The Government survives censure motions
The four censure motions against the Government in Bucharest have been rejected.
Leyla Cheamil, 08.09.2025, 14:05
The Parliament in Bucharest rejected, on Sunday, the four censure motions against the coalition Government made up by PSD, PNL, USR and UDMR, submitted by the populist opposition formed by AUR, POT and SOS Romania. The Parliament, where the ruling coalition holds almost three-quarters of the mandates, debated and voted on the motions against the reform packages undertaken by the Executive and which targeted health, taxation and the reorganization of state-owned companies. The four projects, as well as the one regarding the magistrates’ pensions – the latter not being contested in Parliament – are considered adopted. These measures, contested by the public sector employees and which have triggered strikes, allow the Government to adopt tax increases and cuts in spending, aimed at reducing the budget deficit.
The Government must reduce the largest budget deficit in the European Union to avoid a credit rating downgrade and to unlock billions of euros in recovery funds offered by Brussels. Liberal Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan presented the Government’s position, sending a firm message to the opposition. He said that the reforms proposed by the laws for which the Government took responsibility in Parliament bring more fairness for citizens, transparency and clear rules. “We have decided to engage the Government’s responsibility for the fiscal field because we are in an exceptional moment that requires consistency and responsibility. Romania cannot be put back on the path of development and cannot avoid budgetary complications if we do not make this effort for profound reforms”, the Prime Minister added. Ilie Bolojan: “I assure you that, if we make correct and firm decisions now, Romania will return to a growth trajectory from the middle of next year. Our objectives are simple, to reduce the budget deficit as close as possible to 6% in 2026, stabilizing the country’s finances, to access European funds and allocate resources for public investments, in order to ensure continued economic growth, and finally to re-establish the scale of values in Romania, on moral principles. Romania needs clear decisions and responsibility, not populism and blockages”.
The AUR leader George Simion said in turn that the opposition initiated the four censure motions because of the Government’s inability to promote real reforms: “At the rate the current coalition is taking us, we will soon be insolvent. And that’s before the so-called reformist measures come into force. You’re just playing the reform game, raising taxes and reducing state revenues.” Simion also said that the Government does not cut from the privileged, but from those who have less, from those who work, while protecting a certain category. (EE)
