Romanian Govt Plans To Ban Gift, Vacation Vouchers In Public Sector Until Yearend – Sources

The ban, which was already included in a draft emergency ordinance, will be applied to authorities and public institutions entirely funded from the state budget, local budgets, the social security budget, the budgets of special funds, own revenues, as well as subsidies from the state budget or entirely granted from own revenues.

Last week, senators adopted the emergency decree based on which the government approved the introduction of vacation vouchers in February this year.

The decree stipulates that public institutions can issue vacation vouchers with nominal values of 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 lei (EUR1=RON4.2198), and, once tourism services have been provided, they will pay the counter value of vacation vouchers to affiliated units with which they had signed deduction contracts.

The maximum sum in vacation vouchers allowed for an employee equals six minimum base gross wages at the level of country.

Under the law, employees who benefited from vacation vouchers will no longer benefit from vacation bonuses in the respective year.