PSD's deputy Halici: Annual written assessment tests for civil servants

Civil servants will take annual written assessment tests and those who prove the training and efficiency required by the institutions concerned will stay in office, those who don't will have to quit "wherever they fit better", Social Democrat deputy Nicusor Halici said on Thursday, as he presented the major changes to the draft Administrative Code.

Halici said that the new Code, which has more than 800 articles, brings for the first time a change in Romania's central and local public administration, and is aimed at rendering efficient the body of civil servants.

"Many things have changed as far as the civil servants and their statutes are concerned, as we seek to render the body of civil servants efficient and professional. They will take annual written assessment tests and those who have the training and the efficiency level required by the respective institutions' managers for that year will stay, those who fail shall have to leave for a position for which they are better suited. (...) Apart from the fact that we are for the first time changing Romania's central and local public administration and that we repeal a number of laws, decisions and government ordinances, (...) the PSD-ALDE coalition actually seeks to turn the central and local administration efficient," the PSD deputy said.

Halici added that the new Administrative Code serves the interest of the citizen.

"The interest of the citizen resides in daily life, in the contact with the administration we have been complaining of for so long and about which we haven't done much, except that each legislature and each new government has added an ordinance, a resolution, a paragraph, an article and all this has only thickened the red tape, turning the work of officials and dignitaries even more cumbersome. Overall, certain measures provided for in the bill also derive from the demagogy and hypocrisy that have governed us so far, and I am referring here to the prefects and subprefects. (...) We want the governing program to be implemented in the counties, with officials who won their position in a contest. The same goes for devolved services, which are the extension of the ministries at county level and whose main program and activity is the implementation of the governing program," Halici explained.

He argued that the main changes to the Administrative Code will have a beneficial effect on the implementation of the programs that each government will propose, regardless of the political color.

Halici also explained that the new Code will further strengthen local autonomy and all forms of property will be regulated.