USR's Barna: Taking responsibility on budget creates a dangerous precedent

Taking responsibility on the budget for next year creates a dangerous precedent, while USR (Save Romania Union) believes the budget should be submitted to Parliament for debate, the leader of this party, Dan Barna, stated on Thursday. 

He specified the topic was also discussed on Thursday with PM Ludovic Orban. 

"We discussed about the budget adoption calendar by Parliament. I told PM Orban very clearly that USR believes the budget must be submitted to Parliament for debate. They have this idea of maybe taking responsibility on the budget - but this will create a dangerous precedent, not necessarily for the current government, but for any future government, which could also choose to avoid debates in Parliament on the most important laws. For, if we are going to speak about Romania's development and how this country works, the budget is by far the most important law. And for us it's very important that we respect this principle that we need to have debates in the committees, in Parliament. We were quite clear in respect to this," said Barna, in Parliament. 

The USR leader also mentioned he discussed with PM Orban about building the budget "around a deficit of 3 per cent." 

"We also talked about USR's wish, and I saw the amendment submitted this morning also shows we need to build the budget around a deficit of 3 per cent. (...) And we need to maintain the deficit at 3 per cent not just because this is related to Romania's contract and commitment at EU level, but we also need to avoid such logic of just letting interest rates and inflation increase, until the BNR (National Bank of Romania) can no longer control it," pleaded Dan Barna. 

Another topic discussed by the USR leader and PM Orban referred to the modification of the election law. 

"I am still optimistic about the modification of the election law, so that the citizens be able to choose their mayors in two rounds, which would be a normal thing to do, and democratic," said Barna. 

In respect to the early polls topic, he said they will be analyzed at a future meeting.