PNL leader Ilie Bolojan pushes emergency session to secure €3 bn EU funds

The National Liberal Party (PNL) warned that Romania risks losing about €3 billion from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) if key legislation is not adopted quickly. Party president and interim prime minister Ilie Bolojan said four of six required bills – covering public‑sector salaries and integrity reforms – have already been submitted to Parliament, while the remaining two are in the final stage of public consultation. PNL is urging an extraordinary parliamentary session next week to pass the measures and avoid jeopardising the final tranche of EU grants.

At the same time, the party is engulfed in internal turmoil. A faction of members has created a “Liberal‑Conservative Platform” to challenge Bolojan’s leadership and to reconsider a coalition with USR, while others, including Alina Gorghiu and Hubert Thuma, criticize the lack of internal debate over a possible joint list with USR. The dispute escalated when the Bucharest Tribunal suspended the decisions of the PNL extraordinary congress of 21 June, citing procedural flaws in the new party statute. The court’s suspension also halted the re‑election of Bolojan as party president and other congress resolutions.

Prominent party figures such as Euro‑MP Rareș Bogdan have publicly accused the current direction of moving toward a “progressive, neo‑Marxist” wing, while party leaders continue to defend the need to respect PNRR milestones and to preserve Romania’s access to EU funding.