Kelemen Hunor calls for caution in the administrative-territorial reform and warns that decisions cannot be made without local analyses

UDMR President Kelemen Hunor stated on Monday evening that administrative-territorial reform is necessary and should have been carried out long ago, but it cannot be done “from an office” by the Government assuming responsibility. The UDMR leader maintains that the reorganization must take into account the country’s geography, the life of communities, and the ethnic situation in certain areas.

Kelemen Hunor gave the example of the Apuseni Mountains, where, for a commune to reach 4,000–5,000 inhabitants, it would be necessary to include localities located within a radius of 70–80 kilometers. In the case of Hungarian communities, he warned that the ethnic balance must not be changed through the merger or dissolution of communes.

The UDMR leader distinguished between administrative-territorial reform and the reorganization of government institutions. While institutions can be merged or reorganized in a short time, reform at the local level requires analysis and careful preparation.

The statements come after PSD leader Sorin Grindeanu asked Prime Minister Luca Niculescu for the Government to assume responsibility for merging small localities, while maintaining public services, as well as for reducing agencies and reorganizing state-owned companies. The two reforms are expected to be completed by March 2027.