The Minister of the Environment has appointed new members in the Board of Directors of Romsilva. To how much the allowances were reduced

Diana Buzoianu, USR Minister of the Environment, Waters and Forests announces on Wednesday the signing of mandate contracts for four new members of the Board of Directors of the National Forest Administration – Romsilva, in which new contractual obligations are provided, as well as the reduction of the allowance from 12,500 lei to 5,000 gross lei.

In a press release, the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests (MMAP) states that “the process of selection and appointment has been carried out in a difficult context and under the sign of huge responsibility. The director goes through a critical period, without general director appointed, with serious financial and governance issues, and expectations towards the current council are high”.

The contracts of the members as Romsilva provide firm obligations regarding the transparency, competitiveness and responsibility, but also sanctions, including the dismissal without offering money compensation. In addition, the amount of allowances was reduced to 12,500 to 5,000 gross lei.

“It is normal for the significant reduction of the monthly allowance for members as taking into account the financial reality of Romsilva and the standards of efficiency and equity that we want to introduce in the spending of public money. Recall that the gross profit of the director has collapsed by 80-90% in 2024 compared to 2023 and 2022. implemented the necessary reforms.

What do the new contracts of members as Romsilva stipulate

The mandate contracts for the four new members of Romsilva were modified at the proposal of the Minister of the Environment and received the Agency's opinion for the monitoring and evaluation of the performances of the public enterprises (AMEPIP).

The new contractual obligations include:

• Public announcement of the selection for the interim general manager at least 5 days before and the choice of the candidate based on the qualifications and the reform proposals, without political criteria;
• Transparency for each agenda of the council meetings;
• The obligation to consult with the Ministry of the Environment for all measures with impact in the activity of Romsilva.

The contracts also provide sanctions if the indicators are not fulfilled. The sanctions can go to the revocation of the members as without right to damages.

The Minister of the Environment is dissatisfied with how the procedure has been carried out: “But now it is essential for Romsilva to have a functional”

• “I say it from the beginning: we are not satisfied with the procedure that has been carried out, nor of the lack of candidates – facts which raises a question mark on how the contest was transparent and how credible it was to attract specialists to apply within it. In some cases I had a single candidate resulting from the competition, what compromises.
• The legislation based on which public enterprises operate has major gaps and must be modified urgently.
• However, it was essential to have a functional board of directors, and the legal obligation to complete this procedure could not be postponed. This is why I intervened where I had levers and, for the first time, I introduced in the mandate contracts firm obligations regarding transparency, competitiveness and responsibility.
• We will closely follow the activity of this council – each decision, each appointment. Romsilva now needs, more than ever, an interim general manager with a reforming vision and a council that does not deviate from the mandate received ”, said Diana Buzoianu.