Romanian deputy PM estimates 40,000 fewer positions in local administration following reforms

Deputy prime minister Tanczos Barna stated on August 20, speaking for Digi24, that following the public administration reform included in the second package of fiscal measures, 40,000 positions in local and central administration will be abolished. The figure is not included in the substantiation note published by the Development Ministry along with the bill on local administration reform, which broadly sets a 20% reduction in the indicative staffing for institutions in this sector.

Prefectures, dignitary offices, City Halls, and County Councils are targeted, deputy PM Tanczos stated, as reported by Hotnews.ro.

The deputy PM said that the Ministry of Development estimates that 40,000 full, paid positions will be reduced. But some of them may be vacant at this moment, meaning that the number of fired people could be smaller.

The reduction concerns positions in the offices of dignitaries, positions in local public administration, administrative-territorial units (ATUs), City Halls, or County Councils.

The reductions "will be made depending on the number of inhabitants in the respective locality or county," explained Tanczos Barna.

He also said that "prefectures will also be obliged to reduce the number of occupied positions by 20%. At the same time, it also targets the offices of dignitaries at the centre, meaning state secretaries, ministers. A reduction will be made in the offices of dignitaries."

The second package will not contain measures targeting deputy mayors in communes with fewer than 1,500 inhabitants, because local elected officials cannot be fired during their term, says Tanczos Barna. The number of local elected officials can be modified before the next local elections.

"The deputy mayor remains in office until the end of the current mandate, and until the end of the current mandate, the number of councillors also remains because it is impossible to eliminate during the mandate councillors who were voted by the population. But for the next mandate, we will also have proposals regarding the number of councillors that can be reduced, depending on the number of inhabitants. The final decision will be made somewhere at the end of this mandate to start the next mandates on the new management schemes of the UATs," explained the deputy prime minister.

(Photo source: Inquam Photos/George Calin)