A group of energy experts dispute the contest to fill the vacant post of director of the Administration Board of the National Agency for Energy Regulation (NAER), announced by Parliament. In a petition, the experts demand that the candidates should be examined in open meetings, even if the regulations provide that this should be done behind closed doors. They also ask to exclude the eligibility criteria of minimum 10 years’ experience, IPN reports.

The signatories of the petition request the Parliament’s economic commission to delegate the power to choose candidates to a special commission that would be set up by the model of the commission that selected the governor of the National Bank of Moldova. According to them, the given commission must include an EU High-Level Adviser, representatives of civil society and specialists of international institutions with expertise in the field.

The experts demand that both the hearings and the selection process should be open to the public and the media and the shorthand records of the examinations of candidates should be made public.

The petition was signed by Sergiu Tofilat of ASPE Center, ex-NAER director and “Viitorul” Institute expert Victor Parlicov, ex-NAER director Nicolae Raileanu, head of the Energy Efficiency Center “Pro-Energy” Ruslan Surugiu, energy expert on EBRD programs Sergiu Ungureanu, executive director of the Institute for European Politics and Reforms Iulian Groza, and expert of the Institute for Public Policy Ion Efros.