Daniel Dăianu (born 30 August 1952) is a Romanian economist, professor, and politician.
Early life
He was born in
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north ...
,
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, a ...
in a family of high-ranking
Securitate
The Securitate (, Romanian for ''security'') was the popular term for the Departamentul Securității Statului (Department of State Security), the secret police agency of the Socialist Republic of Romania. Previously, before the communist regi ...
officers.
Up to 9th grade he studied at High School nr. 35, after which he switched to , where he attended a special math class
from 1968 to 1971. In 1975, he obtained a
Master of Economics
The Master of Economics (MEcon or MEc) is a postgraduate master's degree in economics comprising training in economic theory, econometrics, and/or applied economics.
The degree is also offered as an MS or MSc, MA or MCom in economics;
variant ...
from the
Academy of Economic Studies (ASE) in Bucharest and, in 1988, a
Ph.D. in Economics from the same institution. He held a post-doctoral research position at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...
's Russian Research Center, from 1990 to 1991 and attended
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA ...
's six-week Advanced Management Program in 1994.
During
Nicolae Ceaușescu
Nicolae Ceaușescu ( , ; – 25 December 1989) was a Romanian communist politician and dictator. He was the general secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989, and the second and last Communist leader of Romania. He w ...
's communist regime, Dăianu worked for the Securitate's Foreign Intelligence Unit (DIE), between 1976 and September 1978. He left DIE in 1978, of his own volition and he became known, in the following decade, for his writings against Ceaușescu's economic policy, which were highlighted on
Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a United States government funded organization that broadcasts and reports news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Caucasus, and the Middle East where it says th ...
(RFE) at the time. Between 1979 and 1990, he was a researcher at the Economic Socialist Institute. In September 2007, the National Council for Analyzing the State Security Department Files (CNSAS) decided that Dăianu had worked for the External Intelligence Unit solely on economic issues.
Public service career

Between 1992 and 1997, Dăianu was the Chief Economist of the National Bank of Romania. He was the
Finance Minister of Romania between December 5, 1997, and September 23, 1998, in the governments of
Victor Ciorbea and
Radu Vasile. He was dismissed because he refused to endorse a controversial deal with
Bell Helicopter Textron to purchase 96 ''AH-1RO Dracula'' attack helicopters (a variant of
AH-1 Cobra
The Bell AH-1 Cobra is a single-engined attack helicopter developed and manufactured by the American rotorcraft manufacturer Bell Helicopter. A member of the prolific Huey family, the AH-1 is also referred to as the HueyCobra or Snake.
The ...
), in order to help modernize the armed forces. Dăianu considered that terms of the contract were disadvantageous for the Romanian industry and that the deal was too costly for the Romanian budget at that time.
In August 2005, he became President of the Supervision Board of
Banca Comercială Română, a position previously held by
Sebastian Vlădescu
Sebastian Teodor Gheorghe Vlădescu (born 3 April 1958) is a Romanian economist and politician. A former member of the National Liberal Party (PNL), he was the Minister of Public Finance of Romania in the first Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu cabine ...
and , among others. He resigned this post in December 2007, in order to avoid any conflict of interest with his duties as a member of the European Parliament. During 2012–13 he was a member of the Board of
CEC Bank. Dăianu was also the President of the European Association for Comparative Economic Studies (EACES), between 2002 and 2004.
He was a member of the
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adop ...
between 2007 and 2009, when he represented the
National Liberal Party (PNL). He was co-rapporteur of the report "Lamfalussy follow-up: Future Structure of Supervision", for the European Parliament. On May 22, 2008, Dăianu, together with three former Presidents of the European Commission, nine former Prime Ministers of EU member states, and six former Finance/Economy Ministers, co-signed an article with title "Financial Markets Cannot Govern Us" in "
Le Monde
''Le Monde'' (; ) is a French daily afternoon newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average circulation of 323,039 copies per issue in 2009, about 40,000 of which were sold abroad. It has had its own website si ...
", in which they anticipated the extent of the economic crisis and talked about its causes. In October 2008, Dăianu took position against European banks that receive state aids to get out of the crisis, yet damage emerging European economies through speculation against national currencies.
During the presidential elections of 2009, he was touted as one of possible prime ministers. In 2010, Dăianu was invited to be a fellow of the
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is official ...
-based Center for Social and Economic Research (CASE). In June 2014 he was elected a member of the Board of the
National Bank of Romania
The National Bank of Romania ( ro, Banca Națională a României, BNR) is the central bank of Romania and was established in April 1880. Its headquarters are located in the capital city of Bucharest.
The National Bank of Romania is responsible ...
. Between April 2013 and June 2014, he was first deputy president of the Romanian Financial Supervision Authority. He is a member of the High Level Group on Own Resources of the European Union, which is headed by
Mario Monti
Mario Monti, (born 19 March 1943) is an Italian economist and academic who served as the Prime Minister of Italy from 2011 to 2013, leading a technocratic government in the wake of the Italian debt crisis.
Monti served as a European Commissi ...
. Dăianu is also a member of the European Council for Foreign Relations, since 2012.
Academic career
Dăianu is a professor of public finance at the National School of Political Studies and Public Administration in Bucharest. During different periods, he held research positions at the
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (or Wilson Center) is a quasi-government entity and think tank which conducts research to inform public policy. Located in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Wash ...
in
Washington, D.C., the
NATO Defense College
NATO Defense College (NDC) is the international military college for North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries. It is located in Rome, Italy.
