AUR, the Romanian extremist party that has emerged as the biggest opposition force in Romania according to the latest polls, advocates for "the supremacy of state sovereignty in world architecture" and rejects "the tendency to centralize decisions at the level of the European Union," according to its governing program, made public on Thursday, May 11.

The program also contains a number of populist measures, such as raising the gross minimum wage to RON 5,000 (over EUR 1,000) in the next four years (from the current level of RON 3,000) or nationalizing OMV Petrom, the biggest oil and gas company in Romania, according to G4Media.ro.

"The Romanian state will be the holder of the majority of shares in companies in strategic fields, as well as in those that process natural resources, and Romanian citizens will have easy access and right of pre-emption to buy shares in these companies," reads AUR's governing program, quoted by G4Media.ro.

"The majority shares of OMV Petrom and other strategic companies will be recovered gradually, through a fair compensation, after the fulfilment of all contractual obligations, including those from the sale, will be verified."

The party also promises to set up a Sovereign Investment Fund that will be responsible for managing Romania's natural resources, placing the collected sums in low-risk investments outside the country, covering the pension fund deficit from the earnings obtained and investments in key areas of national interest (energy, steel, metallurgy).

"The Sovereign Investment Fund will be organized in the form of a state fund that can be capitalized from Romanian taxpayers' money, allowing them to become shareholders."

AUR also states that Romania must ensure its energy sovereignty. Therefore, the use of fossil fuels and hydrocarbons (coal, gas, oil), hydro, nuclear, wind and solar energy will continue. This proposal contradicts the EU's decarbonization project, which involves phasing out fossil fuels by 2030.

In the justice area, AUR proposes the establishment of genuine "People's Courts", which will "solve serious criminal cases and collective or class lawsuits".

andrei@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Inquam Photos/Ilona Andrei)