PM Bolojan at meeting with mayors: Responsible approach gives strong chance to overcome current difficult period

 Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan continued consultations on Thursday with representatives of the Association of Communes of Romania, telling them there is a strong chance to overcome the current difficult period if the approach of "responsibility toward public funds" is maintained."The reform of local public administration will be part of the second package of government measures to reduce public spending and correct inequities, which we will adopt at the end of this month. If we continue along this path of responsibility toward public money, the chances of getting through this challenging period are high," prime minister Ilie Bolojan told the meeting with mayors' representatives, according to a government press release.The consultations covered topics such as reducing personnel expenses by cutting positions in local public administration and improving the organization of each structure, reforming property taxation, and expanding digitalization in commune town halls to streamline activities and improve the quality of public services.Another issue discussed was the prioritization and phasing of funding for investments carried out by local public administrations, the government release noted.In this context, Minister of Development, Public Works and Administration Cseke Attila-Zoltan stressed that funding from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) will not be halted for any project where work has already begun."All ongoing NRRP projects, those where construction sites have been opened, will move forward. The assertion that the NRRP will be halted is unfounded. However, it is true that projects whose works have not yet started will not receive NRRP funding," the minister explained.Minister Cseke Attila also noted that investment projects will be prioritized for the 2026-2028 period and that a financing mechanism involving loans contracted by entrepreneurs is being considered as a complementary solution to secure public funding. Consultations between the Government and representatives of local public authorities will continue in the coming period.The meeting at Victoria Palace of Government was attended by, alongside Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, Deputy Prime Minister Tanczos Barna, Minister of Development, Public Works and Administration Cseke Attila-Zoltan, and Minister of Labor, Family, Youth and Social Solidarity Petre-Florin Manole, the press release adds. (Photo:https://gov.ro/)