President Basescu: Law on incompatibility of elected local officials might affect Schengen accession

Photo credit: (c) Alex TUDOR / AGERPRES PHOTO

The changes to the law on community public utilities allowing mayors and county council chairpersons to be members of boards of these entities might impede Romania's accession into the Schengen Area, President Traian Basescu asserted upon returning the law to the Parliament.

'This seriously harms the goal I announced, that is at least beginning the Schengen [Area] accession process this year. I have sent the law back; it directly contradicts the law of the ANI [National Integrity Agency], and one cannot allow operating two contradictory laws. Actually, the Parliament did — let's call it this way — a trick, leaving the matter to the courts; it did not change and not mention articles of the ANI law cancelled by the new law. This leaves it to the courts, and the courts will always say that the newer, more favourable law applies,' Basescu said on Wednesday at the B1 TV station.

The President signed on Monday the request of review by the Parliament of the law that changes the Law No. 51 of 2006 on the community public utilities and sent it to the Senate Chairman Calin Popescu-Tariceanu.

The new law also allows the elected local officials delegating by orders their positions as representatives in the general meetings of the associations. AGERPRES

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