Systems of multilevel governance[1]

Representation: In Romania, local and regional authorities (LRAs) are represented vis-à-vis the central government through different associations. According to Article 8(2) of the Law on Local Public Administration and to article 86 of  the Administrative Code the associative structures of local authorities are: the Romanian Association of Communes (ACoR); the Romanian Association of Towns (AOR), the Romanian Association of Municipalities (AMR) and the National Union of County Councils of Romania (UNCJR) and other associative structures constituted respecting the law.

Information: Article 3 of Government Decision 521/2005 on the procedure for consulting the associative structures of local public administration authorities in the drafting of normative acts, provides that the draft normative acts that relate directly to local public administrative authorities shall be transmitted to the Presidents of these associations. This article also provides for the central public authorities to designate a contact person on behalf of the central government for consultation procedures and to inform the associative structures of local public authorities of this contact person.

Consultation: According to Article 8(1) of the Law on local public administration, the central government has the legal obligation to consult the associated structures of the local public authorities before taking any decision in all matters affecting them directly. The decision 521/2005 lists the steps to be followed by the central government and by the associations during the consultation process. Nevertheless, the consultation process starts only after the legal act has been drafted.

The Framework described in Government Decision 521/2005 constitutes the legal consultation method. However, this is often complemented with informal consultations between representatives of central public authorities and Board Members of the local public authorities' associations during the process of drafting legal acts.

Coordination: The coordination is provided by the contact person designated by the central public authorities. According to Article 4 of Government Decision 521/2005, revised by Government Decision 925/2013 the associations can express their position on the draft proposal. Nevertheless, it is the initiator of the proposal who decides whether to take the associations' position(s) into account or not.

The national associations should send their comments within 10 working days, providing limited time for preparing their opinion.

[1]Council of European Municipalities and Regions, Consultation procedures within European States, 2007.