County council official Oprisan: Oftentimes county councils' work hampered by stuffy, piecemeal legislation

The ongoing convention of the General Assembly of Romania's County Councils (AGCJR) is a good opportunity to discuss and highlight the most important issues related to the balancing of local budgets for the current year, the use of the 2017 budget surplus, investments that can be conducted under governmental programmes, European funds and, last but not least, public procurement, Chairman of the National Union of Romania's County Councils (UNCJR) Marian Oprisan said Thursday.

"Unfortunately, far too many times, our activity is hampered and even blocked by stuffy, piecemeal legislation. That makes it harder for s to do our job and leaves room for legal interpretations on the part of both the public servants and the inspection and control bodies. Today's decision makers have understood these things and we are in the process of bringing legislation in line with the realities of today's Romania, an imperative thing that we must do together - the local administrations, the Romanian Government and Parliament," Oprisan told the opening of the AGCJR conventions, also attended by Prime Minister Viorica Dancila.

Oprisan also underscored the need to accelerate real reforms that imply "especially" administrative and financial decentralisation.

"Mrs Prime Minister, we are telling you in all responsibility that the difference between the administration of Romania and the administration of the Western countries that are consolidated democracies is immense. Countries that are consolidated democracies got decentralised 40-50 years ago, which led to a level of their development that we can see today (...) As we have seen in the European space, things have to happen down there; the decision must be close to the citizens, because if we keep permanently knocking at the doors of the ministers and at the doors of the Romanian Government, the problems of the citizens we govern will never be solved in a proper and timely manner," he said.

According to him, Viorica Dancila is the first prime minister who promises not to close the national budget at the expense of local administrations.

"The Prime Minister promised us when she was inaugurated that we will first ensure the necessary resources for the functioning of the local administrations in Romania and later on we complete the national budget for the current year," added Oprisan. AGERPRES (RO - author: Sorin Penes, editor: Claudia Stanescu; EN - author: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu, editor: Adina Panaitescu)

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