Radu Vasile

Radu Vasile (10 October 1942 – 3 July 2013) was a Romanian politician, historian, academic, writer and poet who served as Prime Minister of Romania from 17 April 1998 to 13 December 1999. A leading member of the Christian Democratic National Peasants' Party (PNȚ-CD), he played a prominent role within the Romanian Democratic Convention (CDR). Before becoming active in national politics, Vasile pursued an academic career at the Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies (ASE), where he specialized in economic history and the history of economic thought. He served in the Senate of Romania, from 1992 to 2004, originally as a PNȚ-CD member, and then, from 2000 to 2004, on behalf of the Democratic Party (PD). His premiership was mainly marked by his handling of the January 1999 Mineriad, during which miners marched toward Bucharest in protest against planned mine closures and government restructuring measures, an event that some commentators and media outlets described as an attempted coup d'état. In addition to his political career, Vasile published poetry under the pen name Radu Mischiu.

Early life and education Radu Vasile was born on 10 October 1942, in Sibiu, and was raised in the Roman Catholic faith, growing up in Drăgășani. Vasile studied history at the University of Bucharest, graduating from the Faculty of History in 1967.

Early political career (1990-1998) Vasile joined the Christian Democratic National Peasants' Party (PNȚ-CD) in January 1990, soon becoming Head of Economics Department and Spokesman (appointed directly by Corneliu Coposu), positions which he held until he was elected Senator for Bacău County in 1992. the privatization of Banca Română de Dezvoltare (BRD) through its acquisition by Société Générale, and the privatization of Automobile Dacia, which was acquired by Renault in 1999. The government also pursued privatization and restructuring measures in industry and agriculture under the Private Sector Adjustment Loan (PSAL) and Agricultural Sector Adjustment Loan (ASAL) programs supported by the World Bank. The reforms were praised by supporters as necessary for macroeconomic stabilization, while critics argued they imposed significant social costs.

The Vasile government introduced several fiscal measures intended to stimulate economic activity and exports. These included the elimination of profit tax on export revenues, a reduction in the value-added tax (VAT) rate from 22% to 19%, and a reduction in the corporate profit tax rate from 38% to 25%.

Pope John Paul II's visit In 1997, Pope John Paul II wanted to strengthen ties with Romania and expressed his desire to visit the country. The disagreements between the Romanian Orthodox Church and the Romanian Greek Catholic Church determined Patriarch Teoctist of Romania to delay the pope's invitation, while the Pope refused to visit without permission from the Romanian Orthodox Church. In 1998, Radu Vasile, a Roman Catholic, visited Rome and met with Pope John Paul II, whom he invited to visit Romania, on behalf of President Emil Constantinescu. Patriarch Teoctist soon invited the Pope too. Pope John Paul II then visited the country in May 1999, the first visit of the Pope to a majority Orthodox country since the Great Schism in 1054.

Radu Vasile and Minister of Industries Radu Berceanu refused to come to Petroșani, so the miners threatened to come to Bucharest, as they had previously done in 1990 and 1991. Minister of Transport Traian Băsescu also refused to provide transport by train for the miners. After failed negotiations between the miners and the Committee for Budget-Finance of the Senate, led by Viorel Cataramă, the Gendarmerie blocked Jiului Defile to prevent the miners from reaching Bucharest. On 14 January, the miners asked for different terms, accepting the restructuring, but asking for 10,000 dollars or 500 dollars pension for each fired miner. Alexandru Athanasiu became acting Prime Minister until Mugur Isărescu took the position. On 27 December, Vasile was removed from the PNȚ-CD. Vasile later became a member of the party's National Permanent Bureau.

In 2013, Radu Vasile considered Pope John Paul II's visit and the Peace of Cozia to be his two biggest achievements as Prime Minister. President Traian Băsescu decorated Radu Vasile post-mortem with the Order of the Star of Romania.

Published works