The Bolojan Cabinet – the first 100 days
Romanian Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan presented the results of his first 100 days in office.
Mihai Pelin, 06.10.2025, 14:00
100 days after taking office, Romania’s Prime Minister, Ilie Bolojan, presented a report of the measures he implemented, with an emphasis on those aimed at curbing the large budget deficit. Ilie Bolojan explained that there are “two underlying elements that no government will be able to avoid” in the coming period: increasing revenue collection and reducing operating expenses. In his opinion, these measures will ensure “balanced budgets” and financing investments. The Prime Minister said that if fixed expenses are not reduced quickly, there is a risk that the additional revenues collected from taxes, duties and measures already applied will be quickly consumed. Ilie Bolojan also supported the merger and fusion of some authorities and agencies or decentralized services. Romania avoided a default thanks to the measures recently adopted by the government, amid a budget deficit of over 9%, low revenues and excessive spending, the Romanian official added. In his opinion, without these measures, Romania would have been in a difficult situation, with serious consequences for its citizens.
“Rating agencies confirmed that we did what was necessary and it was a first step towards regaining trust in Romania and, I believe, regaining the trust of our citizens by telling them the truth. These were not austerity measures proper, but I believe that some responsible measures had to be put into practice. An important element is to get our economy back on track. This means having more people in the real economy and, through the measures we take, encouraging more employees, and we can only do that by adopting a number of measures”.
Ilie Bolojan also spoke about the need to increase the early retirement age – economically unsustainable and socially unfair, to reduce the unemployment period, to discourage the unjustified granting of sick leave and to continue reforms in administration, health and education sectors. The Prime Minister stressed the importance of reform in the local and central administration, noting that the Cabinet is working on a constitutional formula to implement the ban on the accumulation of pension with salary. From the opposition, AUR Senator Petrișor Peiu drew attention to the fact that, despite the tough fiscal measures taken by the government, the budget deficit remains at a level similar to last year.
“The government cut all tax facilities in IT, construction, agriculture and the food industry. It halved the income threshold for micro-enterprises. It increased VAT by 2%. It also increased the reduced VAT rate by 2%. It introduced healthcare contributions for the poorest social categories. It increased the teachers’ norm by two hours. The whole country is suffering”.
Completing the digitalization of the Fiscal Administration (ANAF) and customs agencies, combating tax evasion and undeclared work remain the government’s top priorities, Ilie Bolojan said. At the same time, the Government seeks to increase the presence of public companies on the stock exchange, thus creating important reserves that can be capitalized on. (VP)
