Opposition demands inquiry committee be established to look into African swine fever management

The floor group in the Chamber of Deputies of the opposition National Liberal Party (PNL) and leaders of the People's Movement Party (PMP) on Thursday took the first steps for the establishment of a committee to look into the management so far of the African swine fever in Romania, according to a press statement released by PNL national leader Ludovic Orban. 

"A request and a draft decision on the establishment of a Chamber of Deputies' parliamentary inquiry committee to verify the manner in which the Romanian governmental bodies have implemented the provisions of the National Programme for the Supervision, Prevention, and Control of African Swine Fever have been registered with the Standing Bureau of the Chamber of Deputies. The purpose of the committee is to determine the causes that have led to the emergence of African swine fever outbreaks in Romania, the extremely rapid spread of this plague, the authorities' errors in managing a crisis with major economic impact on all categories of people as well as the vested interests that have used this tragedy for their selfish ends (...) In the inquiry committee, the Minister of Agriculture, Petre Daea, along with other officials in the field, will have to explain the incompetence and indolence they have displayed all this time and that caused an animal breeding disaster. It is necessary for the culprits to be identified and made to pay," says Orban. 

He says that countries such as Poland, Ukraine and Lithuania have managed to control the outbreaks (Poland - 99 outbreaks, Ukraine - 64, Lithuania - 45), while Romania, in just two months, there were 732 outbreaks. 

Orban points out that the government is solely responsible for this serious situation, indicating that the government "has lost control over the situation and neglected the early warnings, and there is now a danger that the European Union will introduce the whole country in the restriction area, with extensive economic repercussions." 

Submitting the draft decision on the establishment of the parliamentary inquiry commission for the management of African swine fever were PNL floor leader Raluca Turcan and PMP floor leader Eugen Tomac.