President Iohannis promulgates law approving critical infrastructure ordinance

President Klaus Iohannis on Friday promulgated a law approving Government Emergency Ordinance (OUG) 61/2019 that amends and supplements OUG 98/2010 on the identification, designation and protection of critical infrastructures.

The emergency ordinance was issued in 2019 by the then Viorica Dancila government. "Given that the protection of critical infrastructures is one of the main components of national security, it is important that, in addition to the specific protection measures applied to national critical infrastructures, legal norms be established that provide obligations and responsibilities for strategic facilities of national interest, the construction of which is imperatively necessary in order to safeguard the national interest", reads the explanatory memorandum in the ordinance.

According to the law, given Romania's geostrategic position, it is necessary to "establish connections with European transport corridors," and "in the absence of specific transport infrastructure, serious damage to both the national economy and the citizens will continued, with Romania likely to record further deaths as a result of road accidents caused by improper infrastructure."

"Given that Romania is an EU and a NATO member state, urgent measures are needed, both in terms of connection to international transport corridors and to ensure the requirements for defence, as they are provided for under Resolution of the European Parliament of December 11, 2018 on military mobility."

The law was sent to Iohannis for promulgation on March 24, 2021. AGERPRES