The informal consultations on Romania’s economic and political situation that President Nicusor Dan held on Wednesday with representatives of the parliamentary parties ended after more than 10 hours of discussions, the central topic being the measures to be taken to reduce the budget deficit.

At the end of the day, the Presidential Administration said in a press release that during the informal consultations, the delegations of the pro-European parties – PSD, PNL, USR, UDMR and representatives of the National Minorities Group – emphasized that they understand the seriousness of the budget deficit situation and expressed their joint commitment to contribute to finding responsible solutions.

„In this regard, at the initiative of the President of Romania, it was agreed that, in parallel with the negotiations for the formation of the new government, a plan of measures to reduce public spending should be drawn up, to be assumed and implemented by the future Executive. To this end, the previously mentioned parties and the representatives of national minorities will set up a technical working group, which will hold its first meeting on Thursday, May 29, at 15:00 at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace. Mr. Radu Burnete and Mr. Dragos Anastasiu will participate in the meetings of this working group on behalf of the Presidential Administration,” the press release reads.

The cited source said that the consultations at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace on Thursday, which started at 9:00 am, were attended by representatives of Party of the Young People (POT) and unaffiliated MPs, while the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) and S.O.S. Romania Party refused to take part in the talks.

*** PSD interim chairperson Sorin Grindeanu said that there was „a lot of discussion” about things that have to do with economic reality.

„We wanted to express our views and PSD is a responsible party that wants to come up with solutions for Romanians. There was a lot of discussion on the economic side, about the things that are related to the current reality on this side. Deputy Prime Minister Marian Neacsu presented the economic realities as shown by the Ministry of Finance and the National Institute of Statistics. That was our main concern today – solutions – both ours and President Nicusor Dan’s, solutions and nothing else. I would also like to welcome the openness and the way in which Nicusor Dan wanted to have this dialogue,” Grindeanu told a press conference at the party’s headquarters.

He said that there is no certainty that PSD will enter the government and added that such a hypothesis should be taken by a vote in a broader framework, including mayors, county councilors, MPs.

„We are first and foremost interested in this government program, after all, and after that we will make a decision in the party,” Grindeanu said.

*** PNL interim chairperson Ilie Bolojan announced that the Liberals have expressed their willingness to participate in the government, noting that Romania is in a „complicated” economic situation and that the party he leads is also „partly” responsible.

He said that urgent measures are currently being discussed, namely the budget deficit and European funds.

The PNL leader said that the Liberals would be willing to support a complex package of measures that would not disrupt the country’s economy and that would cover several components.

„A reduction of the Romanian state’s operating expenses, a reduction of inefficiency with all that these aspects mean, an analysis of each institution, where staff can be reduced, I think that staff reduction is necessary, where we can be more efficient we must do it, the elimination of sinecures, of any expenses that cannot be justified, decentralization, de-bureaucratization, simplification so that we can offer services that are just as good, but with a much lower volume of expenses from the state,” Bolojan detailed.

According to him, the second component aims to increase state budget revenues. „Today, we have important revenues that are not being collected and we need to increase the collection rate of these revenues and it is possible that in this complex of measures we may also be in a situation to increase – and I emphasize that we are compelled to – taxes. An important component is investment. We need to prioritize them, to analyze how they are multiplying factors and where these aspects are not respected, we may need to stagger or reconsider them,” said Bolojan.

*** USR interim chairperson Dominic Fritz presented the economic measures to reduce the deficit that the party proposes, noting that he told President Nicusor Dan that the country needs a prime minister with authority and high credibility and this is Ilie Bolojan.

USR believes that public spending must be cut to reduce the deficit.

At the same time, Fritz told the president that the crisis in Romania is „also an opportunity not only for a slimming down of the state, but also to unleash the potential that exists in the private sector by making the labor market more flexible, for example through radical de-bureaucratization’.

*** UDMR chairperson Kelemen Hunor said that the problems of the budget deficit must be tackled very seriously and balanced solutions must be found, measures that can show society that any sacrifice in reducing the budget deficit brings medium and long-term welfare and hope for every person.

The UDMR leader pointed out that a detailed political agreement will be needed on the measures to be decided upon and reaffirmed that a majority coalition is needed, because a minority government is not a good solution.

Kelemen Hunor said that a proposal for a prime minister was not discussed, but the UDMR wants a government with a large majority, with political support, emphasizing that an executive led by a technocrat prime minister is not an option, because if it does not have political support, it will fail.

*** Party of the Young People leader Anamaria Gavrila called for lower taxes and better tax collection.

She noted that the price of energy in Romania cannot be comparable to that in countries like Germany.

*** Unaffiliated MP George Becali said that, during consultations, he told President Nicusor Dan that it would be normal for „big companies and rich people” to bear the problem that Romania is now facing with the budget deficit.

AGERPRES