Bill On Brasov-Ghimbav Airport To Be Reconsidered Next Week

Ovidiu Vrânceanu,BRAŞOV

MPs of the PNL, UDMR and PSD left the Parliament session upon the vote on the bill endorsing Government Emergency Ordinance no. 41/2007 regulating the transfer of 200 hectares from State property and the administration of the National Research - Development Institute for Potatoes and Sugar Beet - Brasov to Brasov County property and the administration of the Brasov County Council. The land would be used for the construction of the Brasov - Ghimbav International Airport.

Ioan Oltean MP (PD-L), who chaired the session, maintained the decision passed on Tuesday by Roberta Anastase MP, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, to have the relevant committee re-examine the bill and make a new report, as per the provisions of Art. 109 of the Chamber of Deputies Regulations. MPs representing other parties regarded this move as an abuse and left the session in protest. Under these circumstances, the vote was postponed for next week as quorum was not possible with only 107 MPs.

Brasov County Council Vice Chairman Attila Kovacs commented that this ending had been predictable since Tuesday as "The Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies wanted to send the Ordinance back to the Agriculture Committee, without the MPs" consent, so the proposal was considered abusive. That is why the MPs of UDMR, PNL and PSD said they would leave the session," Kovacs said. He hopes that the bill would carry next week "unless we have more of these unhappy accidents, as we did on Tuesday."

"The debate did not touch the fundaments of the bill, as it focused only on procedure. Discussions degenerated as the session was poorly chaired, people were ill-willed and the Government"s representatives made a poor presentation of the bill. Minister Radu Berceanu touched some sensitive points, so it was not possible to discuss the actual articles of the bill," said Mihai Dontu MP (PNL).

PSD MPs appeared particularly upset with the tone of voice used by Transportation Minister Radu Berceanu, who suggested that the bill should be discarded because there was no need for an airport in Brasov. The bill was issued under the Tariceanu Government and regulates the transfer of a plot of land from the National Research - Development Institute for Potatoes and Sugar Beet - Brasov to Brasov County in order to build the Brasov - Ghimbav International Airport.

Transportation Minister Radu Berceanu told a Chamber of Deputies session that the incumbent Boc Government was against the ordinance. "Parliament does not take orders and cannot be admonished like a child," said Aura Vasile MP (PSD), obviously irritated with Berceanu"s request that the Parliament should turn down the Ordinance.

PD-L"s stand was also opposed by PSD and Constantin Nita, Minister for Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises, who advocated the ordinance saying it had already been approved by the minister for Agriculture. "There are abnormal things in the ordinance; it is illegal," replied Valeriu Tabara MP (PD-L).