Government reshuffles are not done by some Social Democratic leaders “on TV or in cafés,” PSD President Liviu Dragnea stated on Monday, telling PSD Deputy Secretary General Codrin Stefanescu that he should carry out reshuffles “in his own Government.”
“Government reshuffles are not done by some of our colleagues on TV or in a café. There has been no discussion about any Government reshuffle, not with the Prime Minister, not between me and Mr Tariceanu, not between Mr Tariceanu and the Prime Minister, neither within the party, and, from what I’ve heard, nor within ALDE. So, it’s fake news. I’ve seen Mr Codrin Stefanescu saying that there will certainly be a Government reshuffle. Maybe in his own Government, but not in this Government,” Liviu Dragnea stated after PSD’s National Standing Bureau (BPN) meeting.
He added that assessed are not the ministers but the fulfilment of the governing programme.
“We’re not assessing the Government, we’re not assessing the ministers, we’re assessing the fulfilment of the governing programme. The Premier permanently does it. It remains for us to decide within the coalition when to hold a first discussion about this,” Dragnea pointed out.
Likewise, the PSD President announced that it has been decided that the party’s vice presidents will periodically present a report on their regional projects.
“It’s been decided with the vice presidents who presented a minimum report on what they did in the previous week in their regions and they will periodically transmit the projects – both political and public – that are required in the said regions, with the Prime Minister set to establish which is the procedure and manner in which the projects would be solved within the Government,” the House Speaker pointed out.
Last but not least, PSD’s BPN designated Dumitru Buzatu, leader of the party’s Vaslui branch, as the Social Democrats’ representative for the relationship with the Republic of Moldova.
PSD leader announces intention to set up committee on national security laws
Social Democratic Party (PSD) President Liviu Dragnea stated on Monday, after the party’s National Standing Bureau (BPN) meeting, that the political decision is to set up, on Wednesday next week, a special committee on the national security laws.
“We talked about a bill modifying the national security legislation. (…) We hope we would also obtain ALDE’s acceptance to set up a special committee, next week, on Wednesday, to start the process regarding the national security legislation,” Liviu Dragnea stated on Monday.
He confirmed that Gabriel Vlase and Claudiu Manda will identify the legislative acts that must be amended.
The PSD President also said that there are approximately 15 laws that concern this field.
“Ministers aren’t endorsing decentralisation. I’ll meet them on Thursday to find out the reasons”
On Monday, PSD President Liviu Dragnea also claimed that the ministers are not endorsing decentralisation and, for this reason, on Thursday afternoon, he will meet, alongside ALDE President Calin Popescu Tariceanu, the members of Cabinet in order to clarify things.
“Likewise, we talked about decentralisation. My BPN colleagues made several interventions, referring to great reticence on the part of the members of the Cabinet in what concerns decentralisation, namely that they are all saying it is very good but not now. And I’ve asked the Prime Minister for me to meet the ministers, on Thursday afternoon, and I’ll also ask Mr Tariceanu to join me, in order to clarify once and for all the ministers’ attitude toward decentralisation. It’s a political decision assumed in the governance programme too, assumed within the coalition too, and it’s a process that must start very quickly,” Liviu Dragnea stated.
According to the PSD leader, “almost all” ministers have this attitude.
Asked about their reasons, Dragnea said: “I too will want to find out on Thursday, because I’m very curious.”
Senate’s Tariceanu: Nothing is more important than deep decentralisation
President of the Senate Calin Popescu-Tariceanu stated on Monday that nothing is more important than to “carry out a deep decentralisation,” to delegate responsibilities at a local level.
“I have seen Mr Dragnea’s statement, I believe that it’s necessary to carry out a discussion with the ministers so they tell us exactly what are the problems or which issues are they confronted with. I think that there is nothing more important than to make a deep decentralisation. I believe that the idea of holding all decisions and ministers, here everybody must understand, they have not only a problem of administration, but also a problem of pride. Everybody want to be more important, have a bigger influence in the Cabinet and this thing happens everywhere, it’s not a Romanian problem. I have seen it in other Governments, there is always a competition between Cabinet members, but this should not be a brake on decentralisation, because otherwise any decision, whether we are talking about local authorities, it’s about the citizens, we have to understand that it’s not a solution to make them travel to Bucharest to solve their problems and we have to delegate responsibilities on a local level,” Tariceanu stated after the meeting of the Senate Standing Bureau.
He added that there were no talks on descentralisation with ALDE ministers, mentioning that these discussions must be carried out in the presence of the Prime Minister.
“I haven’t discuss with any of the ministers and, as I have told you, we will carry out a discussion in the presence of Mrs Prime Minister and she will inform us and we will listen to her points of view in order to see how can we overcome these issues, that are, after all, natural, problems that descentralisation is confronted with,” Tariceanu explained.
