The Association of Municipalities of Romania (AMR) and the Public Policies Institute (IPP) signed on Wednesday a cooperation protocol on establishing an agenda of mutual-interest issues, with the main topics being a performing administration and reducing corruption.

The signatories of the document were Robert Negoita, the AMR Chairman and Mayor of Bucharest’s Sector 3, and Violeta Alexandru, the IPP Director.

“It is a framework protocol that gives us a platform for cooperation. It is a generic matter. We are to sign point-to-point contracts for the subsequent cooperation. Now we only have a partnership signed. The AMR’s main objectives, in the coming period, are two: an efficient, performing administration and reducing corruption in public administration,” said the AMR chairman, according to Agerpres.

In turn, the IPP Director Violeta Alexandru said that this protocol is a framework under which the two partners set some common general guidelines, with no financial component, but it establishes an agenda with issues of interest to both parties.

“The Institute is dedicated to this general approach to support major municipalities because it sees them as being capable of generating development in Romania. (…) I wish the voice of municipalities and the specific problems of urban life be better heard, both at legislative and institutional levels,” said Violeta Alexandru.

The Institute for Public Policies is a non-governmental organisation campaigning for an increased quality of drafting public policies in Romania.

Negoita: I proposed the implementation of cost and quality standards in the public procurement law

Mayor of Bucharest’s Sector 3 Robert Negoita, who is also serving as the president of the Association of Municipalities in Romania, announced on Monday that he proposed the introduction of cost and quality standards in the draft to amend the public procurement law.

“The objectives of the amendment of the public procurement law are to make public authorities more efficient and to prevent possible fraud, corruption. I made a proposal which I stand by, namely to implement cost standards across all sectors – albeit gradually, so that our cost standards are not only advisory like they are now, but to become compulsory – as well as quality standards, which should also be compulsory”, Negoita stated, following a technical discussion on the draft.

He added that the existence of these two standards “can limit fraud”. “We must have a more streamlined public procurement procedure, so that it does not take six months, one year, two years, especially given that we have entered the taxable year from structural funds, and the public procurement law currently in place caused the poor absorption of EU funds. We want to have a better absorption during this new financial framework”, Negoita added.

Nineoclock

13 August 2015