A New Intelligence Chief

Parliament on Monday green-lighted the appointment of Liberal MEP Eduard Hellvig as the new head of the Romanian Intelligence Service. 498 MPs voted in favour of Hellvig, who was nominated by president Klaus Iohannis, while only 15 MPs voted against.

According to political pundits, the result of the vote, which could not be conceived when Hellvig was originally nominated, can underlie an agreement between the Power and the Opposition, under which the Social-Democratic Party in the ruling coalition is due to appoint the new head of the Foreign Intelligence Service. Whether or not that is a compromise, the appointment has piled up pressure on Hellvig, whom some politicians, such as Senate President Calin Popescu Tariceanu, have criticized for his lack of experience in the field and thus inapt to cope with the difficulties and responsibility that come with the job.

Attending Parliament’s vote, Hellvig presented the priorities of his term in office, among which combating corruption, developing the country’s defense capabilities and strengthening partnerships with European and NATO allies, especially with the United States. Against the growing public discontent, mostly linked with Parliament exerting too much influence over the Intelligence Service, Hellvig called for dialogue and transparency, two aspects he sees as deficient ever since the institution was founded in 1990. Eduard Hellvig:

“I assure you of my full willingness to cooperate with and promote a dialogue between institutions, political parties and civil society, as transparent and effective as possible”.

Many MPs spoke highly of Hellvig’s credentials. Here is the leader of the Social-Democrat Senators Ilie Sarbu:

“He is an unbiased and even-minded man and I believe the Intelligence Service requires more thoughtfulness and less spur-of-the-moment decisions. Such qualities are due to greatly benefit the Service”.

Liberal MP Cristina Pocora.

“Eduard Hellvig has all the qualities recommending him as a civilian chief at the helm of the Intelligence Service. He has the training and the necessary human profile to run such an institution”.

Taking the floor next was Verestoy Attila of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania:

“He is a civilian, from all points of view, and indeed he will be well-received by our partners in the European and Euro-Atlantic community”.

It remains to be seen whether Hellvig’s activity will rise up to the praises voiced in Parliament on Monday.