Romania nominates Siegfried Mureșan as premier, emphasizing German ties and defence deal

Europarliamentarian Siegfried Mureșan has been put forward by Ilie Bolojan as Romania's proposed premier. Mureșan's career is closely linked to Germany: he comes from a family with German roots, studied in Berlin, served as adviser to the president of the German Bundestag and has worked with the CDU/CSU within the European People's Party. He is also married to Cătălina Manea, an anti‑fraud expert at the European Investment Bank in Luxembourg, whose disclosed earnings exceed €100,000 annually; together the couple reports an annual income of more than €265,000 and own property in Belgium and Romania.

The nomination arrives as Romania finalises a major defence procurement programme (SAFE) that awards German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall a contract worth over €5.6 billion. The deal has drawn criticism from other European defence firms and raised questions about transparency, linking the political appointment to the broader strategic and economic partnership with Germany.