Priorities of the new parliamentary session

The Romanian Senate and Chamber of Deputies started their first ordinary parliamentary session of the year and the penultimate of the legislature

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Daniela Budu, 01.02.2024, 14:00

On February 1, Romanian senators and deputies began a new parliamentary session, the first this year and the penultimate of the legislature. The priorities of the ruling Social Democratic Party and National Liberal Party include the bills needed to reach the milestones in the NRRP, so that Romania can submit payment requests to receive the allocated European funds. At the same time, the Social Democrats and Liberals established their strategy for the new legislative session in separate meetings. Bills on gambling and combating drug use are among the Social Democrats priorities.

Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, leader of the Social Democratic Party, has also announced a legislative initiative regarding the capping of interests on loans from non-banking institutions. According to him, the total amount that will be reimbursed will no longer exceed twice the amount obtained through the loan.

Marcel Ciolacu: “I would like this law to pass in February. I think its a lot, it gets as high as 1,000%. Even if the amounts are small, you take a loan of 500 lei (or 100 euros), and you end up paying an interest of 1,000% because the law allows it… its a bit much.”

The priority announced by the Liberals is a firm legislation to combat and prevent drug use. The Minister of Justice, Alina Gorghiu, called on all parliamentarians to adopt bills in an emergency procedure. Alina Gorghiu:

” The setting up of the National Register of Drug Traffickers; the 2 Mai Law, which stipulates that high-risk drug traffickers can no longer be released when they receive a sentence; and the third, the establishment of eight rehab and recovery centers for drug addicts.”

In the new parliamentary session, the opposition parties want to stop potential tax increases and to prevent the violation of the Constitution. The nationalist leader of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), George Simion, claims that merging europarlamentary and local elections is an unconstitutional process.

George Simion: “This cannot happen, to vote mayors three months in advance, it creates instability. There is already a decision of the Constitutional Court; Elections for the European Parliament cannot be merged with another type of elections.”

The Save Romania Union, also in opposition, has announced the start of the referral procedure to the Venice Commission regarding the scenario of merging the European parliamentary and local elections less than six months before the set deadline. If the parties in the ruling coalition agree to combine some of the elections that will take place this year, it is expected that the Parliaments agenda will also include the amendment of the legislation in this field, namely the Administrative Code. We remind you that this year, in addition to the European parliamentary and local elections, legislative and presidential elections will also take place in Romania. (MI)