Anca Dana Paliu Dragu (born 3 May 1972) is a Romanian economist and politician. She was Minister of Public Finance of Romania, as well as President of the Senate of Romania from 21 December 2020 to 23 November 2021.^[1] Dragu was the first woman in the history of the Senate to hold this position.^[2] In December 2023, she obtained Moldovan citizenship and was appointed Governor of the National Bank of Moldova.^[3]

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Quick Facts President of the Senate of Romania, Preceded by ...

Anca Dragu
Dragu in 2015
President of the Senate of Romania
In office 21 December 2020 – 23 November 2021
Preceded by	Robert Cazanciuc (acting)
Succeeded by	Florin Cîțu
Member of the Senate of Romania
In office 21 December 2020 – 29 December 2023
Constituency	Bucharest
Minister of Public Finance
In office 17 November 2015 – 4 January 2017
Prime Minister	Dacian Cioloș
Preceded by	Eugen Teodorovici
Succeeded by	Viorel Ștefan
Governor of the National Bank of Moldova
Incumbent
Assumed office 22 December 2023
Preceded by	Octavian Armașu
Personal details
Born	(1972-05-03) 3 May 1972 (age 51)
Citizenship	Romania  Moldova
Political party	PLUS (2018–2021) USR (2021–present)
Alma mater	Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies National University of Political Studies and Public Administration
Occupation	Economist, politician

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Anca Dana Paliu Dragu was born on 3 May 1972.^[4] She graduated from the Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies in 1996. From 1999 to 2000, she studied at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., United States. She obtained an MA degree in public administration from the National University of Political Studies and Public Administration in Bucharest in 2007 and a PhD in economics from the Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies in 2010.^[5]

Between 1996 and 2001, Dragu was an economist for the National Bank of Romania before working for the International Monetary Fund in Bucharest. In 2013, she became an economist in the Directorate-General for Economic and Financial Affairs of the European Commission before becoming the European Investment Bank Governor for Romania as well as Minister of Public Finance of Romania in November 2015 as a technocrat,^[6][7] a position she held until January 2017.

Standing for election as a politician in the December 2020 Romanian parliamentary election, Dragu was elected to the Senate of Romania for the USR PLUS party. Selected as President of the Senate in December 2020 with the backing of the alliance between USR PLUS, PNL and UDMR, she kept this post until the alliance ended and was replaced in November 2021 by a PNL candidate.^[8] In 2021, USR PLUS became the Save Romania Union (USR) party.

Dragu was sworn in as a Moldovan citizen on 21 December 2023 before she was appointed as Governor of the National Bank of Moldova next day for a term of seven years.^[9][3] She resigned from her position as senator on the same day, ending her mandate. The Senate officially registered her resignation on 29 December.^[10]

• List of ministers of finance of Romania