An economist by heart, Dragoș holds a PhD in economics at the National Economic Research Institute (INCE) of the Romanian Academy and an MA in International Relations from the London School of Economics. He worked as a researcher, professor, consultant and successful entrepreneur, eventually serving as Romania’s Minister for Labour. He helped kickstart numerous international projects on social affairs, rural development, social policy, labour markets and digitalization, among other topics and ran one of the first start-up accelerators in Romania. He is a firm believer in evidence-driven policy and in lifelong learning and upskilling as vital components for a healthy labour market and a prosperous economy. Dragoș is current Member of the European Parliament, where is coordinating the work of the Renew Europe Group in the Employment and Social Affairs Committee.