Spatari on New State Agency: Ministries Develop Policies, Agencies Handle Implementation

The government is proposing the creation of an Office for the Implementation of Strategic National Infrastructure Projects. Its operations are estimated to cost 46.5 million lei a year, of which around 38.5 million lei would be allocated to salaries for 26 employees. The proposed structure includes a director, deputy director and five heads of services, as well as other employees of the institution, unimedia.info reports. According to the draft government decision, the institution would be created by merging three structures responsible for implementing projects in the areas of finance, healthcare and justice. PAS MP Marcel Spatari commented on the decision, noting that “all projects are implemented by agencies”. Former Minister of Labor and Social Protection Marcel Spatari explained that ministries are primarily responsible for developing policies, while project implementation is generally handled by agencies or specialized units. “A ministry is not an implementation agency. A ministry develops policy. That is, all projects are implemented by agencies. For example, I was a minister at the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection. Social assistance falls under the ministry, but it is administered by the Territorial Agency for Social Assistance. The same applies to infrastructure projects: they are implemented by agencies responsible for implementation and units tasked with strategic projects,” the official said.