We cannot yet speak about backsliding, but the subject of the debate (political interference in governance) is of crucial importance for the quality of representative democracy, primarily in a small state that should orient itself to the norms and standards existing in the European Union, researcher Igor Munteanu, university lecturer and ex-ambassador to the U.S., stated in IPN’s public debate “Government’s actions in relation to regulatory and inspection institutions: between de-capture and democratic backsliding”.
The expert considers the return to the slogan “de-capture of the state” is somehow inappropriate in the current conditions as this formula could have been applied in 2019, when there was a singe decision-making center that controlled and pressed everything that moves in the economy, the prosecution service, the state institutions and distribution of resources. Currently, there is a polycentric system for influencing decisions in administration and the economy.
“I realize that the government has six months to achieve “no return points” or particular results that would confirm the principles formulated in the election campaign,” stated Igor Munteanu.
He said the recommendation is for the current government to apply the changes in executive bodies gradually rather than based on revolutionary opportunities or dangerous precedents can be set and bad signals can be sent to the foreign partners.
Igor Munteanu reminded of the experience of ACUM Bloc that in 2019 changed the administration of particular agencies and this generated vehement protests in the energy community, for example. “Evidently, the citizens and the politicians are dissatisfied with the rise in oil prices, the imminent rise in energy prices… But the implementation of decisions to impose persons who are preferred by the political factor distort the framework in which these authorities work.”
He pleaded for the introduction of performance assessment as a criterion for assessing the efficiency of an institution. “There are documents by OECD, which is a very important organization in the regulation sector, which speak about principles of cooperation between agencies and the executive, instruments for supervising and increasing the responsibility of Parliament by common actions,” stated the former MP.
The public debate “Government’s actions in relation to regulatory and inspection institutions: between de-capture and democratic backsliding” was staged by IPN in the framework of the project “Developing Political Culture through Public Debates” that is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
