site.btaRomania Will Be Unable to Close Year with Deficit below 8% - PM Bolojan

Romania will be unable to close the year with a deficit below 8%, Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan said on Antena 3. He noted that the current deficit is higher than projected earlier this year, but stressed that it would be reduced through all the budget and fiscal measures introduced by the government. 

"Between the official data we received when this government took office and the data we saw later, we identified numerous expenditures that were not included in the budget; these were future payment obligations," Bolojan said.

The Prime Minister is scheduled to visit Brussels on Monday for talks with EU officials regarding Romania’s loans and the budget deficit.

Speaking on Antena 3, Bolojan said that the aim is to clarify the aspects related to their loans and deficit, "to project the image I want for Romania: one of seriousness, of trust."

The issue is also on the agenda of the ruling coalition’s meeting on Wednesday, according to Digi24. Other key topics include food price caps, inflation, and local government cuts - an issue that has created divisions within the coalition and led to public protests.

Bolojan has threatened to resign if the reform is not pushed through. He insists on a 40% reduction in the total number of both occupied and vacant positions in local government. However, the Social Democratic Party believes that each municipality should have the freedom to decide how to implement cuts.

The Romanian Prime Minister said: "I am not using my resignation as a form of pressure, and I never have done so. But when you are in public office and you know what needs to be done and the plan based on which you accepted the position, it is a matter of responsibility to insist that things are done right. Otherwise, if we act oblivious, as has happened in the past, we will only backslide."