​The mandates of four of the seven members of ANRE’s Regulatory Committee, including PSD-backed President Dumitru Chirice, expire on October 23, but instead of early elections, the government decided to extend them with an emergency decree.

Dumitru Chirita, head of ANREPhoto: AGERPRES

The executive branch has an emergency resolution on the agenda for Wednesday, which would extend the current terms of the members of the Regulatory Committee of the National Energy Regulatory Authority, whose term expires on October 23, 2022, for six months.

  • SEE DRAFT GEO AND KEYNOTE HERE

What motivates the urgency of extending the powers of 4 people

The explanatory memorandum states that for the approval of regulations in the electricity, heat and natural gas sectors, there is a Regulatory Committee consisting of 7 people: 4 non-executive members and ANRE management, consisting of the president and 2 deputy presidents.

Usually, the appointment and dismissal of the members of the Regulatory Committee, as well as the president and 2 vice-presidents, is carried out by the parliament at a joint meeting of the two chambers.

The appointment of non-executive members of the ANRE Regulatory Committee, the president and vice-presidents is carried out on the joint proposal of the Commission on Industry and Services of the Chamber of Deputies, the Commission on Energy, Energy Infrastructure and Mineral Resources of the Senate and the Economic Commission, Industry and Services of the Senate, within 30 days from vacancies of the relevant position/positions.

  • “We note that the mandates of four of the seven members that make up the ANRE Regulatory Committee, respectively in the case of President Dumitru Čirice, Vice-President Nagy-Bege Zoltan and two members Cornelia Salger and Gabriel Gheorghe, expire on October 23, 2022.
  • According to the regulation, the Regulatory Committee of the National Economic and Social Committee of the Russian Federation can function only in the presence of 4 members out of a total of 7. it is mentioned in the memorandum of association.

The government claims that the work of NARE under normal conditions is important in the context of an unprecedented energy crisis that European states are facing, to which are added important negative consequences, including in terms of energy, of the conflict in Ukraine, the end of which is difficult to assess at the moment.

  • “Thus, taking into account the need to ensure the continuity of the management and regulatory act at the level of NKREKP and taking into account the particularly negative consequences of not adopting this draft normative act, which are the impossibility of functioning as an important institution of national interest in the field of electricity, heat and natural gas, taking into account that it is emergency situations, the settlement of which cannot be postponed, it is proposed to adopt this emergency resolution,” the Government’s message reads.

Income from NARE

Dumitru Chirice, President of the National Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE), was appointed by the Parliament in 2017 at the suggestion and support of the PSD.

The ANRE president was also a PSD deputy and a former vice-president of the National Health Insurance Fund. He is an electrician by trade and studied law at a private university without graduating. Kiritse supported Liviu Dragnia.

In the previous financial year, Dumitru Chirica received from ANRE 710,564 lei (145,000 euros), an average of 59,100 lei per month (12,080 euros).

In the declaration of wealth, Čirice transferred two agricultural plots in Terteşeşti, Dambovitsa, one with an area of ​​5,400 square meters and the other with an area of ​​7,500 square meters, land in the city center in the same area and forest land in Argeš.

He also has a 441 square meter house in Tarteseste and a 93 square meter apartment in Bucharest.

In the accounts, the president of ANRE declared 1.15 million lei in a current account opened in 2020 in BCR, 146 thousand lei in an account in Raiffeisen Bank and another 50 thousand lei in an account in BCR, as well as receivables in the amount of 753,435 lei from sales urban land

Zoltan Nagy, vice-president of ANRE, proposed and supported by UDMR, received an allowance of 626,975 lei, an average of 52,000 lei per month (11,000 euros).

Mircea Man, vice-president of ANRE, was a PDL MP for Maramures (five seats) and was proposed and supported by the PNL. He has an annual allowance of 626,975 lei, an average of 52,000 lei per month (€11,000).