Sturzenegger accelerates reforms before losing delegated powers

With less than five weeks remaining before the expiration of the  delegated powers granted to the Executive Branch through the Ley de Bases, the Minister of Deregulation and State Transformation, Federico Sturzenegger, is preparing a package of decrees and resolutions aimed at advancing his ambitious plan for state simplification and cost reduction.

The tool, which allowed the Executive to bypass Congress in order to implement certain administrative reforms, expires on July 8, and the Government has already announced that it won't seek to renew it. For this reason, Sturzenegger —who took office after the enactment of the law— has a countdown clock in his office showing the days he has left to implement measures without the need for legislative debate.

Transport Reorganization: toward a single agency

One of the most significant reforms being promoted by the minister is the unification of agencies related to ground transportation. According to official sources,  the creation of a single agency is planned to absorb functions currently distributed among:

• Comisión Nacional de Regulación del Transporte (CNRT)
• Agencia Nacional de Seguridad Vial
• The automotive area of the Junta de Seguridad en el Transporte (JST)

This last agency, although it also investigates railway, maritime, and air accidents, would see its scope limited as a result of the institutional redesign.

Additionally, the merger of ANAC (Administración Nacional de Aviación Civil) and ORSNA (Organismo Regulador del Sistema Nacional de Aeropuertos) is being considered, although there is still no firm decision. Internally, some officials warn that both entities perform different technical roles and that integration could create overlaps.

Health and agribusiness: efficiency as a guiding principle

In the health sector, the Instituto Nacional del Cáncer would be absorbed by the Ministry of Health, led by Mario Lugones. Although this has not yet been formalized by decree, official spokespersons confirmed that work is already underway under this logic of centralization. Meanwhile, the dissolution of ANMAT was ruled out, a version that had circulated in the media following statements by the minister.

In the agri-food sector, Senasa and INTA are also under review. The former, due to its "high bureaucratic burden," according to sources from the Ministry of Economy, and the latter because of its independent structure and its own budget. Both entities could be transformed into undersecretariats or agencies within a more streamlined state framework.

Reduction of structures and elimination of duplicated functions

"The goal is to reduce duplications, unnecessary spending, and put an end to decades of waste, lack of control, and unjustified expansion of structures," Sturzenegger explained on his X account. In line with this goal, the Government believes that many agencies have redundant administrative areas, such as legal, press, and human resources, which could be merged.

The logic is that by losing their autonomy and coming to depend directly on the central State, these entities will no longer have their own budgets, which would allow for resource optimization and the reduction of superfluous expenses. As an example, the case of CNRT is mentioned, which has departments that duplicate those of the Secretaría de Transporte.

With a tight schedule, Sturzenegger seeks to leave his mark before July 8 and consolidate a more austere and efficient state model, which would serve as a prelude to a possible second stage of reforms.