History
The idea of a NATO Defense College originated with General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the ...
in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus ( legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
, the
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster gl ...
, and the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; french: Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques, ''OCDE'') is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental organisation with 38 member countries ...
in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...
. Between 1999 and 2004, he was a professor at the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest, at the
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
, at the
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a Normal school, teachers colle ...
, and at the
University of Bologna
The University of Bologna ( it, Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna, UNIBO) is a public research university in Bologna, Italy. Founded in 1088 by an organised guild of students (''studiorum''), it is the oldest university in continuo ...
.
Dăianu was elected
corresponding member of the
Romanian Academy
The Romanian Academy ( ro, Academia Română ) is a cultural forum founded in Bucharest, Romania, in 1866. It covers the scientific, artistic and literary domains. The academy has 181 active members who are elected for life.
According to its by ...
in 2001, and became titular member in 2013. He has written several books and his columns have appeared in ''
Ziarul Financiar
''Ziarul Financiar'' is a daily financial newspaper published in Bucharest, Romania. Aside from business information, it features sections focusing on careers and properties, as well as a special Sunday newspaper. ''Ziarul Financiar'' also publish ...
'', ''Piața Financiară'', ''Bursa'', ''
Southeast European Times Southeast European Times was a United States European Command-sponsored news website dedicated to coverage of Southeast Europe that ended publication in March 2015. The countries covered included Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greec ...
'', ''
European Voice
''Politico Europe'' (stylized as ''POLITICO Europe'') is the European edition of the German-owned news organization ''Politico'' reporting on political affairs of the European Union. Its headquarters are located in Brussels with additional offices ...
'', ''
Les Echos Les Echos may refer to:
* ''Les Echos'' (France), a French-language financial newspaper published in France
* ''Les Echos'' (Mali), a French-language newspaper published in Bamako, Mali
See also
* Echoes (disambiguation)
Echoes may refer to:
* ...
'', ''Europe's World'', and ''World Commerce Review''.
Selected writings
* ''Funcționarea economiei și echilibrul extern'' (Editura Academiei Române, 1992),
* ''Economic Vitality and Viability: A Dual Challenge for European Security'' (Peter Lang Pub Inc, June 1996),
* ''Transformation of Economy As a Real Process: An Insider's Perspective'' (
Ashgate Publishing
Ashgate Publishing was an academic book and journal publisher based in Farnham ( Surrey, United Kingdom). It was established in 1967 and specialised in the social sciences, arts, humanities and professional practice. It had an American office i ...
, April 1999),
* ''Balkan reconstruction'', by Daniel Dăianu and Thanos Veremes (
Frank Cass
Frank Cass (11 July 1930 – 9 August 2007) was a British publisher. He was the founder of Frank Cass & Co., an imprint of books and journals of history and the social sciences acquired by Taylor & Francis in 2003.
Early life
Frank Cass was born ...
, January 2001) ,
* ''Ethical Boundaries of Capitalism'', by Daniel Dăianu and Radu Vrânceanu (Ashgate Publishing, June 2005),
* ''Frontierele etice ale capitalismului'', translated into Romanian by Dorin Nistor, Alina Pelea, Marius Gulei (
Polirom
Polirom or Editura Polirom ("Polirom" Publishing House) is a Romanian publishing house with a tradition of publishing classics of international literature and also various titles in the fields of social sciences, such as psychology, sociology and a ...
, 2006)
* ''Pariul României. Economia noastră: reformă și integrare'', (Bucharest, Compania, 2006),
* ''Ce vom fi în Uniune'', (Iași, Polirom, 2006),
* ''South East Europe and The World We Live In'' (Bucharest, The Romanian Diplomatic Institute, 2008),
* ''The Macroeconomics of EU Integration. The Case of Romania'' (Bucharest, Rosetti Educational, 2008),
* ''Which Way Goes Capitalism?'' (Budapest/New York,
Central European University Press
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
, May 2009),
* ''Lupta cu criza financiară. Eforturile unui membru român al PE / Combating the Financial Crisis. A Romanian MEPs Struggle'', Bucharest, Rosetti Educațional, 2009,
* Co-author of ''Whither Economic Growth in Central and Eastern Europe'', Bruegel Blueprint Series, Brussels, 2010,
* ''EU Economic Governance Reform: Are We at a Turning Point?'', RCEP Policy Brief No.17, 2010
His most recent co-edited volume is "The Crisis of the Eurozone. The Future of Europe",
Palgrave Macmillan
Palgrave Macmillan is a British academic and trade publishing company headquartered in the London Borough of Camden. Its programme includes textbooks, journals, monographs, professional and reference works in print and online. It maintains off ...
, 2014 (Dăianu, Basevi, D'Adda, and Kumar)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Daianu, Daniel
1952 births
Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies alumni
Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies faculty
Living people
Romanian Ministers of Finance
Politicians from Bucharest
Titular members of the Romanian Academy
Romanian bankers
20th-century Romanian economists
Securitate officers
Harvard University staff
University of California, Berkeley faculty
University of California, Los Angeles faculty
University of Bologna faculty
National Liberal Party (Romania) MEPs
MEPs for Romania 2007–2009
21st-century Romanian economists