Territorial restructuring will "cut out bureaucracy"

Prime Minister Emil Boc restated on Wednesday, for Radio Romania Actualităţi that the territorial-administrative reorganization of Romania would generate a better functioning of the state, would decrease corruption, increasing the assimilation of European funds and coherent public policy for development.

The Prime Minister claimed that the concerned process would not imply additional costs for the citizens.

Emil Boc said that the forthcoming districts suggested trough the administrative reorganization, would be named by the new county councils elected in June 2012.

According to the executive manager, the name of the eight large counties will be chosen by the future county councils, but the process will be ratified by the Government.

Audio: Full interview conducted by Gabriel Klimowicz with Prime Minister Emil Boc.

The Prime Minister also said that small districts cannot contract directly European funds, but this can be carried out only by large counties.

Hence the Prime Minister argued again the need for the administrative reorganization proposed by the Liberal Democratic Party(PDL) model.

‘If we create these large counties, they could contract receive money directly from the EU’s budget. Now you need to go through Bucharest’, Emil Boc said.

The executive manager added that, based on administrative reorganization, a large county could receive EU funds up to three billion euro.

‘We are among the few EU countries that don’t have this kind of structure to receive funds directly from the EU. This is what I have been trying to say, and not that the EU is demanding us to do so.’

‘If we don’t make this change, we hinder the chances of bringing European funds into Romania’, the Prime Minister added.

We carry on ‘discussions with coalition companions’

Tuesday evening, Emil Boc declared, for the National Romanian Television (TVR) that PDL would continue discussions with Government partners regarding the administrative reorganization of the country. The Prime Minister abides to the opinion that ​​the establishment of eight large counties is an optimum idea. Taking charge of this project stands as a possible option.

‘The issue of restructuring will be discussed with our coalition partners, not just with the main partner, the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR)’, the Prime Minister, Emil Boc insisted on Radio Romania Actualităţi.

The executive manager also added that UDMR turned ‘f the dialogue into the main weapon of negotiation in the last 20 years.’

Translated by: Anca Toma
MA Student, MTTLC, Bucharest University