A member of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), he was Minister of the Environment and Sustainable Development in the Emil Boc cabinet from 2008 to 2009.
[4] Among his initiatives were a tax on plastic bags[5] and the Green House programme for heating homes with solar, biomass or geothermal energy;[6] he also announced a planned crackdown on Romanians registering more heavily polluting automobiles in Bulgaria.
[7] He supported legislation to impose a uniform tax on polluters based on the quantities they emit by 2010,[8] in particular aimed at alleviating serious air quality issues in Bucharest,[9] as well as granting state subsidies for replacing outdated tractors.
[12] He defended his ties to the mayor (who pushed for his appointment), noting he was the first government minister from Constanţa since the 1989 Revolution, and asserted there was no reason for environmental concern over the highway.
Among his other priorities were solving the issue of garbage heaps in line with European Union directives, remaining advised of the Roşia Montană mining project,[9] and addressing the impact of global warming on Romania, particularly when it comes to desertification and the spread of the Oltenian Sahara.