Government adopts memorandum on interministerial work group for reform of state companies

The government adopted, on Tuesday, a memorandum on setting up a work group for the reform of public enterprises, the spokesperson for the Executive, Ioana Dogioiu said. She pointed out there is a work group including two deputy premiers and several ministers, but the memorandum does not refer to the work group made of private managers.   “The memorandum adopted today refers to the work group made of ministers, with clear objectives about this reform of companies. The consulting group will be made up later, when its componence will be clear. The memorandum adopted today does not include this group of experts. The group of experts will function next to the work group set up today, in this memorandum. However the memorandum does not necessarily mention it,” said the government spokesperson at the end of the Executive meeting, in a press conference.   Ioana Dogioiu declared that the work group made up of private managers will be set up, most likely, following the premier's decision.   “This group of experts is not yet functioning as such. The first procedure stage is setting up the interministerial work group, under whose aegis a consulting group will function. All things are done in stages. This work group was set up today. The deputy premier announced the plan, which includes objectives of the work group, its targets and work style,”she said.   The work group, set up by the premier's decision, will analyse the situation of state companies and will propose measures for: ensuring transparency in managing public enterprises; reducing the number of members in administration boards and in supervision councils; reviewing leaders' pay and the performance indicators in public enterprises; establishing financial performance indicators, relevant for an efficient activity; a development or investment plan according to national strategies; reducing excess staff. In order to reach these targets, they suggest publishing data, amounts and changes of salaries, as well as performance criteria.   Another target is to reorganize the Agency for Monitoring and Evaluation of Public Enterprises' Performance (AMEPIP), by amending the law, with a view to monitoring the activity of relevant public enterprises, by respecting indicators established in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) and according to OECD standards.   The review of salaries and reduction of the number of members in administration boards by changing the law is also suggested.   Other targets: the initiation of changing performance indicators upon the suggestion of ministries and AMEPIP and reducing provisional situations in public enterprises; closing down, or trabsfer of public enterprise shares with losses for more than three years on a row; listing some public companies on the exchange; extending the number of companies agreed by ministries to prepare the acceptance letter and selection indicators; the analysis of arrears recorded by certain public enterprises.   The work group for the reform of public enterprises will be coordinated by deputy premier Dragos Anastasiu. This work structure will include deputy premier Marian Neacsu and representatives of the Finance, Economy, Digitization, Entrepreneurship and Tourism, Transports and Infrastructure, Energy, Environment, Waters and Forests , Health, Justice minstries and the general government secretariat.   The work group will permanently inform the premier about the stage of reaching objectives.