Romania’s newly installed Minister of Economy Lucian Bode, 38 years old, is the head of the Democrat Liberal Party (PDL) Salaj, president of the Friendship group Romania – Qatar and former president of electricity distribution company Electrica Zalau until 2008. Bode was also the Romanian Parliament's top scorer at the European Parliament’s soccer tournament held in 2011, in Hungary, scoring three of Romania's five goals.

In 1998 he graduated from the University of Oradea, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, specializing in electromechanical engineering. He also has a master's degree in Security Management in Contemporary Society at the Faculty of History and Philosophy Babes-Bolyai in Cluj-Napoca, in northwestern Romania.

Between 2001-2008 Bode was a service operation engineer, spokesman and service chief at Electrica SA, Zalau Branch. From 2003 to 2008 he was also the union leader at the Zalau branch. Between 2000 and 2004 was local councilor in Valcau de Jos, a community in Salaj County.

As Minister of Economy Lucian Bode’s duties will include privatizing state companies as agreed with the International Monetary Fund. Some of the state companies that are in the Economy Ministry’s portfolio are Hidroelectrica, Oltchim, Electrica Furnizare, Compania Nationala Romarm, Romgaz, Transgaz and Transelectrica.

Lucian Bode was born in 1974 in Valcau de Jos, Salaj County. He is married to a kindergarten teacher and has one child.

Alex Camburu, alex.camburu@romania-insider.com

(photo source: Gov.ro)