The Ministry of the Environment has approved the new organizational charts of the regional forestry directorates, and one of the most important changes announced as part of the Romsilva reform is the drastic reduction in the number of management positions.
According to the Minister of the Environment, Diana Buzoianu, the number of directors will decrease from 101 to 38, and the reorganization is part of Romania’s commitments under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).
Buzoianu rejected the criticisms that have appeared in the public space and stated that the reform exclusively targets the forestry directorates, not the entire structure of the National Forest Administration.
"We have transitioned from 101 directors to 38 directors. We have also created 16 head of service positions where it was not justified in any way to have a director, but there was a need for coordination following the regionalization of the respective directorates," stated Diana Buzoianu, as quoted by Agerpres.
Fewer chiefs in the new Romsilva structure
According to the minister's calculations, even considering the 16 new head of service positions, the total number of management positions decreases from 101 to 54.
Buzoianu argued that the reorganization will reduce administrative costs and eliminate some of the management positions deemed unjustified. She stated that in some structures, there were director positions that no longer corresponded to the real needs of the institution.
"We have almost halved the management positions," said Diana Buzoianu, presenting the measure as a necessary step to streamline Romsilva's activities.
Vote to follow in Romsilva and competitions for the new directors
The organizational charts have been approved by the Ministry of the Environment, but in order to take effect, they must also be approved by the Romsilva management.
After the procedures are completed, competitions will be organized to fill the director positions in the new regional forestry directorates.
The Minister of the Environment announced that she will closely monitor how these selections are organized.
"We will pay very close attention to ensure that these competitions will be organized objectively, transparently, without group interests, or without individuals who have not steered Romsilva in the right direction in recent years being the ones winning competitions on a conveyor belt in the coming months," stated Diana Buzoianu.
What Romsilva manages
Romsilva manages approximately 3.13 million hectares of forests owned by the state and provides forestry services for another approximately one million hectares of forests in other forms of ownership.
The institution also manages 22 national and natural parks, with a total area of over 850,000 hectares, as well as 12 state studs.
The Romsilva reform is one of the measures assumed by Romania under the PNRR and aims to reduce bureaucracy, streamline administrative activities, and restructure the management of the forestry directorates.