The scandal of the first unclear premiums from Romsilva. The Minister of the Environment announces the reorganization of the director

The Minister of the Environment, Mircea Fechet, announces that the latest checks of the Court of Accounts at the National Forest Administration – Romsilva have revealed “significant and generalized deviations”. Thus, the minister states, it is both the deficient management of the heritage, and the income remaining unquestioned from the areas given for temporary use and expenses with salaries higher than the budgetary limits, informs News.ro.

“Why is it necessary to reform to Romsilva as oxygen? To stop the hemorrhage from the Budget of the Regia, to rebalance the institution after abuses that I decided not to tolerate and to restore normality in the activity of the land employees. Years of waste and chaos in the administration of the state. clear: «significant and generalized deviations». states the Minister of Waters, Forests and Environment, Mircea Fechet.

The irregularities discovered by the Court of Accounts

According to the minister, the checks of the Court of Accounts revealed both the deficient management of the public and private heritage of the state, as well as the remaining income from the areas given for temporary use and expenses with salaries higher than the budgetary limits – over 66 million lei.

The Court of Accounts pointed out that almost 2.5 million lei are missing from the accessibility fund of the Regia, intended for the maintenance and construction of new forest roads. Also, Romsilva did not receive over 3.2 million lei, money representing the value of the wood sold and exploited from the state forests, nor did he recover the damages resulting from illegal cuts, of over 5 million lei, says Fechet.

On the other hand, adds the minister, the director has delays in complying with the deadlines of wood, did not calculate delay penalties for the contracts concluded and accepted the participation in the wood mass auctions of some economic operators that did not meet the legal criteria.

The report of the Court of Accounts also shows that Romsilva did not ensure the integrity of the national forest fund, allowing the occupation of forest areas without collecting the related revenues. Moreover, at the RNP level there are no updated estimates in relation to the real annual firewood for the population, although Romsilva is the main source of wood supply for heating Romanians.

“Despite all these irregularities, Romsilva awarded all the employees with over 216.5 million lei, without a real justification for their performances. The undue payments have exceeded the approved budgets for the years 2021 and 2023, and violated the provisions of the collective labor contract, according to which these benefits are granted individually, only for special results,” Mircea said.

According to the Minister of the Environment, the Court of Accounts found errors in the calculation and payment of salary rights, but also that the bonuses were established as a maximum percentage, without a hierarchy for similar positions.

“The payroll classes and the bonuses granted were established by individual negotiation, so that there were situations in which the employees who occupy the same position negotiated wage levels and different bonuses. Also, the director practiced a differentiated treatment for the same category of employees. And greater bonuses than those on management positions, ”explains the minister.

Romsilva recovery plan

The same source mentions that the report of the Court of Accounts also indicates that members of the Board of Directors have simultaneously held the status of employees of the Regia, as well as three cases of conflict of interests, at the Forestry Directorates Bihor, Călăraşi and Vrancea, where three employees also had the quality of associates of some commercial companies, with the contracts, with the contract, work and the code of ethical and professional conduct of RNP employees.

“We proposed, through the draft Government Decision on the reorganization of the National Forest Registry – Romsilva (now in the process of harmonizing the observations received by opinions), an ambitious reform plan, with concrete objectives, for an efficient, responsible, transparent and prepared to respond to the current, economic, social and climatic challenges. Redressing the director, from top to bottom, equal payment for equal work, equity instead of privileges, fewer leadership functions, debirocratization.

The dignitary also says that, in the public consultation stage of the project, he discussed, within a technical group made up of specialists of Romsilva and representatives of the union, about the reform plan and analyzed the proposals received.

“The draft Government Decision is ready, was sent to consultation to the endorsing ministries, took over their observations and follows that the new government, with full powers, to obtain all the opinions. The current executive, because it is interim, cannot assume new public policies, so it cannot issue the Government decision to reorganize Romsilva,” said Mircea Fechet.