The Chamber of Deputies adopted the law / Romanian athletes who won European trophies may receive merit benefits

The Chamber of Deputies adopted on Wednesday a bill allowing Romanian athletes who were members of Romanian club teams that won European competitions to receive a merit benefit. Among the potential beneficiaries are Steaua Bucharest footballers who won the European Cup in 1986. The bill will be sent to the President of Romania for promulgation.

The legislation concerns Romanian athletes who contributed to winning the European Cup, the UEFA Champions League or the European Super Cup, regardless of the year in which the achievement was obtained. Membership in the winning team and the sporting result will have to be confirmed by the relevant national federation, based on official competition or club documents.

The law also changes the composition of the National Commission for Granting the Merit Benefit. The commission will include the chairs of the parliamentary committees for culture, labor and sport, along with representatives of the Romanian Academy, the Government, the National Sports Agency and creators’ unions.

Proposals will be prepared annually by the authorized institutions and submitted to the commission. The initiative had previously been adopted by the Senate, while the Chamber of Deputies was the decision-making body.