Federico Sturzenegger will have 27 powers in the new Ministry of State Regulation and Transformation

After several weeks of delays, the government finally today officially announced the arrival of Federico Sturzenegger as Minister of State Regulation and Transformation, a new portfolio created specifically for the now-consultant.

Sturzenegger, who Xavier will be sworn in before Miley at 6 p.m.According to Decree 585/2024, it will have a total of 27 powers, which modify the Law on Ministries. Its functions affect almost all public life in the country, it aims to regulate the current regulatory system, and at many points conflict with the functions of other ministries. For this reason, in many of the functions described it is clarified that it must be carried out in coordination with the relevant sector.

“It is the responsibility of the Ministry of State Regulation and Transformation to assist the President of the Nation and the Head of the Cabinet of Ministers, in accordance with their powers, in everything related to the course of action for the implementation of the regulation, reform and modernization of the State, resizing and reducing public expenditures and increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the organizations that make up the National Public Administration, the transformation of management, the simplification of the State, the design and implementation of policies related to public employment,” says the decree in a general description of the tasks that the new portfolio will have.

Next, it details 27 special powers that Sturzenegger will be in charge of, a large portion of which will be included in the “Litter Law,” which Miley herself feared a few days ago, would seek to eliminate hundreds of regulations.

“More structural reforms are coming. Next week, we are already appointing Dr. Sturzenegger. We are going to eliminate what he calls garbage laws, which are a set of regulations that hinder the functioning of the economic system. There are 100 laws that have been eliminated, but they contain more structural reforms than 100 laws,” the president explained last week.

Sturzenegger, who must follow “directives issued by the national executive branch”, must “work closely with competent areas in the formulation, preparation and implementation of national policies and projects related to Economic regulation and state reform,

In addition, its responsibilities will also include “the simplification and reduction of the State aimed at eliminating redundant, duplicated and/or obsolete functions, with the intervention of the competent sectors”, as well as “the development of policies aimed at increasing competitiveness, eliminating bureaucratic burdens, facilitating the functioning of markets, promoting credit, reducing regulations and controls, increasing economic freedom and reducing costs to the private and productive sector, in coordination with the competent sectors of the national public administration”.

It can “promote the actions necessary to issue administrative acts that promote the simplification and/or the elimination of restrictions on the supply of goods and services, as well as regulatory requirements that distort market prices, in coordination with the competent sectors of the national public administration”; “participate, together with the sectors having jurisdiction in the matter, in the review of tax schemes, tax exemptions and special regimes that generate privileges or distortions in the functioning of markets and the economy” and “promote, in coordination with the sectors having competence in the matter, structural reforms that promote the creation of private employment, economic growth, the equalization of tax structures and the elimination of privileges”.

Thus, its competence goes beyond mere administrative issues, and it will be able to promote changes in fiscal and tax matters.

One of the other powers Sturzenegger will have will be to “prepare proposals for restructuring the national public sector.” To achieve greater economy, efficiency, effectiveness and rationalization of its administrative structures and to reduce its present large sizeas well as “to propose to the different jurisdictions and entities of the national public administration the implementation of measures aimed at improving the quality and efficiency of the management and public expenditure.”

It can also “promote policies that promote improvements in the organization and functioning of the National Public Administration, with the aim of reducing public spending and promoting a modern and efficient public administration”; “coordinate and control the actions related to the reform, transformation and modernization of the State that are developed in all the ministries, secretariats of the Presidency of the Nation and the decentralized organizations of the National Public Administration” and “understand in the definition and monitoring of issues related to the simplification of processes and procedures of the centralized, decentralized National Public Administration and decentralized organizations, with special attention to issues related to the national productive sector, in coordination with key sectors on the matter”.

In this case, these are actions that directly indicate revise the state bureaucratic structurewith the aim of simplifying the procedures related to the work of the national State. In this framework, the economist will also be able to “promote the application of principles and international standards of regulatory quality with regard to the simplification and bureaucratization of processes and procedures of the national public sector.”

“Promote, in coordination with the provincial and local public sectors, with the Ministers’ Chiefs of Staff, reform and modernization processes that are transversal to the national public sector, aimed at promoting a common agenda of regulatory reform that includes Regulatory review policies, deregulation, simplification and bureaucratisation, promoting the use of technological tools“, Adds the decree regarding the functioning of the State, complemented by the possibility of” proposing to issue regulations to modify and/or eliminate procedures and regulations that establish excessive administrative burdens or that fail to comply with the current regulatory quality policy.”.

Sturzenegger will also have a sensitive issue to deal with in the government’s relations with the unions: that of public employment. “Understand the transformation, modernization and development of the public employment management policy, aimed at optimizing and strengthening the human resources of the national public administration with the competent areas in this matter,” states point 17 of the new ministry’s qualities.

In that area, you will also be able to “design and implement personnel income arrangements through the parameters for the design of a public career in accordance with collective labor negotiations”; “understand the implementation of policies related to the strategic improvement of human resources and their training, the public sector salary policy, the promotion and career development of agents of the National Public Administration and the proposal of standard regulations on the matter”; as well as “understand the formulation of national policies within their scope of competence regarding human resources, selection and admission processes, public employment management, performance evaluation and compensation” and “collaborate with the competent areas of each ministry in the systematization of the human resources administration processes of the National Public Administration, such as the settlement of salaries, justification of absences, granting and validating licenses and the protection of health at work.”

“Intervene in the design, development and implementation of public policies for institutional strengthening and promote integrity policies in the public service, in coordination with national State agencies with powers in the matter,” the decree continues in point 22. Special functions of the new Ministry of Control and Transformation of the State.

The final responsibilities that Sturzenegger will assume this afternoon are: “In collaboration with the competent sectors, coordinate the strategy and standards on information technologies, associated communications and other electronic information processing systems of the national public administration”; “Promote the incorporation and improvement of processes, technologies, computer infrastructure and management systems and technologies of the national public sector”; “Promote, in coordination with the sectors having jurisdiction in the matter, the implementation of digital channels and platforms in order to achieve a digital and technological government at the service of citizens and the productive sector”; “Participate in the development and implementation of policies linked to the development, use and promotion of public software by the national State, its interoperability, standardization and reuse” and “Promote agreements with provincial and local organizations within the scope of their competence.”

In this way, Sturzenegger will have a formal position in Javier Miley’s cabinet, despite the fact that his figure has been one of the most important since the arrival of La Libertad Avanza at the Casa Rosada.

New Ministers He was the president of the Central Bank between 2015 and 2018During the government of Mauricio Macri. Previously he had been national vice president and president of Banco Ciudad. He also held the position of economic policy secretary during the government of Fernando de la Rúa in 2001. He resigned on November 20, a month before the crisis began. In the 90s, during the mandate of Carlos Menem, he had a position at YPF.

Although he was with Patricia Bullrich during his electoral career, at the end of last year he strengthened his bond with Miley and became the architect of many of the reforms promoted by the new government, including DNU 70/2023 on the deregulation of the economy. He also had an active participation in the drafting of the Base Law which is still being discussed in the Senate.