ANSA MANAGEMENT BELIEVES THAT INTERNAL REFORMS ARE YIELDING RESULTS DESPITE CRITICISM FROM FORMER EMPLOYEES

The director of the National Agency for Food Safety (ANSA), Radu Musteata, believes that the internal reforms initiated after his arrival are yielding results. He said this at a press conference on Monday.

Musteata stressed that during the change of the Agency's leadership in 2021, only 23% of employees passed the integrity test. Some heads of ANSA's territorial offices "have been working there for decades, 'putting down roots' and doing things that did not fit in any way with the policies and set goals of the central leadership."

"Given the results of the incorruptibility tests and their activities, it was decided to offer them positions as heads of territorial offices in other districts to 'uproot these roots'." But this offer was not accepted and they left the Agency," Musteata noted.

He also added that in 2021, a decision was made to reduce the staff of territorial offices, as well as to reduce the number of offices to ten. According to him, the former employees went to court and were reinstated in positions that no longer existed after the reorganization.

"They were offered to take up other vacant positions, but the offer was unfortunately not accepted," the director stressed.

According to him, the dissatisfaction of the former employees is due to the reduction of bureaucracy in the Agency - the abandonment of various certificates for plant and animal products. Also, he said, ANSA is actively moving to a digital format of authorization documents, "all transactions with economic agents take place digitally, not in cash."

"I want to appeal to all economic agents, ANSA staff do not take any money in cash as we have abandoned cash machines," Musteata emphasized.

Earlier, former employees of the Agency who held senior positions in territorial offices, including veterinary doctors criticized ANSA management, complaining that they were dismissed from their positions due to disagreements with the policies of the current director.