Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, the national leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), said on Saturday that the government does not have problems of "inability to pay" wages and pensions, adding that there is a buffer of almost RON 12 billion with the Finance Ministry, Agerpres reports.
He answered journalists at the end of a meeting of the PSD National Standing Bureau at the party's main offices if there is a possibility of payments being suspended, as Minister of Finance Marcel Bolos said at a meeting of the ruling coalition.
"We have a buffer of almost RON 12 billion with the Finance Ministry. We have no problems of inability to pay, nothing. We have only one problem, of staying within a deficit, to see the direct and indirect expenses as far as supporting Ukraine is concerned. Once again, we started from a 0.5% fine. That moment has passed. Romania will not be fined 0.5% of GDP, as it would have in the event that it exceeded the deficit, but it will not. Things are under control. I am glad that the minister is so applied, he can't even sleep at night. I repeat, he is a very responsible man, but things are not critical. We have no problems with salaries, pensions (...)" said Ciolacu.
He added that next week he will meet Finance Minister Marcel Bolos to discuss with him the projection of the national budget for 2024.
"We want to have the budget approved by the end of the year," added Ciolacu.
Some Romanian national newspapers reported this week about a discussion during a meeting of the governing coalition in which Bolos allegedly said that he could not sleep for several days due to a widening government deficit, and in September, as some government receipts fell short of the foreseen objective, he warned that freezing payments could happen before the end of the year.