@ Former Mayor of Bucharest promised "decentralization, funds included" to Bucharest councilors @ Newly - elected president said: "I myself have learnt how public administration lacking autonomy looks like." Yesterday the newly - elected president Traian Basescu promised autonomy and local decentralization to the general councilors of Bucharest. He made use of his own style to explain this priority in his mandate as head of the state: I myself have learnt how public administration lacking autonomy looks like. A government, even if a D.A. ("Truth and Justice") Alliance one, will no longer be allowed to tread on public administration, whose only aim is to work for the community". "Decentralization, funds included" has practically been the dream of General Mayor Traian Basescu for four years and a half. As long as he was mayor, he often claimed that the decentralization of public administration had been accomplished by the government without insuring a financial source, which meant false local autonomy. Yesterday it was Basescu's last participation as general mayor to a meeting of the General Council of Bucharest. Traian Basescu told councilors that he would always stand by the inhabitants of Bucharest, since he had not completed mandate as mayor. "Here is the decisive political structure for what happened and for what happens in Bucharest. During these four years and a half my mayor mandate led to extraordinary experience. I believe all ministers should work as village mayors at least before getting to such high position. This is the only structure that can turn a politician into a man who is able to find solutions to people's problems. But many a time it is legislation that prevents it and this is the reason why I am going to be a president for public administration. (...) It will be a pleasant surprise for you to learn about the autonomy of Bucharest in the first months of 2005. The law will allow you to find solutions to the city's priorities. I can assure you there will be enough resources which Bucharest reserves and which will imply rapid modernization", stated the former Mayor of Bucharest. No City Hall politics He advised district councilor, representing both the Opposition and the Alliance, to work to the benefit of Bucharest inhabitants. Basescu stated: "Your main responsibility is to give up political criteria. The decision refers to community priorities first of all, to those priorities that you are very familiar with. The law allows you to work on community priorities, not on political ones." Autonomy for community priorities The new president of the country announced future autonomy for community priorities. Basescu said: " We shall have to turn decentralization and local autonomy into principles of life. Why should Bucharest set priorities for Arad or Adancata? A government has got nothing to do with local administration. A community's main need is to decide on its own both its present and future." Basescu added that the more decentralizing, the more powerful a government. People need to feel good in their city According to the future head of the state, decentralized public administration, turned into autonomous administration could only contribute more efficiently to the process of integration into the European Union. The newly - elected President of Romanian said: "We now have the impression that Romania has got one single engine for integration, that is the government. I think the most efficient process of community integration, of Romanian's integration in the European Union, can be carried put with thousands of engines, representing local communities whose autonomy levels allows them to express themselves. I am convinced that the integration process will be greatly successful, if we apply decentralization quickly and delegate competence and autonomy to local administrations." As for the City Hall of Bucharest, the former mayor stated: " Bucharest is a city whose standards coincide with European standards. It is already a powerful community that can join EU any day now. But before we do this, it is good for us to consider the fact that any inhabitant of Bucharest needs to feel good in his city." PSD councilors voted together with Alliance representatives During the meeting held yesterday, all the 12 decision projects on the agenda, elaborated by Traian Basescu, were unanimously approved. PSD (the Social - Democrat Party) councilors, so far the toughest enemies of the general mayor's voted together with D.A. Alliance members and even courted Basescu, as they "forgot" that they had been putting obstacles to his projects for four years and a half. Councilor Doru Gingulam, Basescu's most constant enemy, even delivered a speech that delighted the audience. He specified that the "decisive talks" with the mayor have been "political "only, but never "personal. He informed PSD had the duty to "tidy up their own courtyard". He also recommended Traian Basescu to be the "president of all ruling and Opposition parties as well" and completed in Caragiale's style: "The Opposition has won. Long live the Opposition!"

Magda SEVERIN