet-aligned communist state in the Eastern Bloc, with the dominant role of Romanian Communist Party enshrined in its successive constitutions...
, these circumstances allowed Berceanu to attend workshops in various Eastern Bloc
Eastern bloc
The term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...
countries, "and he probably thus had the opportunity to engage in some bişniţă [roughly, grey market
Grey market
A grey market or gray market also known as parallel market is the trade of a commodity through distribution channels which, while legal, are unofficial, unauthorized, or unintended by the original manufacturer...
transactions]."
Right after the Romanian Revolution of 1989
Romanian Revolution of 1989
The Romanian Revolution of 1989 was a series of riots and clashes in December 1989. These were part of the Revolutions of 1989 that occurred in several Warsaw Pact countries...
, Berceanu entered politics. He was Dolj County vice president of the Council of the National Salvation Front in December 1989-January 1990. From February to May 1990, he was president of his county's Provisional Council of National Unity, as well as belonging to the main council in Bucharest. Since its founding in February 1990, he has headed the Dolj County PD-L chapter and that of its predecessor, the Democratic Party (PD), of which he was a founding member. At the May 1990 election, he won a seat in the Chamber, doing so again in 1992, 1996 and 2000. While there, he served as the body's vice president at various times between 1992 and 2004. From his election in 2004 until April 2008, he sat in the Senate and was vice president there as well. He then resigned in order to run in the June local election
Romanian local election, 2008
Local elections were held in Romania on June 1, 2008, with a runoff for mayors on June 15, 2008.On June 1 where elected:* all the villages, communes, cities, and municipal cluncils , and the Sectors Local Councils of Bucharest...
for President of the Dolj County Council, and while gaining a seat as a county councillor, was defeated on a 42-33.8 margin by a Social Democratic
Social Democratic Party (Romania)
The Social Democratic Party is the major social-democratic political party in Romania. It was formed in 1992, after the post-communist National Salvation Front broke apart. It adopted its present name after a merger with a minor social-democratic party in 2001. Since its formation, it has always...
candidate. At the November 2008 parliamentary election
Romanian legislative election, 2008
Legislative elections were held in Romania on November 30, 2008. The Democratic Liberal Party won most seats in both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, although the alliance headed by the Social Democratic Party won a fractionally higher vote share.-Electoral System:President Traian Băsescu...
, Berceanu regained his Senate seat, as well as being named Transport Minister the following month. From October 2009, when the Social Democrats left the cabinet due to a political crisis, until that December, when a new cabinet was approved, he was also acting Agriculture Minister.
After re-assuming ministerial office in 2008, Berceanu announced motorway construction as his priority (in spite of serious budget cuts brought about by the financial crisis), although acknowledging the poor state of national roads and the state railway Căile Ferate Române
Caile Ferate Române
Căile Ferate Române is the official designation of the state railway carrier of Romania. Romania has a railway network of of which are electrified and the total track length is . The network is significantly interconnected with other European railway networks, providing pan-European passenger...
(CFR), as well as the need to focus on airports (such as the Braşov Airport
Brasov Airport
Braşov-Ghimbav International Airport is an airport currently under construction in Ghimbav, near Braşov, Romania right by the future A3 motorway. Planned costs of the project are around one hundred million euros...
currently under construction). He vowed to complete the A2 motorway by 2011 (notwithstanding a 2006 promise to complete it by summer 2008), and a Bucharest-Braşov
Brasov
Brașov is a city in Romania and the capital of Brașov County.According to the last Romanian census, from 2002, there were 284,596 people living within the city of Brașov, making it the 8th most populated city in Romania....
motorway as well as a Bucharest-Calafat
Calafat
Calafat is a city in Dolj County, Romania, on the river Danube, opposite the Bulgarian city of Vidin, to which it is linked by ferryboat. The construction of the Calafat-Vidin Bridge is planned between the two cities....
one (ending at the Calafat-Vidin Bridge
Calafat-Vidin Bridge
The Vidin-Calafat Bridge is a road and rail bridge between the cities of Calafat, Romania and Vidin, Bulgaria. It will be the second bridge on the shared section of the Danube between Romania and Bulgaria...
