The Financial Supervisory Authority (ASF), the National Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE) and the National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications (ANCOM) must serve as examples of professionalism, efficiency and integrity, Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan said on Monday evening, during the joint plenary session of Parliament.

The Government assumed responsibility before Parliament for the draft law on streamlining the activity of certain autonomous administrative authorities.

'The Government of Romania is assuming responsibility before Parliament for the reform of three of the country's most important regulatory authorities - the Financial Supervisory Authority, the National Energy Regulatory Authority, and the National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications. All three were established to maintain balance in three of the most critical markets: energy, finance and telecommunications. Unfortunately, over the years, these regulatory and oversight authorities have ended up with artificially inflated staffing structures and, more seriously, salary levels completely detached from the country's economic reality. This draft law brings order and introduces clear rules,' Ilie Bolojan said from the Parliament rostrum.

He mentioned that the law proposes a restructuring of the autonomous authorities ASF, ANRE and ANCOM.

'Firstly, it proposes a reduction in staff: a 10% cut in specialist positions and a 30% cut in support roles. It is abnormal to have an oversized administrative apparatus compared to the specialist workforce. Secondly, it proposes organisational restructuring: new structures must comply with clear rules, with departments not exceeding 20% of total staff. Positions that do not correspond to the Romanian occupational classification can no longer be created, and overlapping responsibilities will be eliminated. Thirdly, salary levels: we are reducing all staff salaries and management allowances by 30%,' Bolojan explained.

Bolojan said that 'If we ask citizens to accept rules of budgetary discipline, we cannot at the same time maintain incomes several times higher than those of state officials.'

The prime minister also said the managers' bonuses capped at maximum two times the gross monthly allowance for a minister position will be suspended in the coming years.

On Monday evening, the Senate and Chamber of Deputies met in a joint session as the Government assumed responsibility for five draft laws from the second fiscal-budgetary reform package. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Livia Popescu; EN - writing by: Adina Panaitescu)