County Council might associate with a controversial foundation
County Council might associate with a controversial foundation
Objective
Tulcea County Council prepares to approve Wednesday the association with the foundation for the joint SERA Recovery and Rehabilitation Centre for Children with Disabilities Tulcea
Tumultuous past of a controversial foundations
Financial scandals public money
A combination hurry
Foundations of a tumultuous past controversial
SERA Foundation was founded by Francois de Combret in 1990, raising funds and helping abandoned children in Romania in various ways. Long time, SERA Foundation functioned as intermediary for international adoptions, until the EU accession of Romania to stop this process.
By various spokesmen foundation SERA always ruled in favor of resuming international adoptions, pressing the Romanian authorities to facilitate this type of adoption. In support of his theories, the foundation often used false and inaccurate stories promoted, knowingly exaggerating both the number of children abandoned annually in Romania and conditions in which they live. In the process of decentralization of the child protection system, when attempting to quit mammoth orphanages and transition to the care of abandoned children as a "foster care" SERA Foundation organized a campaign in the French press, denigrate the child care system in Romania and further claiming that the best solution for abandoned children as international adoptions. The campaign was not only biased, but using photographic images made in the early '90s, no real connection with what is happening at the onset of the campaign. In fact, the founder of the foundation, Francois de Combret, was an adversary of the foster care system, arguing that instead of being paid so many foster parents, better children are allowed to go abroad, even if they are losing ago.
Financial scandals public money
A combination hurry
The association between Tulcea County - General Directorate of Social Assistance and Child Protection Foundation Tulcea SERA, even if done in terms of the law, we raise a question mark because of the foundation's troubled past. Although at first glance it seems extremely advantageous in terms of the county, the haste with which it is done is unnatural. Foundation proposes Council on 13 April 2011, a joint venture for the construction of a joint recovery and rehabilitation center, Asuman-go and bear costs up to a maximum of 250,000 euro and rushes County Council to approve this association on April 27, 2011. The basis for this decision was not - at least not among the documents accompanying the decision of the County Council - no opportunity study, no project and no cost estimate. It is true that, in theory, the foundation undertakes to bear the costs of construction, but only up to 250,000 euros, while Tulcea County provides not only land. But this is only theoretical. Basically, the County Council is harnessed to a work whose details are not known, and if the foundation feels hindered in any way to make the subject cotractului Association may require from CJ twice the amount spent. As we believe that the amount of 250,000 euros is not enough for building-tion and equipment recovery center, ask the County Council to postpone making a hasty decision, analyzing history properly so SERA Foundation, and the possible implications of an association with it, avoiding to leave drew a landlocked story under pretxtul of good deeds.Beyond hostility to the Romanian legislation and national strategy on child protection and adoption, SERA Foundation has been involved over time, and some smaller financial scandals or major. In February 2006, a business daily reported thought of ROL 36 billion (£ 3.6 million, approximately one million euros at the rate of time) from public funds of the Department for Child Protection County, the SERA was accused works as prices doubled using a co-contractor for the construction of buildings for Dolj CPD activity.
SERA against Roman rule
Debate emerged in the period 2002-2006 around international adoptions revealed that the Romanian state has lost track of more than 20,000 children adopted overseas, their fate is unknown. Much has been speculated that some children, especially those with various handicaps, was adopted only organ trafficking hypothesis, however, he remained a speculation, never proven. It is certain, however, that the fact that the fate of these children still remained unknown weighed greatly in maintaining the ban to allow adoptions abroad. Francois de Combret conducted a less-TERN lobby during 2004-2006, using the positions they occupy when in the interests of large French companies with major investments in Romania.
