EU Membership Romania joined the EU in 2007.
Romania is a semi-presidential republic, where executive functions are held by both government and the President. The country is divided into 41 counties (județe), which correspond to the NUTS-3 level of division, and the municipality of Bucharest. Each county is administered by a county council (Prefect). The counties are further subdivided into 319 cities and 2,686 communes, which have their own mayor and local council. A total of 103 of the larger cities have municipality statuses, which gives them greater administrative power over local affairs. The municipality of Bucharest is a special case as it enjoys a status on par to that of a county. It is further divided into six sectors and has a prefect, a general mayor (primar), and a general city council. Spatial planning is the competence of these local authorities through their own spatial planning laws.
The Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration carries out government policies, inter alia, the fields of regional development, spatial development, urban planning and architecture, housing, real estate and urban planning management and development, and construction.
Planning is recognised in the post-graduate qualification. Specialization is required in the categories of urban planning, architecture and related fields.
The Romanian Register of Urban Planners (RUR - Registrul Urbaniştilor din Romăniă) is the competent authority. The title of “Urbanist“, or town planner, is legally protected and RUR keeps a statutory register of all professional planners and regulates their authorisation.
• A town planner is responsible for government decisions, mandates and legislation, standards and technical documentation with the tasks involving urban planning.
The common professional name is “Urbanist“, or town planner.
The profession of “Urbanist” (Chartered town planner) in Romania is included in the EU Database of Regulated Professions, but without any information on the type of regulation.
Indirect through the Romanian Register of Urban Planners (RUR), which holds a register of those allowed to practice under this title.
The master programmes address the urban planners and other professionals such as architects, engineers, traffic planners, economists, geographers, sociologist, historians) in order to achieve the credentials to join the Romanian Register of Urban Planners.
The Romanian exemplar planning course is a 2 year Bachelor programme. The above course profile indicates the importance of planning techniques and the social and economic environment in particular within the course with less emphasis put on the study of planning theory of the natural environment.
The National Spatial Plan is amongst the most important planning documents in the country. It is the basis and a main guide for Regional and Local Planning. It consists of several sections. Each is approved by law, some of them are under work, and some only proposed. Landscaping and urban planning is coordinated nationally by the government, which establishes the basis for national development strategies, guidelines, sectorial policies, programs and projects.
The Regional Spatial Plan applies for the base administrative units within the same county, parts of counties, or entire counties. It is a strategic document which establishes guidelines on the regional level to the land use and the territorial transformations.
The County Spatial Plans apply for a single county, including all its base administrative units.
The urban plans include the General Urban Plan (PUG) and its corresponding Regulation of Urbanism (for entire base administrative units), the Zonal Urban Plan (PUZ) and its corresponding Regulation of Urbanism (for parts of the base administrative units), and the Detailed Urban Plan (PUD), intended for one or more specific objectives.
• Parliament of the Republic, Regional Council, County Council, City Council or Assembly.
The no. 27/2008 Act regulates the involvement of the public in the activities of landscaping and urban planning. Public participation ensures their right to information, consultation and access to justice, on the activities of landscaping and urban planning, law, throughout developing strategies and documentations of urbanism and landscaping, according to the methodology established by the Ministry of Development, Public Works and Housing in conjunction with the specific procedures stemming from environmental law.
e) The implementation of decisions.
The main goal of spatial planning is to harmonize the whole territory of economic, social, environmental and cultural established at national and local level to ensure balanced development of different regions of the country, aiming at increasing cohesion and efficiency relations economic and social relations.
(5) The management of spatial planning aims to ensure the right of individuals and communities, fair use and the responsibility for efficient use of land, the appropriate housing conditions, the quality of architecture, architectural identity protection, transport services, energy consumption reduction, ensuring the protection of natural and constructed landscapes, the continuity of the conservation of biodiversity and creating ecological safety and sanitation, rationalization of demand for travel.