Romanian minister resigns after ‘oops’ moment in his resume

Ionut Mosteanu, the defence minister of Romania, stepped down on Friday after admitting that he had wrongly claimed to have graduated from a university he never attended.

Mosteanu resigned to prevent the controversy from overshadowing his ministry’s mission at a time when Romania—and Europe at large—is “under attack from Russia,” he said.

The controversy erupted after a media investigation published on Thursday revealed discrepancies in his resume. The report found that his claimed academic qualification was false, something Mosteanu did not dispute.

“In a CV I quickly put together in 2016 using a template I found online, there is a mistake that I admit embarrasses me. I didn’t pay much attention to these details at the time,” Mosteanu acknowledged in a public post.

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He said the resignation was necessary so the row did not distract Romania’s leadership from its “difficult mission."

Mosteanu had been appointed defence minister in June this year when a new pro-European coalition assumed power after a politically turbulent period.

Following his resignation, the country’s Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan announced that the current economy and tourism minister, Radu Miruta, will serve as interim defence minister.

With heightened concern over national security—a result of repeated drone incursions and alleged hybrid attacks since Russia invaded Ukraine—officials in Bucharest were quick to emphasise stability at the top of the defence ministry.

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