Constantin Toma calls for an administrative reform free from party interests and proposes merging the counties of Buzău and Vrancea

Constantin Toma, the mayor of Buzău, argues that Romania’s administrative-territorial reform must be carried out in the national interest, without personal or party influence, and proposes merging Buzău and Vrancea counties. The Social Democratic mayor made the statements as the PSD launched criteria for reorganizing communes and towns.

Toma believes the project should be drafted with the support of specialists from academia, the Romanian Academy and the Presidential Administration, and then negotiated by a commission made up of representatives of all political parties. The aim should be to reduce bureaucracy, improve public services and put Romania on a development path, not merely cut administrative costs.

In Buzău’s case, the mayor cites historical and religious ties with Vrancea, including a shared tradition and a common archbishopric. He rejects the idea of redrawing the map according to political interests and says the reform could help improve the PSD’s image.

The Social Democrats have proposed six criteria for determining sustainable localities: population and demographics, economic sustainability, administrative capacity, connectivity, accessibility and the quality of local public services. Toma stressed that the reform has not been carried out for 58 years.