In brief

  • The Institute for Advanced Studies in the Culture and Civilisation of the Levant is changing its name to the Levant Institute for Advanced Studies in the Culture of Peace, abbreviated ILSACP. The title of the law that set it up changes as well.
  • Its legal status is spelled out more precisely: the institute becomes a specialised and autonomous public institution of national interest, no longer merely a public institution of national interest.
  • Pay for its no more than 36 employees now has a concrete benchmark: the level laid down by law for contract staff in the specialised central public administration. Those concerned are the institute’s staff and management, together with the Senate of Romania, through whose budget the funding passes.
Act: Law no. 150/2026
Published: Official Gazette of Romania (Monitorul Oficial) no. 596 of 21 July 2026
In force from: 24 July 2026

An institute set up in 2017 to study the Levant is moving into its name what the law listed as its third objective: the culture of peace. Along with the name, the scale it uses to pay its people changes too. Law no. 150/2026, published in Official Gazette of Romania no. 596 of 21 July 2026, amends Law no. 117/2017 on three points. It is one of the laws promulgated on the same day as the supplement to the rules on administrative offences for advertising media.

The institute was created by Law no. 117/2017, published in Official Gazette of Romania no. 404 of 30 May 2017, as a centre of excellence recognised by the World Academy of Art and Science, with its seat in Bucharest. Its object of activity covers research into the cultures and civilisations of the historical space of the Levant, meaning the Middle East, North Africa, the Balkans and the Caucasus, the protection of areas representative of universal cultural heritage, and the promotion of dialogue between the peoples of that space, “with a view to creating a culture of peace”.

It is precisely that phrase at the end of the object of activity that now moves up into the name. The institute is called the Levant Institute for Advanced Studies in the Culture of Peace, and the title of the law becomes “Law on the establishment and organisation of the Levant Institute for Advanced Studies in the Culture of Peace”. The word “organisation”, added to the title, shows that the law is no longer solely one of establishment.

What it changes in practice

The first effect is administrative and immediate. The change of name means updating the letterhead, the stamp, the records and the partnership agreements the institute holds with institutions in Romania and abroad. The official acronym becomes ILSACP.

The second effect concerns status. The wording “a specialised, autonomous public institution of national interest, having legal personality” is more precise than the earlier one. The specialised character confirms that the institute works in a defined field, while autonomy places it at a remove from administrative subordination, even though funding still comes through the budget of the Senate of Romania.

The third effect is the one on pay, and the most concrete for employees. Until now, Article 6 paragraph (2) said only that staff are paid in accordance with the legal provisions applicable to staff in the public budget sector, under contract, without indicating a reference category. From now on, the law refers explicitly to the level laid down for contract staff in the specialised central public administration.

The fourth effect is that the surrounding rules stay the same, which matters just as much. The maximum number of salaried posts remains 36. Funding continues to come from own revenues and from subsidies from the state budget, through the budget of the Senate of Romania. Management is still provided by the Scientific Council, the Executive Board and the director general.

What has changed compared with the previous situation

A comparison with the 2017 version shows exactly three interventions, none of them touching the institute’s powers or its budget.

The first is the title of the law, which moves from “Law on the establishment of the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Culture and Civilisation of the Levant” to “Law on the establishment and organisation of the Levant Institute for Advanced Studies in the Culture of Peace”.

The second is Article 1 paragraph (1). In 2017 the text read: “The Institute for Advanced Studies in the Culture and Civilisation of the Levant is hereby established, hereinafter referred to as the Institute, a public institution of national interest, having legal personality.” It now reads: “The Levant Institute for Advanced Studies in the Culture of Peace (ILSACP) is hereby established, hereinafter referred to as the Institute, a specialised, autonomous public institution of national interest, having legal personality.” The difference lies in the name, in the acronym and in the two qualifiers that have been added.

The third is Article 6 paragraph (2). The 2017 version: “The staff of the Institute are paid in accordance with the legal provisions applicable to staff in the public budget sector, under contract.” The new version: “The remuneration of the Institute’s staff is set in accordance with the legislation on the remuneration of staff paid from public funds, at the level laid down by law for contract staff in the specialised central public administration.” The generic reference to the public budget sector is replaced by an identifiable benchmark.

