Ordinance On New Public Procurement System To Be Published In Official Gazette Thursday
The ordinance that will regulate the new public procurement system, which was adopted last week by the Government, will be published in the Official Gazette on Thursday. In its meeting on Thursday, the government will adopt the ordinance regarding centralized acquisitions, the finance minister said Wednesday.During this period, the government holds debates on a series of ordinances and methodological norms whereby it will simplify the public procurement procedures and will discourage unjustified contestations. (romanialibera.ro)
Finance Minister Announces Setup Of National Office For Centralized Acquisitions
The National Office for Centralized Acquisitions will become operational as of July 1 and will be created at the level of Finance Ministry through the merger with another structure within the Health Ministry, finance minister Eugen Teodorovici said Wednesday.
“At the level of Finance Ministry, through the merger with another structure within the Health Ministry, it will be created a structure that will implement public procurement in a centralized manner. (…) The new unit will have to become operational in July 2018 so that it can start to operate this type of centralized acquisitions. (puterea.ro)
Private Pension Pillar II To Become Optional, Says Minister
Romanian labor minister Lia Olguta Vasilescu said Monday evening that the country’s mandatory private pension Pillar II will become optional.
In Romania, Pillar I of the pension system is the compulsory public pension system, Pillar II is the mandatory privately managed pension system and Pillar III is the optional privately managed system.
Vasilescu told Romania TV that anyone should have the right to choose between Pillar I and Pillar II and added that citizens will receive a clear presentation on the matter in summer. She stressed that Pillar II will not be “nationalised”.
“There are many things we will have to explain to people so that they understand them,” she said.
The announcement sparked criticism from opposition party PNL. Party spokesperson Ionel Danca said the measure is the first step that the ruling PSD – ALDE coalition takes towards dismantling Pillar II. (evz.ro)
Constitutional Court Demands President To Dismiss Chief Anticorruption Prosecutor
Romania’s Constitutional Court on Thursday demanded President Klaus Iohannis to dismiss chief anti-graft prosecutor Laura Codruta Kovesi as a solution to the institutional conflict between the Presidency and the Government.
Justice minister Tudorel Toader had called in February for the dismissal of chief anticorruption prosecutor Laura Codruta Kovesi citing facts and acts which are “intolerable to the rule of law”. His proposal was forwarded to President Klaus Iohannis, who refused to dismiss Kovesi, chief anticorruption prosecutor since 2013. In response to this, Toader announced he will challenge the president’s decision at the Constitutional Court.
A press release from the Court reads that the president’s refusal to dismiss Kovesi made it impossible for the justice minister to fulfill his constitutional attributions in exerting authority over prosecutors’ activity and therefore triggered the institutional conflict.
The minister’s proposal led in February to thousands of people rallying across Romania after the announcement to support Kovesi and the European Commission said it might reassess the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) report on Romania following the minister’s call. The latest CVM report, released on November 15, concluded that Romania has made progress, but that challenges related to judicial independence have been “a persistent source of concern”. (puterea.ro)