Ana Ţurcan-Oborok, MP from the “Democrația Acasă” party, made such a call. “Every year we import only paper clips for about 3 million lei, although we have a domestic producer with sales of 18 million lei. If these funds are used to buy from local producers, it will be a significant support for them and for our economy,” the MP said during the discussion of the draft law on public procurement in Parliament.
She also mentioned the import of alkyd paints, which amounts to about 78 million lei per year. The MP emphasized that the priority of domestic goods does not contradict the European directives and brings economic and environmental benefits.
“Transportation of imported products creates much more carbon emissions than purchasing local goods. Supporting domestic producers means better quality and affordable products, more jobs and more money in the state budget,” she added.
PAS MP Radu Marian said that the Public Procurement Bill addresses a range of issues through increased transparency, reduced bureaucracy and support for short supply chains. He added, however, that he has not seen legislation from the opposition to support local producers.
“It’s easy to come with amendments from the opposition when you have no accountability. I really haven’t seen a single law or amendment on public procurement to support local manufacturers from colleagues from the left side who have been in power for a long time, and that surprises me,” Marian said.
The draft law on public procurement was voted in the first reading. Among the most important provisions is the introduction of differentiated thresholds for contracting. Thus, for works and social services, the threshold will be 1 million lei, while for goods and services – 600 thousand lei.
The document also contains measures to reduce administrative barriers and eliminate disproportionate requirements that hinder the fair access of economic operators to public procurement processes. In addition, strict rules for publication and reporting on procurement will be introduced, ensuring transparent and convenient access to all procurement opportunities and results.
