To help the Romanian financial sector regulatory authorities develop evidence-based regulatory design skills in support of continuing financial sector modernization, the Convergence Program has organized a RIA Capacity Building Program.

Taking place in the May-November 2007 period, the program is designed to make regulators more familiar with RIA analytical steps, including consultation of interested parties, through a series of practical sessions led by international regulators and experts with focus on Romanian regulatory issues.

The immediate objective of the program is to create domestic RIA capacity in support of the SPI Romania 2008 Program. The Convergence Program led the RIA for the SPI Romania 2007 Program.

Participants

Authorities, Firms and Experts instructing at the Program are as follows:

Mr. Stephen Dickinson, Senior Regulator, UK Financial Services Authority;
Mr. Paul Gower, Senior Advisor, Oxera, England;
Mr. Claus-Michael Happe, Head of Better Regulation Unit, German Ministry of Finance;
Mr. John Pyne, Senior Regulator, Irish Financial Services Authority
Mr. Riccardo Brogi, Senior Regulatory Economist and RIA Program Director, Convergence Program.

About twenty professionals from the following Regulatory authorities attend the Program:

General Secretariat of the Government;

National Bank of Romania;
Ministry of Economy and Finance;
National Securities Commission;
Insurance Supervision Commission;
Commission for Supervision of Private Pensions System;
National Authority for Consumer Protection.

Documentation

We have divided the material presented in the Program as follows:

Key documents: knowledge on Regulatory Impact Assessment methodology as well as its application to concrete policy interventions;
Workshop Sessions: information about the workshop as well as documents prepared by workshop participants as the Program proceeds;
Other: various information (Program Newsletters and regional extension of the Program).

Workshop Sessions Key Documents Other