Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan announces that arguments in support of the four measures contested by the Ombudsman in the administrative reform package will be submitted to the Constitutional Court.
Bolojan wrote on Tuesday on Facebook that the Ombudsman has the constitutional right to make such a notification, but it is the first time in the last three years that he has exercised this prerogative.
''The first contested measure concerns the possibility that a civil servant can work, part-time, at two municipal mayoralties. In many small localities, a civil servant does not have full-time work. Others have difficulty finding qualified people for certain positions. An urban planner, for example, has no business working full-time at a small mayoralty. The proposed solution attempts to reduce personnel costs, without affecting the activity of the town halls, and to allow the employment of qualified personnel in rural areas, in order to offer better services to citizens. It is just a possibility that town halls can use to be more efficient and to fully capitalize on the training of officials,'' the prime minister said.
The second measure, he added, introduces the obligation for not only the seller, but also the buyer of a property or a means of transport to present a tax attestation certificate, so as not to have debts to the town hall in the locality.
''Until now, only the seller had this obligation. It is common sense for a buyer who has money for important purchases to pay his obligations to the community before making new investments,'' Ilie Bolojan believes.
The third issue concerns the possibility that city halls or the Social Inspection Agency may withhold up to a third of certain social benefits, when there are debts to the public authority.
''Is it right for a citizen to receive aid, but not contribute at all to the functioning and development of the community in which he lives? Is it okay to have only rights, without fulfilling minimal obligations?'', the prime minister mentions.
The fourth measure contested at the Constitutional Court provides for the suspension of the driving license in case of failure to pay, within a reasonable period, traffic fines.
''Why is it necessary? In Romania, only 40% of traffic fines are collected. So 6 out of 10 fined people do not pay. It is not just about important amounts lost from the budget. It is about the diminished efficiency of traffic discipline measures in the country with the highest number of road accidents with victims in the European Union. Whoever always remains unpunished will feel free to break the law again'', Bolojan added.
The prime minister states that these measures taken by the Government do not violate constitutional provisions, but represent public policy options intended to increase administrative and budgetary discipline, but also the safety of citizens.
''It is, of course, the right of the Ombudsman to notify the Constitutional Court. But I firmly believe that these measures do not violate constitutional provisions, but represent public policy options intended to increase administrative and budgetary discipline, but also the safety of citizens. We cannot have a better administration and a safer country without creating the necessary conditions, including in legislation, for this'', the head of the Government said.
On March 6, the Ombudsman sent a notification to the Constitutional Court of Romania regarding the Government Emergency Ordinance aimed at the reform of central and local public administration.
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