International Herald Tribune, France
Oct 27 2006

Romanian PM acknowledges problems with country’s proposal for EU
commissioner
The Associated Press

Published: October 27, 2006

BUCHAREST, Romania Romania’s Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu
acknowledged Friday that there were problems with the country’s
nomination for European commissioner but said that attacks on the
candidate were partly based on unsubstantiated information.

Sen. Varujan Vosganian of the Liberal Party was not approved by the
European Parliament on Thursday after criticism from the Socialist
faction in the Parliament, who said he was too right-wing and had
been "on the payroll of big economic tycoons," according to Hannes
Swoboda and Jan Marinus Wiersma, vice presidents of the Socialist
group in a statement.

The European Commission Thursday accepted Meglena Kuneva, Bulgaria’s
European affairs minister for the post but said it would continue
consultations on Vosganian.

Vosganian flew back to Bucharest late Thursday and had talks with
Tariceanu on Friday about the situation. The Romanian media alleged
that Vosganian had collaborated with the foreign espionage agency of
former dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.

"The sensitive points are that he collaborated with the Securitate
and that he was funded" by economic interest groups, Tariceanu told
reporters after the meeting.

The prime minister and Vosganian said that allegations about
Vosganian collaborating with the secret police could not be
confirmed. Tariceanu said foreign intelligence chiefs had told him
that Vosganian had not collaborated.

"I had no kind of collaboration with the Securitate (communist-era
secret police) and there is no kind of document that says that I
informed for the Securitate or foreign intelligence," said Vosganian.

Vosganian, 48, chair of the Senate’s budget and finance committee, is
known for supporting free-market policies. He is also a fervent
backer of his country’s flat tax of 16 percent, which Romania
introduced in 2005 to replace a progressive taxation scheme ranging
from 18 to 40 percent.

A mathematician and economist, Vosganian is also a writer and poet.
He heads the National Union of (Ethnic) Armenians in Romania. Romania
and Bulgaria are due to join the European Union on Jan. 1.

BUCHAREST, Romania Romania’s Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu
acknowledged Friday that there were problems with the country’s
nomination for European commissioner but said that attacks on the
candidate were partly based on unsubstantiated information.

Sen. Varujan Vosganian of the Liberal Party was not approved by the
European Parliament on Thursday after criticism from the Socialist
faction in the Parliament, who said he was too right-wing and had
been "on the payroll of big economic tycoons," according to Hannes
Swoboda and Jan Marinus Wiersma, vice presidents of the Socialist
group in a statement.

The European Commission Thursday accepted Meglena Kuneva, Bulgaria’s
European affairs minister for the post but said it would continue
consultations on Vosganian.

Vosganian flew back to Bucharest late Thursday and had talks with
Tariceanu on Friday about the situation. The Romanian media alleged
that Vosganian had collaborated with the foreign espionage agency of
former dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.

"The sensitive points are that he collaborated with the Securitate
and that he was funded" by economic interest groups, Tariceanu told
reporters after the meeting.

The prime minister and Vosganian said that allegations about
Vosganian collaborating with the secret police could not be
confirmed. Tariceanu said foreign intelligence chiefs had told him
that Vosganian had not collaborated.

"I had no kind of collaboration with the Securitate (communist-era
secret police) and there is no kind of document that says that I
informed for the Securitate or foreign intelligence," said Vosganian.

Vosganian, 48, chair of the Senate’s budget and finance committee, is
known for supporting free-market policies. He is also a fervent
backer of his country’s flat tax of 16 percent, which Romania
introduced in 2005 to replace a progressive taxation scheme ranging
from 18 to 40 percent.

A mathematician and economist, Vosganian is also a writer and poet.
He heads the National Union of (Ethnic) Armenians in Romania. Romania
and Bulgaria are due to join the European Union on Jan. 1.
From: Baghdasarian