Parliamentary commission endorses changes to ANPC Administration Board composition

The lawmakers serving on the commission for economy, budget and finance approved the bill whereby the number of members of the Administration Board of the National Agency for Competition Protection (ANPC) is reduced. The legislative initiative was put forward by the Liberal-Democratic MP Veaceslav Ionita, Info-Prim Neo reports. “The bill is aimed at creating similar conditions for the regulating institutions managed by Parliament. The conditions of naming the members of the ANPC Administration Board, which are laid down in the Law on Competition Protection, differ from those applying to other regulators and are absurd. Nowhere in the world do they use such a method, when three members of seven are appointed by Parliament, while the other four by the Agency’s head,” Veaceslav Ionita told the press after the commission’s meeting. Under the bill, the number of members of the Board will be reduced from seven to five and all the members will be named by Parliament for a period of five years. Besides, the budget of the National Agency for Competition Protection will be approved by Parliament. Democratic MP Valeriu Guma said the members of the Agency’s Administration Board have very high salaries. Veaceslav Ionita stated that such populist statements cannot be admitted as it is the quality of the decisions taken by them that counts, not their pays. The bill will be submitted to Parliament for adoption.