PM Ciuca asks ethics committee of National Defence University to analyze its PhD thesis

Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuc asks for the analysis of his PhD thesis, which he presented in 2003, entitled "The Dimension of the Romanian Army's Engagement in Multinational Joint Operations," by the ethics committee of the National Defence University (UNAp), an institution organizing doctoral thesis.

According to the Prime Minister, the choice of the topic of his PhD dissertation was predominantly based on his personal experience gained in international missions in which he participated directly, individually or together with the 26th Infantry Battalion: UN peacekeeping mission in Angola (1996-1997), NATO mission within SACEUR Strategic Reserve for the Western Balkans (2000-2001) and the Afghanistan Coalition Mission (2002).

"Therefore, my thesis includes, in addition to scientific research and theoretical study, the experience I gained in the actual missions and exercises in which I participated, which is obviously the original contribution of a properly developed doctoral thesis," he added.

The head of the Executive underscored that, as a soldier, regardless of the position in which he was assigned, he has always fulfilled his duties, "observing the principles, laws and military regulations that govern the activity of the Romanian Army."

"The public accusations I received refer to the fact that some of the references in the footnotes do not appear in the bibliographic list, which only shows that the thesis is a honest one, since the source was mentioned at least once. Those public accusations cannot be justified, in any way, scientifically speaking, which can be proved by any report on similarity, correctly and professionally carried out. Syntagms and standardized formulations specific to the field of the PhD thesis (such as "stability pillar" etc.) should not be avoided when dealing with a sensitive subject - such as geopolitics - where semantics must be precise, which is why certain phrases/formulations must be standardized," said Ciuca.

He also mentions that, since 2003, after he presented it, his PhD became public and can be consulted at the Library of the National Defence University and at the National Library.

"I believe that I worked on my thesis according to the legal requirements existing at that time and, consequently, I initiated the request for its verification by the ethics committee of the UNAp - the institution organizing doctoral theses, according to the legal provisions in force, in the spirit of OMEC No. 5229/2020 of August 17, 2020. To the extent that there are still questions, UNAp will be entitled to request a verification by CNATDCU - Commission 26 - Political Science, Security Studies, Military Science, Information and Public Order," says Ciuca.

An investigation published by pressone.ro claims that Nicolae Ciuca's thesis, based on which he became a doctor of military sciences in 2003, includes plagiarized content in at least 42 pages out of a total of 138.