The 2026 state budget, published in the Official Gazette
After a serious delay caused by political disputes and referrals to the Constitutional Court, Romania’s state budget has taken effect
Sorin Iordan, 30.03.2026, 14:00
The Romanian state and social security budgets for 2026 have been published in the Official Gazette. Adopted by Parliament nearly two weeks ago, the two items of legislation entered into force with delay due to the challenges filed at the Constitutional Court by the nationalist opposition represented by the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) party. The Court dismissed the challenges with a unanimous vote and stated that it found no irregularities in the legislative process, as invoked by AUR, which had complained about the accelerated procedure for debate and adoption. Regarding the accusations concerning unrealistic estimates underlying the government’s calculations, the Court showed that these are, rather, matters of legislative option and opportunity in the field of budgetary policies, not matters of unconstitutionality.
As the new budget takes effect, the most important stage, that of responsible execution, now begins, Finance Minister, Alexandru Nazare, said in an online post. He called for prudence in an increasingly complicated international context, where global developments can fluctuate. He added that, through the entry into force of the two laws, predictability is ensured for institutions, local administrations and the economic sector, as well as the continuity of projects, the payment of social obligations, and the stable functioning of the state. At the same time, the budget ensures an important space for investments from European funds, an opportunity that must be capitalized on and a chance Romania cannot miss, the Minister also said.
The 2026 budget is based on estimated GDP expected to exceed, for the first time, the equivalent of approximately €400 billion. The budget is built on an economic growth of 1%, an average annual inflation rate of 6.5%, a budget deficit of 6.2%, and an average monthly net salary of around €1,100. The state pledges to allocate a record level of resources for the development of communities and local public administrations, for which over €32 billion have been provided, by over €4.9 billion more than last year. The largest part of these investments will be supported by European funds, which are forecast to exceed about €22 billion Euros.
To maintain fiscal-budgetary discipline, the budget also establishes a series of ceilings for the main categories of expenditure, including those for personnel, social assistance and public debt. The entry into force of the state budget comes in a context where, in 2024, Romania’s budget deficit was 8.65% of GDP, the highest in the EU. According to preliminary data made available by the Finance Ministry, the deficit for 2025 stood at 7.65% of GDP. The positive evolution continued in the first two months of this year, when the budget deficit was 0.7% of GDP, half compared to that recorded in the same period last year. (VP)
