Transfer: over 1,000 sports facilities transferred to local authorities

Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan announced that the Government has approved an emergency ordinance that clarifies the administrative regime of state-owned sports facilities and youth camps, thus paving the way for their transfer to local authorities. According to the Chief Executive, this concerns 1,034 sports facilities and youth camps, spread across all counties of the country, which until now had in many cases an unclear legal or administrative situation, which blocked investments and modernization works.

• Centralized administration before decentralization

According to the ordinance adopted by the Government, these assets will first be taken over by the National Agency for Sports, an institution that will subsequently coordinate the decentralization process to local administrations. "Until now, many of these assets did not have a clear administrative situation, which blocked investments and rehabilitation works. Through this ordinance, the 1,034 assets will be transferred to the administration of the National Agency for Sports, a necessary step to begin their decentralization to local authorities,” the prime minister explained.

• The legal situation differs from county to county

Ilie Bolojan stated that he had already discussed the next steps with the president of the National Agency for Sports, Bogdan Matei. Currently, the legal situation of these sports facilities differs depending on the county: in approximately two-thirds of the counties there are no legal problems, which allows for the rapid transfer of the sports facilities to local authorities; in approximately one-third of the counties there are disputes or requests for restitution for the land on which these facilities are located, which requires additional clarification.

In the coming period, the Government will send addresses to all county councils, and the actual transfer can be approved county by county, after the adoption of the necessary decisions at the local level.

• The transfer also includes personnel

The Prime Minister specified that the decentralization will not only target the infrastructure, but also the personnel currently managing these sports facilities. The employees will be taken over by the new local administrators, with the maintenance of salary rights. At the same time, the ordinance stipulates that the sports destination of these assets cannot be changed, in order to avoid their transformation into other types of real estate or commercial projects.

• Estimated deadline: six months

The Government estimates that the transfer process could be completed in approximately six months, if the administrative procedures and legal clarifications proceed according to plan. According to the Prime Minister, the purpose of the measure is for local administrations to be able to invest more quickly in the modernization of sports infrastructure and return these spaces to the communities.