PM Ciuca: Measures in "Support for Romania" program to enter into force on May 1

The governing coalition agreed on Monday on the measures in the package ‘ Support for Romania’In the economic domain, the coalition proposed 300 million euro for the compensation of price increase, aid up to 400,000 euro/company for the SME with expenses up to 15% for utilities, 200 million euro for investments with major impact on the economy, with possibility to be extended, state aid for the stimulation of investments over one million euro, 300 million lei for the companies for road haulage, people and distribution, settlement of lei 0,5 per liter at the final pump price for goods road transport firms, persons and distribution companies, adjustment of the public investment contracts in progress financed by national and European funds, in line with the increase in the prices of materials, labor, transport, machinery, 5,2 billion lei in 2022 support for the continuation and completion of ongoing contracts   Similarly, there is the proposition for a 75% of the salary for the employees in technical unemployment until the end of the year, as well as the continuation of Kurzarbeit – the reduction of the working programme.As for agriculture, the coalition proposed a support for the farmers, SMEs and citizens : 200 million euro for the processing of agricultural produce in Romania, premium of 10% of the value of processed products for farmers,  300 million euro work capital grant for Romanian farmers, minimum wage in agriculture and food industry – 3,000 lei gross, similar to the one in the construction sector, 100 million euro for the Trade House Unirea, integrator of national programme in agriculture. The beneficiaries of the social measures will be the Romanians with average income under 600 lei, those with loans with banks, pensioners with income under 1,500 lei, people with disabilities, people with the guaranteed minimum income, students with social scholarships, Romanians with minimum wages, employees receiving meal tickets and patients in hospitalsFood vouchers worth 50 euro every two months will receive the families with at least two children or single parents ones with income under 600 lei/month, pensioners with income under 1,500 lei/month, people with guaranteed minimum income, people with disabilities.   The measures aim at national and European funds worth 17,3 billion lei (9billion lei European funds and 8.3 billion lei from the state budget).   The measures in the "Support for Romania" program will enter into force no earlier than May 1, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca announced on Monday during a press conference held by coalition leaders to present the package of social and economic measures."The first measures will enter into force no earlier than May 1. They will have a period of application until the end of the year. Only for those who already supported by EU funding programmes, they will continue after December 31, 2022," the prime minister said during the event at the Palace of Parliament.As for the measures supported by European funds, the prime minister mentioned those aimed at backing companies or those that are part of the social package. He also announced on Monday evening that it was decided in the governing coalition not to take the measure of deferring the payment of bank installments for the time being. "It is a measure that we have discussed with the Finance Minister. At the moment, the data that we have managed to analyze have led us to this decision at the level of the coalition - to continue to analyze. (...) It is a postponement of the decision," Nicolae Ciuca specified, at the Palace of Parliament, during a press conference of the leaders of the governing coalition.Finance Minister Adrian Caciu, showed, in context, that there are ongoing talks with the banking system."This measure is still under discussion. We are holding discussions with the banking system, especially with regard to the division of quotas on this measure, because (...) the deferral of installments does not represent an exemption for installments and interests, and consequently, the way in which the measure would be felt, at the end of this deferral, in the context of rising interest rates, has prompted us to pursue the analysis alongside the banking system to find better solutions for citizens and especially for citizens," he said.Caciu affirmed a bill is not yet in the works."A discussion on the deferral of installments should come sooner, given that interest rates have started to stabilize, in order to provide predictability to those who make this decision," the Finance minister said.