The budget under debate
The Liberal PM Ludovic Orban has talked to representatives of the parliamentary parties about the 2020 draft budget, which is to be adopted by the end of the year
Mihai Pelin, 18.12.2019, 14:35
The Liberal PM Ludovic Orban has announced that the Government will assume responsibility in Parliament for the 2020 draft budget. During Wednesday’s government session, he explained that this was the best way to reach the set goal, namely adopting the budget by December 31st. Ludovic Orban has stated he will accept all the amendments that will improve next year’s budget:
“Assuming responsibility will allow each parliamentarian and parliamentary group to present amendments to the state budget and the social securities budget. We will have to carefully analyse each amendment. I am telling you now that I am open to amend the bills in keeping with the amendments that are really meant to bring positive effects.”
The PM has also added that it’s difficult to finalize the budget by the end of the year through normal debates in parliament. He has also said that the Liberal Government is determined to assume responsibility for correcting all the economic unbalances triggered by the irresponsible policies of the old Social-Democratic ruling.
Previously, Ludovic Orban held talks with the leaders of the parliamentary parties and of the national minorities. The Save Romania Union claims that a debate in parliament on the draft budget should be held, in order to avoid setting an anti-democratic precedent. Here is the MP Ionut Mosteanu:
“I know now that Ludovic Orban and his government have good intentions, but this might be a dangerous precedent for, say, a governing party with less good intentions, which might use this in the future for the wrong reasons.”
Marcel Ciolacu, the interim president of the Social Democratic Party, the largest parliamentary party, now in opposition, has termed as very bad the solution of assuming responsibility. Moreover, the Social Democrats have threatened to challenge the document at the Constitutional Court, if the Government decides to avoid debates and voting in Parliament. The 2020 draft budget was built on a 4.1% economic growth rate, a budget deficit of 3.59% and an average inflation rate of 3.1%. According to the Finance Ministry, Romania’s economic growth is significantly higher than the EU average forecast for 2020.
