ANRSC, the institution that regulates the sanitation, water, and public transport sectors, has been led for nearly seven years by individuals with direct ties to the Social Democratic Party (PSD). From close associates of Marcel Ciolacu to former executives from Bucharest’s Sector 4 administration, the authority’s leadership raises questions about political influence over a key public institution.
The National Regulatory Authority for Community Public Utility Services (ANRSC) is not just another technical institution. It decides who can operate in the sanitation sector, how water and waste tariffs are approved, and oversees compliance with public utility contracts across the country.
For this reason, control of the institution carries significant political importance, especially when it comes to influence over county and municipal party structures. Currently, both ANRSC President Ionel Țeșcaru and Vice President Ramona Luminița Toderașcu are considered close to PSD and to influential figures within the party. They occupy the two highest positions within the authority.
Țeșcaru has remained in office regardless of changes in government, while Toderașcu comes from structures controlled by Sector 4 Mayor Daniel Băluță.
Ionel Tescaru: ANRSC president for seven years, a career built with PSD support
Ionel Țeșcaru has led ANRSC since February 2019, meaning he has remained president of the authority throughout the administrations of Viorica Dăncilă, Ludovic Orban, Florin Cîțu, Nicolae Ciucă, Marcel Ciolacu, and Ilie Bolojan. None of these prime ministers publicly raised the issue of replacing the institution’s leadership.
The ANRSC leadership is appointed by the prime minister.
His professional profile has been built almost entirely around public utility companies in Buzău County and PSD-affiliated structures.
He served as head of Compania de Apă Buzău, general manager of the Municipal Autonomous Utility Company of Buzău, and held management positions in several companies operating in the same sector, according to his own CV. He is an economist and a graduate of the Bucharest University of Economic Studies.
According to the asset declaration filed in June 2025, Ionel Țeșcaru, President of ANRSC, jointly owns with his wife several properties in Buzău: a 453-square-meter urban land plot, a 198-square-meter house, and a 40-square-meter apartment. The family also owns two vehicles: a 2011 Nissan Micra and a 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe. He declared approximately 204,000 lei in bank accounts and deposits held at Alpha Bank and Banca Transilvania.
In 2024, Ionel Țeșcaru earned an annual salary of 277,701 lei as ANRSC president, while his wife, an adviser within the Buzău County Council, reported income of 83,439 lei. The asset declaration contains no debts, loans, or other liabilities.
Tescaru, the man who handled payments in the Valeriu Zgonea case and attended concerts with Ciolacu
The connection between Ionel Țeșcaru and Marcel Ciolacu is documented in court records. During the corruption case involving former Chamber of Deputies President and PSD leader Valeriu Zgonea, it emerged that Țeșcaru, Ciolacu, and Zgonea, together with their wives and children, traveled to Vienna to attend Bon Jovi and André Rieu concerts.
In the Zgonea case, Ionel Țeșcaru appears in two separate contexts involving the relationship between the former Chamber President and businessman Dumitru Dobrică, who allegedly covered various expenses for Zgonea and his family.
According to case documents, in one instance Țeșcaru was tasked with making payments related to construction work and expenses for a vacation house built for the Zgonea family in Comandău, Covasna County. Prosecutors examined the flow of money and the individuals involved in paying for construction materials and services.
In another episode described in the investigation, Țeșcaru traveled with Valeriu Zgonea and his family to Vienna, where the group attended concerts by Bon Jovi and André Rieu. Prosecutors argued that the travel expenses, accommodation, and concert tickets constituted undue benefits received by Zgonea in exchange for using his influence to help secure a public position for Dumitru Dobrică’s daughter.
From airline companions to neighboring institutions
Today, Ionel Țeșcaru and Valeriu Zgonea lead two of Romania’s most influential regulatory authorities, with offices located practically next to each other in Bucharest’s Sector 3. Țeșcaru heads ANRSC, which regulates sanitation, water, and public transport, while Zgonea has led the National Authority for Administration and Regulation in Communications (ANCOM) since May 11, 2023, overseeing telecommunications, internet services, and digital communications.
ANRSC currently operates from 4 Lucian Blaga Street, while the Bucharest regional office of ANCOM is located next door at 6 Lucian Blaga Street. ANCOM’s headquarters, however, is located on Delea Nouă Street in a building leased since November 2007.
The two institutions therefore operate within the same administrative and political area in central Bucharest, a zone long dominated by figures associated with PSD.
Vice President Toderașcu: from Sector 4 to the top of ANRSC
If Țeșcaru represents ANRSC’s connection to former PSD leadership circles, Ramona Luminița Toderașcu represents the institution’s connection to Bucharest PSD leader and Sector 4 Mayor Daniel Băluță.
Toderașcu served as legal director of the Public Domain Management Company of Sector 4 between 2016 and 2019, precisely during the period when Băluță was consolidating PSD’s control over Bucharest’s most populous district. The company manages a significant share of local public-service contracts and plays an important role in the utilities and sanitation sector.
In 2019, Toderașcu moved from Sector 4 to ANRSC, where she served as deputy general director for four years, overseeing the authority’s inspection and compliance activities. In July 2023, she was appointed Vice President, becoming the institution’s second-ranking official.
According to the asset declaration filed in May 2025, Ramona Luminița Toderașcu does not report ownership of land, homes, vehicles, or bank accounts.
She does, however, declare gold and silver jewelry valued at approximately €30,000 and artwork worth around €7,000. The Toderașcu family also has a loan from Vista Bank, contracted in 2010 and due in 2033, with an outstanding value of €78,000.
In 2024, Toderașcu earned 170,496 lei from her position as ANRSC Vice President, while her husband, an employee of the Romanian Court of Accounts, reported income of 149,284 lei.
The role of ANRSC
The National Regulatory Authority for Community Public Utility Services is the state institution responsible for regulating and supervising local public services such as sanitation, water and wastewater services, public transport, and street lighting. However, because water, transport, and even lighting services are largely operated through public monopolies or municipally controlled companies, the sanitation sector remains the area generating the greatest financial and political interests.
ANRSC’s key role makes it one of the most influential institutions within Romania’s local administration, with direct impact on mayors’ activities and public contracts throughout the country. Its leadership is appointed by the prime minister, and the current decision-making structure is dominated by officials and managers considered close to the sphere of influence of the Social Democratic Party.
This overlap between the authority’s role as a national regulator and its political connections raises questions about the true independence of the institution that ultimately decides, among other things, the tariffs Romanians pay for sanitation and other local public services.
