The Civic Coalition wants to declare the INTA DNU invalid: it claims it contradicts the Basic Law.

This Friday, the Civic Coalition presented a bill to declare invalid the DNU (Decree of the National Executive Order) that implemented a sweeping reform of the National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA). They claim that the agency was excluded from the scope of the powers delegated to the Executive Branch, according to the Basic Law promoted by Javier Milei at the start of his administration.

The bill is being promoted by representatives from the Civic Coalition, the political group founded by Elisa Carrió. They rejected "any measure by the National Executive Branch that could affect the autonomy, technical independence, and organizational structure of the National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA), and any budget reduction that could affect the 2030 National Science, Technology, and Innovation Plan."

The decree in question is 462/2025, which was published Tuesday in the Official Gazette. Regarding the expiration date of the delegated powers , the regulation eliminated administrative autonomy and the national leadership by competition in that body. Furthermore, the president of the entity will concentrate decision-making power .

INTA is one of the most reputable public agencies at the federal level, although some sectors have recently been calling for changes. The Institute is dedicated to applied research in the agricultural, agri-food, and agro-industrial sectors.

The Civic Coalition maintains that Decree 462 is "a clear excess of the legislative framework." The deputies point to, among other points, the elimination of self-sufficiency, which now depends on the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries of the Ministry of Economy. They assert that the reform conceals a virtual "intervention."

This is the argument on which the request to invalidate the decree is based. This regulation was based on the powers delegated through the Basic Law. The Civic Coalition noted that this same law excluded INTA from the agencies that could be intervened by the Executive Branch.

"Formally, the Executive Branch did not order an intervention of INTA, but in practice, the elimination of its Board of Directors (composed in a plural manner) and granting the decision-making power to a Secretary hierarchically dependent on the National Executive Branch is comparable to an intervention ," explained Representatives Victoria Borrego, Juan Manuel López, Marcela Campagnoli, Maximiliano Ferraro, Mónica Frade and Paula Oliveto, who signed the draft resolution.

"An intervention entails the removal of the agency's authorities and the appointment, in their place, of an official from the Executive Branch to exercise its administration and direction. Consequently, the appointment of a single official in charge of the Institute is equivalent to an intervention, violating the bases of delegation established by this Congress, as well as its prohibitions," they continued their argument.

They added: "This issue is concerning because it is an organization that has demonstrated great professionalism and excellent results in agricultural technology, becoming a leading agency in agroindustrial research and development at the national and international levels."

"INTA, one of the country's most emblematic entities, has strayed from its original purpose in recent years, being used as a tool for political activism and with an approach guided by the 2030 Agenda and far removed from the real needs of the agroindustrial sector," the government stated in an official statement.

In justifying the adjustment, they pointed to the agency's staffing ("6,059 agents") and its annual budget ($229 billion).

Following the changes, the current president of INTA, Nicolás Bronzovich, will lead the organization, now without a national director, and will lead a technical council of seven other members who will be appointed by him, four of them proposed by "agricultural entities."

Until now there was a council of 10 members, among which 7 votes represented agricultural entities and the faculties of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine.