Romanian Academy rejects political accusations

The Romanian Academy "categorically" rejects the "unfounded, hasty and insufficiently documented" accusations launched by a senator in the context of the debate in Parliament on the draft amending and supplementing Law no. 752/2001 on the organization and functioning of the institution. The Academy explains, in an official position statement, that the legislative initiative submitted to Parliament aims to adapt the legal framework to the changes that occurred after the adoption of the 2001 law, both from the perspective of new national regulations and current administrative realities.

• Management terms remain limited to two

The Bureau of the Presidium of the Romanian Academy, its governing body, emphasizes that the current provisions regarding the occupation of management positions - president, vice-presidents and secretary general - remain unchanged. Thus, the same person can hold a leadership position for a maximum of two terms, and elections are held in accordance with the Regulation approved by the General Assembly, the Law and the Statute of the institution. The Academy representatives assure that these principles will be maintained in the final form of the law to be adopted by Parliament. The institution's press release also reiterates the situation of the Romanian Academy's heritage, which includes land, buildings and works of art received by will from donors since 1866. These assets were confiscated by the communist regime in 1948 and poorly administered for over five decades.

After 1989, the Academy managed to recover part of this heritage following lengthy and costly processes and is currently trying to restore and enhance it, despite limited resources.

• The Role of the "Patrimoniu” Foundation

To manage the recovered assets, the Romanian Academy established the "Patrimoniu” Foundation in 2005, as the sole founder. This is a private, non-profit, apolitical and non-governmental legal entity, established in accordance with Government Ordinance no. 26/2000.

According to the Academy, the foundation's main purpose is to support the scientific, cultural and artistic activities of the academic forum, as well as to carry out social and patrimonial actions, including the annual award of scholarships to students with very good results but with limited financial resources. The institution also states that most of the Academy's private properties are acquired with non-alienation clauses and cannot be traded, either now or in the future.

• Political controversies surrounding the draft law

The Romanian Academy's reaction comes after USR Senator Ştefan Pălărie publicly criticized the legislative proposal initiated by 14 senators and deputies from the PSD, PNL, AUR and the national minorities group. The project received an admission report in the Senate's Legal Committee and is to be debated in plenary. The USR parliamentarian argued that the law should not be adopted, comparing the haste with which it is being promoted to the famous Ordinance 13 and warning that some potentially criminal acts could be decriminalized by applying the more favorable criminal law. In response, PSD Senator Robert Cazanciuc, one of the initiators of the project, states that the legislative amendment is necessary to ensure a coherent legal framework that allows the Romanian Academy to function optimally.