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Ex-ante Policy Impact Assessment in Romania
Legal backgroundThe Government decision 775/2005 introduced a new system of policy formulation in Romania, in force since January 1, 2006. The decision concerns the elaboration, monitoring and evaluation of public policy at the central level. The new system means that policy formulation in Romania should concentrate on substantial policy solutions instead of mere normative acts. Institutional backgroundIn 2003, the Public Policy Unit was set up at the Romanian General Secretariat of the Government. The role of the Unit was to become a key actor in the development and reformulation of the policy formulation process reform in the country. After the Unit developed the procedures for elaboration, monitoring and evaluation of public policy; which procedures were adopted by the Government Decision 775/2005. Public Policy Units have been set up in line ministries that act as counterparts in the ministry of the Public Policy Unit of GSG. The specialized units in the ministries have the task to gather relevant information and coordinate activities related to policy formulation. The new system moved away from the emphasis of the old regime on legislative proposals as the main instrument for government initiatives, toward an emphasis on Public Policy Proposals. All public policy proposals have to undergo an impact assessment, meaning they have to present to the political decision makers what policy options were considered, substantiated by impact assessment analysis and stakeholder consultations. Special templates have been developed which need to be filled in order to let the policy proposal arrive to the decision makers. These templates focus on information such as what possible alternatives were considered, clear identification of the problem and description of the current situation. The Public Policy Unit in the General Secretariat of the Government, as a central body, is responsible for analyzing the content of the public policy proposals sent by the ministries. The opinion of the central body is included in a conformity note that assesses if the required procedure has been fully respected. The conformity note does not comment on the content of the proposal, just on the steps that are necessary to be followed in the formulation process. If the conformity note is positive, the ministry can formulate the policy proposal in legal terms and send it to the government meeting. However if the conformity note is negative, the policy proposal is sent back to the ministry for further analysis and improvements. The National Commission for Economic Forecasting is a governmental body with competence of macroeconomic prognosis. The body is also responsible for impact assessments in the field of economy. Relevant areas of IAImpact assessment has no uniform standards in the country, though the core aspects are present and general awareness of it is growing. Economic, social and ecological impacts should be examined when drafting policy proposals. It is mandatory to have for each alternative an estimation of the impact, in social and economic terms. Depending on the sector, it is necessary to make other kind of impact assessments (e.g. environmental). Related activitiesThe members of the public policy units of the ministries are to be trained in different types of policy analyses so that they are able to at least evaluate from a qualitative point of view the policy initiatives developed by the ministries. Trainings and special meetings on impact assessment and policy formulation have been conducted in 2006 as part of the capacity-building for government institutions component within the Twinning Project “Latvia – Romania” in the EU`s PHARE program. Existing guidelinesThe Public Policy Unit of the General Secretariat of the Government has prepared a Manual to assist ministries in working with the new regulation. Documents, linksContent to be uploaded
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Latest News in the Regional Project on Ex-ante Impact AssessmentPIA Mapping available in Serbian July 2008 Download (2mb) First regional training on PIA Introductory PIA training course in Serbia PIA Mapping available in Russian Mapping of Ex-ante PIA Tools and Experiences in Europe published Steering Committee meeting in Budapest Mapping of ex-ante Impact Assessment Experiences and Tools in Europe Introduction to Impact Assessment training for policy units in Moldova
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.jpg "The Center for Policy Studies (CPS) works for better government and administration in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union through public policy teaching and research. Based at the Central European University, CPS carries out research projects, develops materials for teaching and training and in conjunction with the Open Society Institute, sponsors policy research in transition and emerging democracies. In 2008 CPS will be the implementing partner of UNDP Bratislava Regional Centre regarding the regional training on ex-ante Policy Impact Assessment in the regional project.")