President Traian Basescu asked the government yesterday to administratively reorganise the country by replacing the 41 Counties with 8 large Counties or 7 Counties and the capital Bucharest. The President pointed out that the current system, dating back to 1968, generates inefficiency in the use of EU funds and corruption, Mediafax informs.
Traian Basescu claimed, at the government meeting, that he is aware of the parties’ sensitivity when it comes to administrative reorganisation, namely of the fact that they all think that they “control” a County if they hold the County Council’s Presidency. “I think we should rise above political interests,” the President said, adding that corruption at County level is present, as “bipartisan families” have been created.
On the other hand, the President asked the Ministers to ponder whether they will still be part of the government after June 30 if the Q1 data shows a low level of absorption of EU funds and of investments in the domains they manage. Basescu also warned that Romania risks the temporary suspension of EU funds because of the problems it has in tapping them.
At the same time he told the Ministers that he wants to talk with them about private management of state-owned companies, warning them that they are wrong if they consider his previous statements on this issue were simple political statements. “I want us to analyze the stage at which the private management of state-owned companies issue finds itself. It would be wrong for someone to imagine I’ve made simple political statements until now,” Basescu told the Ministers.