Untouched are Article 2, which describes the object of activity and the historical space of the Levant, Article 3, on powers, Articles 4 and 5, on the Scientific Council and the executive management, Article 7, on funding, and Article 6 paragraph (1), with its ceiling of 36 posts.

Advantages and disadvantages

What it improves

  • The name lines up with what the law had been asking of the institute ever since 2017: creating a culture of peace through academic, religious and intergenerational dialogue.
  • Pay acquires a verifiable benchmark, in place of a generic reference to “the public budget sector”, which left room for interpretation when grading posts.
  • The qualifiers “specialised” and “autonomous” clarify the institute’s position in relation to other public institutions.
  • The law does not inflate the structure: the ceiling of 36 posts and the funding arrangement remain unchanged.

What remains a problem

  • The new name drops the reference to the civilisation of the Levant, even though the object of activity in Article 2 remains centred on that historical space. Name and mission now overlap only in part.
  • Autonomy is declared, but funding still runs through the budget of the Senate of Romania, which leaves open the question of how much the declared independence depends on the annual budget decision.
  • The law provides no transition period for changing the name in agreements and partnerships already concluded.
  • The reference to contract staff in the specialised central public administration may tighten the pay scale compared with earlier practice, depending on how researchers were actually graded until now.

Practical advice

  1. If you work with the institute or have a signed partnership, use the new name and the acronym ILSACP from now on in official correspondence and in addenda.
  2. Employees should ask the human resources department for their specific grading under the new scale, that is, the reference position in the specialised central public administration against which their salary is set.
  3. For researchers applying to projects, bear in mind that the ceiling of 36 salaried posts stays in place, but the Scientific Council may approve additional fixed-term posts funded from the project concerned.
  4. When citing the founding act in a paper or a contract, refer to Law no. 117/2017 with the mention “as subsequently amended and supplemented”, because its title has changed.
  5. Institutions looking for a Romanian partner in the field of intercultural dialogue can check the powers set out in Article 3, which are unchanged: studies, publications, international meetings, partnership agreements.
  6. On funding matters, the correct address remains the budget of the Senate of Romania, through which the subsidies are granted, and not a line ministry.

Frequently asked questions

What is the institute called now?
The Levant Institute for Advanced Studies in the Culture of Peace, with the acronym ILSACP. Its previous name was the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Culture and Civilisation of the Levant.
What changes in its legal status?
The institute is now defined as a specialised, autonomous public institution of national interest, having legal personality. The 2017 wording said only a public institution of national interest, having legal personality.
How are employees paid from now on?
In accordance with the legislation on the remuneration of staff paid from public funds, at the level laid down by law for contract staff in the specialised central public administration. Previously, the text referred generically to the provisions applicable to staff in the public budget sector, under contract.
Do the number of posts or the budget change?
No. The maximum number of salaried posts remains 36, and funding still comes from own revenues and from subsidies from the state budget, through the budget of the Senate of Romania.
What does the institute actually do?
It researches the cultures and civilisations of the historical space of the Levant, meaning the Middle East, North Africa, the Balkans and the Caucasus, it supports the protection of areas representative of universal cultural heritage, and it promotes dialogue between the peoples of that space, with a view to creating a culture of peace.
Who runs it?
A Scientific Council of no more than 25 members, which includes as members by right the president of the Romanian Academy and the rectors of Universitatea din București (the University of Bucharest), Universitatea „Babeș-Bolyai” din Cluj-Napoca (Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca) and Universitatea „Alexandru Ioan Cuza” din Iași (Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi), alongside an Executive Board and a director general.
When do the amendments apply from?
From 24 July 2026, that is, 3 days after publication in the Official Gazette of Romania, under the general rule on the entry into force of laws.

Original text of the legal act

The text below is reproduced in Romanian, the official form of publication.

The full text, as published in the Official Gazette of Romania

Official Gazette of Romania no. 596 of 21 July 2026 16 pages PDF, 112 KB the act starts on page 4

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