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Budget revision is positive and backed by an increase in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), an increase of approximately 30 billion lei in the aggregate budget, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca said on Thursday at a government sitting.
"The highlight on today's agenda is approving a budget revision, a positive budget revision backed by an increase in GDP; we are talking about an increase of approximately 30 billion lei in the aggregate budget. We also have the figures provided by to the National Institute of Statistics for the first six months to confirm that the measures taken by the government have succeeded in generating growth in the Romanian economy despite the crises we have been going through and the unforeseen expenses generated by both the energy crisis and the security crisis at the border of our country," said Ciuca.
He added that data provided by the INS indicate an increase in the second quarter of 5.3% compared to the similar period of 2021.
"And, of course, in the first half we have an increase of 5.8% as against the first half of 2021," said Ciuca.
"It is our duty to continue to identify and work on solutions that will continue to ensure support for the population, support for the economy; the economy must function and, practically, we will see from the allocations at the budget revision that these are the priorities on which we built the revision," said Ciuca.
He added that a third consideration when drawing up the draft revision of the budget was drawing European funds and accessing them in as large a volume as possible, Agerpres.
He said that additional funds were allocated to healthcare, as healthcare is a governmental priority.
"Additional funds for all the projects to modernise and support healthcare services, combined, of course, with the projects underway on European funds and which will also be accessed and implemented under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan ( PNRR). I want to emphasise an aspect that we agreed on in the coalition - the necessary sums have been allocated so that the payment of medical leaves can be covered and we have the guarantee that all these sums can be provided throughout the year until the next revision," said Ciuca.
Also, additional funds are provided for education, in accordance with the ministry's priorities.
"We need to continue to ensure the foundation, including the budgetary one for what the approval and entry into force of the new education laws will entail," added Ciuca.
He said that the budget revision also took into account the budget implementation at each main public employer and the prospect of spending the allocated funds, bearing in mind that, at the moment, carrying through the investment plan is one of the important pillars of the government agenda.
"It is a plan that we have announced as being the heaviest funded in the last 30 years. At the end of July, we had carried out some 30% of the investment programme, over 25 billion of 88. We know very well that, as a rule, in the second half of the year, all investment activity is intensified at the level of ministries, but also at the level of local administrations on all infrastructure projects. The funds needed have been allocated to the Ministry of Development. Funds have also been allocated for the continuation of the development of the programmes under the National Local Development Plan. I am convinced that each of the public employers will ensure, as agreed, that the investment programme can be carried through on the allocated amounts," added Ciuca.
