A consultancy company he founded with a colleague led him to implement a number of projects financed from the European Social Fund.

[1] In May 2016, he began working for the then Prime Minister of Romania Dacian Cioloș as Secretary of State with the Ministry of European Funds.

His candidacy attracted controversy due to him not complying with the legal requirements regarding the mention of a candidate's first-degree relatives income, in the public declaration of assets (document required in a candidate's file, while registering at the electoral board).

Soon after the story sparked, he declassified his wife's annual income and changed his assets statement.

[2] Barna did not receive enough votes to enter the second round and subsequently endorsed Klaus Iohannis, who was re-elected for a second and last term.