) by 2014. This emphasis meant plans for twelve express roads had to be scrapped. Also planned by him is an hourly train from Gara de Nord
Gara de Nord
București Gara de Nord is the main railway station in Bucharest and the largest railway station in Romania...
to Otopeni
Otopeni
Otopeni is a town in Ilfov County, Romania, some north of Bucharest along the road to Ploieşti. It has 10,215 inhabitants, of which 99.0% are Romanians. One village, Odăile, is administered by the town....
, with a bus transfer to the nearby airport
Henri Coanda International Airport
Henri Coandă International Airport is Romania's busiest international airport, located northwest of the city of Bucharest, within Otopeni city limits. One of two airports serving the Romanian capital, the other being Băneasa, it is named after Romanian flight pioneer Henri Coandă, builder of...
. He has been a strong critic of his predecessor Ludovic Orban
Ludovic Orban
Ludovic Orban is a Romanian engineer and politician. A member of the National Liberal Party , he was Minister of Transport from April 2007 to December 2008 in the second Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu cabinet. He has also been a member of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies for Bucharest since 2008.He and...
, whom he accused of spending substantial amounts of money on studies for express roads, "not one metre" of which was built under Orban (and which, as a motorway advocate, he derided as being outdated). He has announced plans for major restructuring at the CFR, including a potential 12,000 layoffs, for which he again blamed the previous government. Orban fired back, labelling the 2009 transport budget a "cruel mockery" from an infrastructure development standpoint, accusing Berceanu of blocking the Calafat-Vidin project and of "not lifting a finger" on the Craiova-Piteşti
Pitesti
Pitești is a city in Romania, located on the Argeș River. The capital and largest city of Argeș County, it is an important commercial and industrial center, as well as the home of two universities. Pitești is situated on the A1 freeway connecting it directly to the national capital Bucharest,...
express road, and stating his "personal feeling" that Berceanu's days as minister were numbered. He was dismissed a year and a half later, following a cabinet reshuffle.
Berceanu's wealth has drawn attention: in 2008, his declared assets included bank accounts worth over €
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
800,000, three apartments (including one in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
), a Toyota RAV4
Toyota RAV4
The Toyota RAV4 is a compact crossover SUV from Toyota. It was the first compact crossover SUV, introduced in Japan and Europe in 1994 and beginning sales in North America in 1996...
and a Mercedes-Benz W220
Mercedes-Benz W220
The Mercedes-Benz W220 was a series of flagship sedans which constituted the Mercedes-Benz S-Class during the early-to-mid 2000's. Development for the W220 S-Class started in 1992, with the final design being approved in 1996 spanning a total of 38 months. The completed prototypes were presented in...
. In 2006, he made public his 300-page Securitate
Securitate
The Securitate was the secret police agency of Communist Romania. Previously, the Romanian secret police was called Siguranţa Statului. Founded on August 30, 1948, with help from the Soviet NKVD, the Securitate was abolished in December 1989, shortly after President Nicolae Ceaușescu was...
file, revealing that the communist secret police agency had harassed and threatened him and his wife in the autumn of 1989 for allegedly intending to flee the country using a hang glider
Hang gliding
Hang gliding is an air sport in which a pilot flies a light and unmotorized foot-launchable aircraft called a hang glider ....
he had built. He noted having given "about two ink cartridges' worth of declarations", that he was almost excluded from the Romanian Communist Party
Romanian Communist Party
The Romanian Communist Party was a communist political party in Romania. Successor to the Bolshevik wing of the Socialist Party of Romania, it gave ideological endorsement to communist revolution and the disestablishment of Greater Romania. The PCR was a minor and illegal grouping for much of the...
in 1981, and that, despite being the first party member in his family, he was known for his anti-regime position and never informed on his work colleagues.
In 2000, French President Jacques Chirac
Jacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac is a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He previously served as Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988 , and as Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.After completing his studies of the DEA's degree at the...
conferred the rank of Chevalier of the Ordre national du Mérite
Ordre National du Mérite
The Ordre national du Mérite is an Order of State awarded by the President of the French Republic. It was founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle...
upon Berceanu. Within his party, he has been secretary, vice president for organisational affairs, and vice president. He has also served as a delegate from the Romanian Parliament to the Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
(1996–1998, 2000–2006, 2007–2008).