The extraordinary session of the Senate that was convened to discuss and vote on a request from President Klaus Iohannis for the re-examination of the draft Fiscal Code has concluded with the senators rejecting the agenda of the session following the parties’ option to discuss the request in an ordinary session of the Senate next week.
“We had a discussion inside the Standing Bureau of the Senate and we noticed there was already a publicly stated political consensus among the parties for the talks on the Fiscal Code that include experts and specialists to continue because of the importance of the Fiscal Code and its medium and long-term impact on the economy. Given the circumstances, we cannot discuss the request for re-examination submitted by the president also because there is no report from the committee notified. Given that we had a consultation with the leaders of the parliamentary groups attending the meeting of the Standing Bureau, we agreed to reject the agenda and to postpone the debate of the Fiscal Code for the ordinary session that starts on September 1,” said Senate Chairman Calin Popescu-Tariceanu, according to Agerpres.
By hand raising, the proposal to reject the agenda of the extraordinary session of the Senate passed 94 to 2 and one abstention.
“The agenda was rejected, and I am consequently declaring the extraordinary session closed. We will be convening next week in ordinary session,” he concluded.
Popescu-Tariceanu argued that “it is more useful, wiser” that the parties would not haste and have instead another stage of consultations, discussions and analyses on this topic.
“We had a reunion this morning of the ruling coalition in which we have addressed the Fiscal Code topic. Considering the various opinions, contradictory most of the time, on the Fiscal Code, we have decided it more useful, wiser not to haste uselessly and have another round of consultations. (…) So, I have proposed the parties of the Opposition too, to have a political talk on Thursday, after deeply analyzing, on both sides the substantiation figures and data of the Fiscal Code, of the budget in order to make a consensus decision. Therefore, the extraordinary session would not take place. I have talked with the chairman of the Budget-Finances Committee with the Senate and they are not capable, under the circumstances, to give a report and we shall postpone for the next week, for the ordinary session, the debate and decision on the re-examination request by President Iohannis on the new Fiscal Code,” said Tariceanu.
He specified that the Standing Bureau of the Senate is further summoned in a reunion at 2:30pm, and the plenary sitting is to take place to learn that the necessary conditions to gathering for the above-mentioned re-examination were not met.
“The Standing Bureau’s sitting is taking place. We’ll have the plenary meeting, too because there is an agenda already voted and we must find that the necessary conditions to debate the President’s demand in an extraordinary session are not met. Then, we shall delay it. (…) Today we have agreed that next week, in the first day of plenary sitting with a business of the meeting with draft laws, it will be included. Most probably next Wednesday,” the Senate Speaker said.
