The Romanian Parliament, with its two chambers – the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies – were summoned on Friday to start second ordinary session of the year, several draft laws being expected from the Government, such as the package on amending the pensions law, the Justice package law or the setting up of the Sovereign Development and Investments Fund.
During this session, the two chambers of the Parliament have to pass their decisions on both the outstanding draft laws from the previous sessions and on the draft laws and Government Ordinances coming from the Government.
Chamber appoints members to new Standing Bureau
The Chambers of Deputies appointed on Friday the members to its new Standing Bureau.
The Social Democratic Party (PSD) will have three deputy speakers: Florin Iordache, Petru Gabriel Vlase, Carmen-Ileana Mihalcescu; two secretaries: Georgian Pop and Ioana Bran, and a treasurer: Mircea-Gheorghe Draghici.
The National Liberal Party (PNL) will hold a deputy speaker office: Ben-Oni Ardelean and a secretary office: Cristian Buican.
The Save Romania Union (USR) will be represented by Ionut Mosteanu as secretary. The Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE) will each hold one treasurer office: Denes Seres and Andrei Dominic Gerea, respectively. Dragos Zispol will hold a treasurer office on behalf of the minorities group.
Speaker of the Deputies’ Chamber is Liviu Dragnea.
In the new session, leaders of the parliamentary groups will be Ioan Munteanu (PSD), Raluca Turcan (PNL), Cristian Seidler (USR), Korodi Attila (UDMR), Varujan Vosganian (ALDE), Eugen Tomac -People’s Movement Party (PMP) and Varujan Pambuccian heading the national minorities group.
During the debates, PMP national leader Eugen Tomac criticised the fact that PMP doesn’t hold a seat on the Standing Bureau, adding that he finds it “unfair” and inexplicable. He also said that everything is about “dirty tricks behind closed doors,” mentioning that PMP has more MPs than ALDE, which holds a treasurer position in the leadership of the Chamber.
PSD floor leader Ioan Munteanu said that at the beginning of each session the new algorithm for the Standing Bureau is being carried out, and the minority group kindly asked for a seat.
ALDE floor leader Varujan Vosganian said that “unfair remarks” are being made regarding his party.
“ALDE and PMP each have 24 MPs in both of the two chambers. The Senate’s PMP group has a member there, the ALDE group has one here in the Chamber,” Vosganian explained, pointing out that the solution that was found is a fair one.
The leader of the minority group, Varujan Pambuccian, said that he did not ask for anything from anybody and that the group was entitled to a position on the Standing Bureau.
Dragnea mentioned that the floor leaders met to negotiate this formula.
Speaker Dragnea: Autumn will be rich in legislative activity; priorities: justice, pensions, sovereign development fund
Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Liviu Dragnea said on Friday that the autumn parliamentary session will be “rich” in legislative activity, mentioning to the point the justice legislation, the sovereign development and investment fund, pension legislation and a law on preventive fiscal behaviour.
“We have adopted the composition of the Standing Bureau and there will be an autumn rich in legislative activity, with important laws to be debated and approved in Parliament: a law on public-private partnerships, a law on preventive fiscal behaviour, a law establishing a sovereign development and investment fund, justice legislation, as well as other laws on which both the governing coalition and the government are working. The public pension law is particularly important,” Dragnea said at Parliament Palace.
He said other legislative priorities would be discussed at the meetings of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), major at rule, to be held in Constanta this weekend.
“We will be discussing other legislative priorities this weekend with our party colleagues and our colleagues from the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE), and we are starting the legislative programme this month,” added Dragnea.
The PSD leader pointed out that these meetings will also address the establishment of a National Wiretapping Authority proposed by ALDE national leader Calin Popescu Tariceanu.
“We will discuss this proposal at the weekend; I will discuss it with my party colleagues. I do not automatically oppose anything, we will see what the details are; the idea does not seem wrong to me, we will discuss the details of this legislative initiative because it is not some unimportant initiative, and we will see if their sponsors have thought out the whole architecture,” added Dragnea.
He said that at the weekend meetings, the Government will present its views on pillar II pensions, excise duties, dividend tax and other governmental measures. “We have agreed that the subject will be discussed this weekend at the meeting of the Government, CExN [PSD’s National Executive Committee] and the parliamentary groups… (…) And I and my colleagues are looking forward to the Government telling us what their opinion is,” added Dragnea.
