European Network of Social Integration Enterprises: ENSIE supports Romanian civil society organisations!
On 4 August 2017, the Romanian government adopted an ordinance (60/2017) which includes, together with several very welcomed social protection measures for persons with disabilities, a set of decisions with extremely negative consequences on their employment status. These decisions refer to immediate changes in the implementation of the quota system. More concretely, from 1 September 2017 the companies or institutions with over 50 employees, who do not hire at least 4% of persons with disabilities (known as the “quota system”), lose their option to buy products from sheltered units (most of them being social economy enterprises). Instead, they only have to pay a financial penalty to the State budget, compensating this lack of compliance with the quota regulation.
By consequence this ordinance will put in danger the existence of approximately 740 Romanian sheltered units, who employ 4,000 workers, among which 2,000 are persons with disabilities having reduced employability chances on the free market.
It is widely understood that the Romanian government implemented such a decree to meet European fiscal rules, namely the Stability and Growth Pact but this prevents employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.
For this valuable reason ENSIE, the European Network of Social Integration Enterprises, strongly supports the Federation of NGOs for Social Services in Romania – FONSS and, in particular, its Romanian member RISE Romania – The Romanian Network of Social Inclusion Enterprises through Economic Activity – asking the Romanian government to review this decree, consult relevant stakeholders, with regards to: the implementation of a solid monitoring, control and evaluation mechanisms for these units, as well as to support measures for the workplaces of the most difficultly employable workers and identify valuable solutions.
ENSIE also calls the European Commission to negotiate with Romanian government the revision of this decree also in light of the application of the Stability and Growth Pact’s obligations.
