Designated prime minister Luca Niculescu said on Thursday, 15 October 2026, on Antena 1 that Dacia would be among his priorities and that Romania “cannot afford to lose” such an enterprise. The remark is a political intention, not an adopted measure and not an approved state-aid package. Niculescu has not yet been invested; Parliament’s vote is set for Tuesday, 20 October.

Asked whether he was considering aid for the company, he said he was considering dialogue. He said he needed to talk quickly with representatives of foreign and Romanian companies, with unions and with civil society. That wording opens a conversation; it does not announce a package, a timetable or a sum.

He described Dacia as one of the largest contributors to GDP — “2% or 3%, if memory serves” — and as a significant part of exports. The figure is his recollection, not a statistic checked in the interview. This article does not independently confirm the GDP share.

In the same interview he spoke of a “diversified” foreign agenda to attract investment. He said Romania must have good relations with the United States, its strategic ally, and with France, a historic partner, but also with the rest of Europe. He added that he intended to visit villages and towns and talk to people.

On the proposed cabinet, he said it would be “a government for this country,” with people from PSD and independents, and that both right-leaning and left-leaning decisions would have to be taken. Those are talking points before the investiture vote, not a programme already in force.

Economedia, reporting the same interview, also recorded other intentions: a wish not to raise taxes in 2027, without presenting it as a firm promise until the figures and the recovery plan are known; pension indexation; and removing the minimum turnover tax, which he linked to a drop in foreign investment. None of those points is law.

Dacia (the Renault group) remains a major employer and exporter; the statement does not say the plant is closing and does not announce a rescue plan. Until investiture and until a public act, the “priority” remains a remark by a designated prime minister.

Image: Mihnea Lazăr, Dacia Duster (2025), CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons; a production model, not the Mioveni plant and not the 15 October interview.

Sources consulted: Niculescu: România nu își poarte permite să piardă o întreprindere cum este Dacia — AGERPRES; Luca Niculescu: Dorința noastră este de a nu crește taxe și impozite în 2027… Dacia este printre priorități — Economedia.