Just as the European Commission was reading its release of Romania’s country report, the Democrat Party, or PD, issued its own model of ideal government structure: a streamlined 16-portfolio, instead of the current 23-minister strong, government should be Romania’s next priority, said Emil Boc, president of the party which also gave Traian Basescu as the president of the country. PM Calin Popescu Tariceanu manages a 22-minister cabinet, of which three are deputy-PMs

Just as the European Commission was reading its release of Romania’s country report, the Democrat Party, or PD, issued its own model of ideal government structure: a streamlined 16-portfolio, instead of the current 23-minister strong, government should be Romania’s next priority, said Emil Boc, president of the party which also gave Traian Basescu as the president of the country.

This was a long forgotten electoral promise, packaged now as a new opportunity to bring the size of Romania’s government in line with the one of governments elsewhere in Europe.

But the thing is: France has 32 ministries; Germany has 14, Austria - 19, the Czech Republic - 18, Poland - 21, Greece - 18, Latvia - 17, while Hungary, Finland, Estonia and Lithuania have between 12 and 15 ministries each.

The reasons vary. France’s history and ambition to the status of social state make it, for instance, to have a ministry for the former colonies and territories still under French administration, or one for the elderly and the disabled.

Germany, in spite of its comparable size, has fewer ministries than France due to its federal structure, as does Austria. Greece stands out as having more ministries compared with its relatively small size, since it has a portfolio for the politics of the islands and the Aegean Sea and one for Public Order - different from the Ministry of Interior.

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