Court Maintains Decision To Annul Bucharest Municipal Companies

The court maintained its initial decision that the companies were established by erroneous procedure, as they were only approved by a simple majority in the city’s General Council, while the vote should have required an absolute majority (two thirds).

USR urged Mayor Gabriela Firea and the city hall to dissolve the 22 companies immediately.

Following the decision, Mayor Firea made an appeal to all political groups in the General Council to work together to “unblock the situation”.

“I care a lot about this administrative model (of municipal companies, ed.) and I am convinced that the residents of Bucharest will only stand to gain. That is why I invite members of all political groups represented in the General Council to join us in the attempt to unblock the situation. I ask general councilors to try and act beyond short-term political calculations, and make constructive proposals which we will take into account,” the mayor said in a statement issued on Thursday.

A different statement issued by the Bucharest City Hall noted that proposals “in accordance with the court’s decision” will be tabled in the General Council.

The Bucharest City Hall approved in 2017 the establishment of 21 municipal companies, which replaced or integrated previous city agencies handling various aspects of the city’s administration. Opposition parties have repeatedly criticized the decision, accusing that it allows the companies act as private entities owned by the City Hall, rather than public entities.