OUG that pulls the plug on December 1989 Romanian Revolution Institute adopted

The government adopted at its Monday sitting the emergency ordinance providing for the dismantling of the December 1989 Romanian Revolution Institute headed by former President Ion Iliescu as chairman, Gelu Voican Voiculescu - as managing director, and Emilian Cutean as secretary general. The destination of the dismantled institute's assets will be determined by Government Resolution, within 30 days from the coming into force of the respective emergency ordinance. The government argued that "since its creation and up until now, the activity of the December 1989 Romanian Revolution Institute has proved to be irrelevant in relation to its spending from the state budget through the transfers made from the budget of the Romanian Senate." Also, the ordinance states that "ever since its establishment under Law No. 556 of December 7, 2004, the institution has actually represented a political platform, and despite listing its own revenues as a source of financing, the institution's activity has been almost entirely financed from the state budget right from the beginning." The document also mentions that "as a matter of fact, the events organized by the Institute were aimed at propagating in the public space interpretations on the 1989 Romanian Revolution meant to dispute the ongoing probing conducted by the investigative bodies in the 'Revolution Case'". Also, the December 1989 Romanian Revolution Institute has "a legal status that is atypical for the institutional structure of the Romanian state, as its specificity is that of a foundation rather than of a public institution," the document mentions. The adoption of the Ordinance "has in view the need to remove the serious malfunctions in the activity of public institutions, to prevent social incidents and to urgently stop the spending of public funds that do not serve the public interest, but only damage the good functioning of the society". AGERPRES (RO - author: Alina Novaceanu, editor: Florin Marin; EN - author: Simona Klodnischi, editor: Rodica State)