A group of MPs representing the Social Democrat Party (PSD) and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE) has submitted a bill that entails the establishment of a new institution, connecting the Romanian state to the activity of the heirs of King Michael I, Romania’s last sovereign.

The project argues that there are no institutional grounds through which the state can facilitate the activities that the Royal House undertakes for Romania. As such, a new institution is established.

Called the King Michael I Institution for Promoting National Values, it would be tasked with developing programs and projects that promote local traditions, customs, and achievements.

The institution would receive a EUR 860,000 yearly financing from the state budget. The new body could also finance itself from publishing and consultancy activities or through sponsorship. It would be run by a director appointed by the Parliament, following suggestions made by the Custodian of the Crown, currently Margareta of Romania, and would be hosted by the Elisabeta Palace. It would employ a maximum of 20 people.

The Elisabeta Palace is the Bucharest residence of the Romanian royal family, who pays rent to the Administration of the State Protocol Patrimony (RAAPPS) to live there. Under the new bill, the Elisabeta Palace will be administered by the King Michael I Institution.

The draft law is the third in a series aimed at establishing the status of the Romanian Royal House, after proposals made in 2016 and in 2017. The 2017 one, which was withdrawn this March, included provisions such as turning the Royal House into a public utility non-governmental organization (NGO) and granting the head of the Royal House the same privileges as those of former heads of state. The project aimed to grant the Royal House free use of the Elisabeta Palace in Bucharest and a yearly expense budget paid for by the state.

Commenting on the new bill, the Royal House said it follows the developments closely and that Romania’s Parliament is the regulating authority on the draft. It also explained that the new project no longer regulates the way the Royal House functions but a state institution controlled by the Parliament.

“The legal connection between this institution and the Royal House consists in the fact that the Custodian of the Crown proposes to the Parliament a person for the position of director of the institution. Neither the director nor the employees of the institutions would be selected from among the members of the royal family,” it said.

Romanian SocDem leader prepares new Royal House bill

editor@romania-insider.com