=====================================================================================================================
Consiliul Judetean s-ar putea asocia cu o fundatie controversata
Trecutul tumultuos al unei fundatii controversate
Scandaluri financiare pe bani publici
O asociere grabita
Trecut tumultuos al unei fundatii controversate
Fundatia SERA a fost infiintata de catre Francois de Combret in 1990, strangand fonduri si ajutand copii abandonati din Romania in diverse moduri. Multa vreme, Fundatia SERA a functionat si ca inter-mediar pentru adoptiile internationale, pana in momentul
in care aderarea la UE a Romaniei a oprit acest proces. Prin diversi purtatori de cuvant ai fundatiei, SERA s-a pronuntat mereu in favoarea reluarii adoptiilor internationale, presand autoritatile romane sa faciliteze acest gen de adoptii. In sprijinul teoriilor sale, fundatia a folosit deseori informatii false si a promovat stiri inexacte, exagerand cu buna stiinta atat numarul copiilor abandonati anual in Romania, cat si conditiile in care acestia traiesc. In plin proces de descentralizare a sistemului de protectie a copilului, cand se incerca renuntarea la orfelinatele mamut si trecerea la ingrijirea copiilor abandonati in sistem "foster care", Fundatia SERA a organizat o campanie in presa franceza, denigrand sistemul de asistenta a copilului din Romania si sustinand in continuare ca cea mai buna solutie pentru copiii abandonati ar fi adoptiile interna-tionale. Campania nu era doar tendentioasa, dar folosea imagini fotografice realizate la inceputul anilor '90, fara legatura reala cu ceea ce se intampla in momentul declansarii campaniei. De altfel, fondatorul fundatiei, Francois de Combret, a fost un adversar declarat al sistemului de asistenta maternala, sustinand ca in loc sa fie platiti atatia asistenti maternali, mai bine copiii sunt lasati sa plece in strainatate, chiar daca li se pierde urma.
SERA impotriva statului roman
Polemica iscata in perioada 2002-2006 in jurul adoptiilor internationale a scos la iveala faptul ca statul roman a pierdut urma a peste 20.000 de copii adoptati in strainatate, soarta acestora fiind necunoscuta. S-a speculat mult ca unii dintre copii, in special cei cu diverse handicapuri, ar fi fost adoptati doar pentru trafic de organe, ipoteza, insa, ce a ramas la stadiul de speculatie, nefiind niciodata dovedita. Cert este, insa, ca faptul ca soarta acestor copii a ramas in continuare necunoscuta a cantarit extrem de mult in mentinerea interdictiei de a se permite adoptiile in strainatate. Francois de Combreta desfasurat un pu-ternic lobby in perioada 2004-2006, folosindu-se de pozitiile pe care le ocupa atunci in cadrul unor mari companii franceze cu interese majore de investitii in Romania.
Scandaluri financiare pe bani publici
Dincolo de aceasta atitudine ostila legislatiei romanesti in vigoare si strategiei nationale privind protectia copilului si adoptiile, Fundatia SERA a mai fost implicata, de-a lungul timpului, si in unele scandaluri financiare de mai mica sau mare amploare. In februarie 2006, cotidianul Gandul relata o afacere de 36 de miliarde de lei vechi (3,6 milioane de lei noi, aproximativ 1.000.000 de euro la cursul BNR de atunci) din bani publici ai Directiei pentru Protectia Copilului Dolj, in care SERA era acuzata ca ar fi dublat preturile lucrarilor, folosind un co-contractor pentru construirea unor cladiri destinate activitatii DPC Dolj.
O asociere grabita
Asocierea dintre CJ Tulcea - Directia Generala de Asistenta Sociala si Protectia Copilului Tulcea si Fundatia SERA, chiar daca se face in termenii legii, ne ridica un semn de intrebare tocmai din cauza trecutului zbuciumat al fundatiei. Chiar daca la prima vedere totul pare extrem de avantajos din punct de vedere al judetului, graba cu care se realizeaza totul este nefireasca. Fundatia propune Consiliului, in 13 aprilie 2011, o asociere in vederea construirii in comun a unui centru de recuperare si reabilitare, asuman-du-si sa suporte costuri de pana la 250.000 de euro maxim, iar Consiliul Judetean se grabeste sa aprobe aceasta asociere pe data de 27 aprilie 2011. La baza acestei hotarari nu se afla - sau cel putin nu se afla printre actele ce insotesc hotararea de Consiliu Judetean - niciun studiu de oportunitate, niciun proiect si nicio estimare a costurilor. E drept ca, teoretic, fundatia isi asuma sa suporte costurile constructiei, dar numai in limita a 250.000 de euro, in timp ce CJ Tulcea nu pune la dispozitie decat terenul. Dar asta este doar teoretic. Practic, Consiliul Judetean se inhama la o lucrare ale carei detalii nu le cunoaste, iar daca fundatia se simte impiedicata in vreun fel sa realizeze obiectul cotractului de asociere poate cere de la CJ dublul sumei cheltuite. Cum noi consideram ca suma de 250.000 de euro este insuficienta pentru constru-irea si dotarea centrului de recuperare, solicitam Consiliului Judetean sa amane luarea unei hotarari pripite, analizand cum se cuvine atat istoricul Fundatiei SERA, cat si posibilele implicatii ale unei asocieri cu aceasta, evitand astfel sa se lase atras intr-o poveste fara iesire, sub pretxtul unor fapte bune.