Romania to consider major administrative overhaul, confirms PM Marcel Ciolacu

Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu (leader of the Social Democratic Party, PSD) received approval on Monday from the PSD’s National Political Council to initiate Romania’s administrative-territorial reorganization through a draft law, according to political sources cited by G4Media. This initiative would redraw county borders and potentially redefine localities.

On Friday, Ciolacu confirmed the information revealed by G4Media, stating, “I would like us to present a territorial reorganization draft law during this session,” in response to reporters’ questions.

The draft law will be developed by a PSD-appointed committee, including key figures such as the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, the President of the Association of Municipalities, the President of the County Councils Union, PSD First Vice President Daniel Băluță, Deputy Prime Minister Marian Neacșu, two PSD mayors from cities, two from municipalities, and two from communes.

This committee will draft the law, which will then be negotiated within the governing coalition and subsequently submitted to Parliament.

Background

Discussions around administrative-territorial reorganization have been ongoing for years, with economic arguments at the forefront. Proponents argue it could enable genuine decentralization, reduce bureaucracy, and cut costs associated with administrative structures in small localities. Over the years, several legislative proposals on this issue have been tabled, but none passed parliamentary votes. The primary opposition has come from the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR), which opposes dividing counties in the so-called Szeklerland (Mureș, Harghita, and Covasna regions).

In October 2024, the Save Romania Union (USR) introduced the first projects in a legislative package for Romania’s administrative reform. Proposed measures include reducing the number of counties and localities and reorganizing Bucharest into a smaller, more efficient state with fewer institutions and better allocation of public funds.

Economic Necessity

Approximately 90% of Romanian localities are financially unsustainable, primarily because they are too small. Advocates argue that Romania needs structures focused on development rather than inefficient systems serving partisan interests. USR MPs, including Alin Apostol, Narcis Mircescu, and Teodor Lazăr, emphasized the potential benefits:

“If we achieve USR’s proposed administrative-territorial reorganization, we could save approximately 17 billion lei annually. That’s enough to build five or six regional hospitals or 2,000 km of highways each year! Territorial reorganization would bring high-quality services to communities, increase investment funds, attract more EU funding, and prioritize smart public works over wasteful projects,” said USR MP Alin Apostol.

Proposed Reforms

The proposed legislation aims to reorganize Romania into eight counties, aligning with the development regions established in 2004:

1. North-East: Bacău, Botoșani, Iași, Neamț, Suceava, Vaslui
2. South-East: Brăila, Buzău, Constanța, Galați, Tulcea, Vrancea
3. South-Muntenia: Argeș, Călărași, Dâmbovița, Ialomița, Prahova, Teleorman
4. South-West Oltenia: Dolj, Gorj, Mehedinți, Olt, Vâlcea
5. West: Arad, Caraș-Severin, Hunedoara, Timiș
6. North-West: Bihor, Bistrița-Năsăud, Cluj, Maramureș, Satu Mare, Sălaj
7. Center: Alba, Brașov, Covasna, Harghita, Mureș, Sibiu
8. Bucharest-Ilfov: Bucharest and Ilfov.

Cities would require a minimum population of 20,000, and communes at least 3,000, according to USR’s proposals.

Under the proposals, Bucharest would no longer have sectors but subdivisions called districts. The capital would have a single mayoralty and several territorial units to implement a unified development strategy, similar to many European cities.

“The chaotic situation at Unirii Square underscores how outdated Bucharest’s administration is, with seven overlapping city halls. Years of construction approvals from PSD mayor Robert Negoiță for housing projects in fields—without planning for roads, schools, or kindergartens—highlight the need for a unified vision,” added Alin Apostol.