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Emil Boc: Former Romanian Prime Minister and current mayor of Cluj
Emil Boc is a Romanian politician and the current mayor of Cluj. Boc was first elected mayor of Cluj, the biggest city in Transylvania, back in 2004. After that, he served as Prime Minister of Romania between 2008 and 2012. He announced his comeback for the 2012 local elections which he won. Highlighting the importance of education has always been one of Boc’s main priorities. Furthermore, as mayor of Cluj, he is dedicated to fostering innovations, making the city greener and more environmentally-friendly and supporting large-scale infrastructure projects in Cluj that largely benefit all the residents of the Romanian city.
Boc, who holds a PhD in Political Science and works as an Associate Professor at Cluj-Babeş-Bolyai Napoca’s University, is also the Rapporteur for the ‘’Brain Drain in the EU’’. Even though the free movement of labour is regarded as a cornerstone of the European Union, Boc believes that no one should ever be forced to leave their country for economic or social reasons. Mayor Boc believes that investment in the education system should be one of the main priorities for local, municipal and regional authorities.
It is more important than ever that people are provided access to education. According to him, it is up to local and regional authorities to ensure that ‘’brain drain’’ is transformed into ‘’brain gain’’. Boc finds that universities continue to play an important role in developing local and regional economies, and, at the same time, strengthening democracy.
In his speech at the Conference on the Future of Europe in Strasbourg, Boc stated: ‘’Education is the best form of investment because there is no risk of bankruptcy. Education is the solution to ignorance, intolerance, racism, violence, disinformation or fake news. I support citizens’ proposals on basic abilities and critical thinking in schools to fight against disinformation.’’
When it comes to climate protection, mayor Boc supports and promotes various useful projects and initiatives. He has a goal of planting 100,000 new trees in Cluj in order to improve the quality of life in the city and contribute to the global fight against climate change. Furthermore, new green spaces, parks and recreational areas are constantly making Cluj an even better place to live. Moreover, the city of Cluj is constantly investing in the development of new nurseries and the expansion of existing nurseries. (photo credit: wikimedia)
