How would Romania’s proposed 2026–2028 legislative package change the way firms and public authorities handle procurement-related requirements?
A proposed reduction in procurement administration
The governing programme submitted to Parliament by designated prime minister Luca Niculescu sets out a legislative package intended to reduce administrative burdens by a minimum of 25% and authorisation terms by a minimum of 30%, measured against a baseline at the start of the mandate. For procurement, the programme specifically proposes removing national requirements that go beyond the European minimum, including requirements in public procurement rules and funding guides. The proposal is part of a wider simplification plan, rather than a change to the basic purpose of procurement: public authorities would still define needs, select suppliers and manage contracts, but with fewer additional national formalities.
What the procurement change would mean
In procurement systems, requirements added nationally above the European baseline can affect the information suppliers must provide, the conditions attached to procedures and the evidence required under funding programmes. Removing such additions could make tendering more predictable for firms operating across borders and reduce differences between procurement financed through different public schemes. The programme does not specify in the source which individual rules or guides would be amended, so the practical effect would depend on later legislation and implementation. Its stated approach is to eliminate requirements described as unnecessary while retaining the framework needed to run public purchasing procedures.
One electronic route for business authorisations
The package also proposes making the Industrial Licensing Office and its single electronic industrial licensing platform operational. The platform, regulated by Emergency Ordinance 140/2022 and described as not yet functional, would use one electronic file, require documents to be submitted once, allow parallel checks by authorities and provide fixed deadlines. Tacit approval would apply when institutions do not respond, according to the programme. The planned second deregulation package would extend the system to services and trade, turning the Industrial Licensing Office into a single point for authorising economic activities. This is a licensing mechanism rather than a tender process, but it could reduce the administrative preparation businesses face before entering regulated markets.
Timing, consultation and implementation
The proposed government says firms would receive at least six months between announcing and applying measures that affect them, while emergency ordinances would be limited and earlier consultation strengthened. It also promises impact analysis, including recommendations from the OECD, and risk-based inspections intended to make controls more proportionate and predictable. These commitments matter to procurement because suppliers and contracting authorities need time to adjust to changes in eligibility, authorisation or funding guidance. The source reports a programme submitted to Parliament, not enacted measures, so the promised reductions, electronic platform and procurement changes would require legislation, administrative delivery and subsequent guidance before their effect could be assessed.
IN NUMBERS
The programme links procurement simplification to a broader effort to make business rules more predictable. Its transferable mechanism is clear: remove national additions above the European baseline, reuse information through a single electronic file and attach defined deadlines to administrative decisions. Whether those measures reduce real tendering costs will depend on the rules eventually adopted and how authorities apply them.
Reported from economica.net, 2026-10-16. The Tender Wire is published by Otnox.
