The European Commission representatives welcomed the change in Romania's fiscal stance and the return to a serious and predictable approach in the reporting and technical dialogue process, the Ministry of Finance announced on Tuesday after a new round of discussions with the team led by European Commissioner for Economy Valdis Dombrovskis.
"Today, the Finance Ministry team headed by Minister Alexandru Nazare had a new round of constructive talks with the team of the European Commissioner for Economy, Mr. Valdis Dombrovskis, on the assessment of the fiscal consolidation measures implemented by Romania in the context of the excessive deficit procedure the ECOFIN Council meeting of November 13 will be looking at. The European Commission representatives welcomed the change in Romania's fiscal stance and the return to a framework of seriousness and predictability in the reporting and technical dialogue process. They emphasized that the official assessment of the effective deficit correction measures will be included in the European Commission's autumn forecasts, which will be released on November 25, 2025," a statement from the Finance Ministry said.
According to the cited source, Commissioner Dombrovskis appreciated the commitment of the Romanian authorities and the progress made, noting that, depending on the final assessment by the Commission and the position of the European Parliament, Romania's efforts to effectively implement the recommendations on the correction of the deficit might be acknowledged, potentially avoiding the application of the macroeconomic conditionality that would lead to the suspension of European funds in 2026.
In his turn, Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare emphasized the importance of the balanced restructuring of the NRRP, including through transfers between the loan and grant components, which strengthen the coherence and sustainability of the plan.
The minister also thanked the European Commission for its openness and support in identifying solutions to continue financing the projects removed from the NRRP, especially in the transport and health sectors, by integrating them into the 2021 - 2027 cohesion programs. This approach ensures the continuity of strategic investments and prevents the loss of major infrastructure projects.
"This new signal of confidence sent by the European Commission confirms that Romania is on the right path - a path of responsibility and vision. The current government has proven that it can firmly combine fiscal consolidation with strategic investments and reforms to modernize the state. The budget of the coming years will not be just an accounting exercise, but an instrument of economic leadership, built on balance, discipline and development. The priority is to maintain the high pace of public and European investments, while at the same time stabilizing current spending and increasing collection efficiency. Romania is entering a decisive stage where each budgetary decision must support the modernization of the economy, the digital transformation of the administration and the increase in competitiveness. We will keep directing resources to the areas with the greatest impact - infrastructure, education, health, energy and innovation - and we will impose strict discipline on unproductive spending. It is imperative to strengthen the gained trust and to undertake the construction of the recovery through a different attitude, which denotes seriousness, courage and vision," concluded the Finance minister.
Commissioner Dombrovskis said that, according to preliminary assessments, the Commission does not anticipate major differences compared to the estimates of the Finance Ministry regarding the budget deficit, but Romania will have to keep a tight budgetary discipline, so as to meet the deficit target and confirm the efficiency of the measures adopted this year.
Also, the team of the Finance Ministry presented the new integrated IT system for the preparation of the 2026 budget, which will allow all ministries and local authorities to electronically upload budget data and monitor projects in real time. This digital tool represents an important step towards transparency, efficiency and reducing bureaucracy in the budget planning process.
Commissioner Dombrovskis welcomed the constant dialogue and constructive cooperation with the Romanian authorities and stressed the importance of maintaining the pace of implementation of the agreed reforms, in particular in the areas of taxation, administration and public investment. "The European Commission has all the elements for a positive assessment of Romania in the framework of the excessive deficit procedure and the European Semester, as Romania has demonstrated firm commitment, structural progress in terms of expenditure and revenue, and measurable results in fiscal and budgetary consolidation," the statement adds.
In view of the autumn forecast and the European Semester package, the Finance Ministry states that it will continue the technical dialogue with the European Commission, so that the real progress made by Romania and the sustainable direction of budget consolidation are reflected in the official assessment, for the finalization of the preparation of the 2026 budget, in line with the fiscal stability and sustainable growth targets.
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