Differences over this year's economic laws

The year 2002 came with a first time for the Legislative, as next year’s budget was enacted in due legal time. Beyond the controversies about how this law was discussed and passed by Parliament, or about the manner in which the government took the suggestions and amendments of the Opposition, this really is something worth the attention.
The year 2002, however, came with many other changes in the legislation, as well, in an attempt to get the worn down mechanisms of the economy rolling. The new norms regulating the manner in which the privatisations should be conducted, the profit should be taxed, the capital market should operate or the farming subsidies should be granted either have induced or will induce changes in the economy. Is it good or is it bad? As usually, the rule gives itself a pat on the back for a job well done. The Opposition, however, has objections to make against the Cabinet’s action and the draft laws it promotes before Parliament.
“This is one step forward,” the PSD (Social Democrat Party) Senators leader Ion Solcanu says, referring to the economic normative acts passed this year. He highlights the Government’s “obsession” for “economic relaunch and for bringing the underground economy out into the open.”
The Opposition does not see eye to eye with the rule, though. “Unfortunately we cannot agree,” the leader of the PD (Democrat Party) parliamentary group in the Senate Viorel Pana and the PNL (National Liberal Party) leader Theodor Stolojan specified.
The PD vice-president says the Cabinet in 2002 was rather preoccupied to solve the money issue for the “survival” budget rather than devise a strategy to relaunch the economy. The economy therefore remains a “survival one, instead of a relaunch one.”
“What should have been a new start in relaunching the reform, that is the privatisation acceleration law, did not attain its goal, but instead marked the tighter Parliament subordination to the Government by the manner in which it was enacted.”
As regards the profit tax law, which Solcanu describes as “bringing us in line” with the European legislation, Pana says it is “one step back’ because “it has a levelling effect.”
“Taxing exports is a step back. Taxing operations in the depressed areas practically “finished” those areas “off.” The commitments to the SMEs were not kept, with the continuous decline in the number of SMEs as proof to verify it. Even though some of the measures were in line with the acquis, their enactment without a thorough analysis first has disheartened the economic activity instead of encouraging it,” the PD senator feels.
One more thing, though. A great many laws impacting on the economy were promoted by emergency ordinances this year, which induced a deep feeling of dissatisfaction in the Opposition.
“This year was a most busy one in terms of Emergency Ordinances issued by the Government. Even though PSD during its previous term promised to never abuse the emergency ordinance procedure, it now sees it has not kept its word. The most important regulations have been made through Emergency Ordinances, therefore systematically avoiding parliamentary debates,” Stolojan said.