Ooni Koda
  1. Home
  2. /
  3. Newsfeed
  4. /
  5. Declarații ale premierului Marcel Ciolacu la începutul ședinței...

Declarații ale premierului Marcel Ciolacu la începutul ședinței de guvern

November 16, 2023

Marcel Ciolacu: Good afternoon! I would like us to start with good news. Today, ANAF sped up its activity and collected close to its assumed target. In October, the collection reached a record level of 40 billion lei and I am sure that keeping the same pace until the end of the year and keeping non-essential spending under control, we will observe the deficit target agreed with the European Commission. An additional argument is a more sustained action against tax evasion that we have all seen over the past few days. From my point of view, the state institutions eventually started to show determination in the fight against those defrauding the Romanians' money, and removing the tax evaders that steal dozens of billions of lei annually is key to obtaining the money necessary for pensions growth, education, and healthcare. I said it very clearly: there will not be new taxes next year. I want one thing in exchange: I want those who have not paid their taxes so far, those who defrauded the Romanian state and who effectively stole from healthcare, education, and Romanians' pensions to start paying their taxes.
At the same time, we come up with and prove how to keep state spending under control, through fiscal - budgetary measures ordinance, we make sure that important public investment projects will continue. We approve through a memorandum, the necessary exemptions so that the central and especially local authorities can make payments, especially for the National Public Interest Construction Program run by the National Investment Company and the Anghel Saligny National Program. We made this promise to the mayors. It is only natural that we do not jeopardize their whole years work. So, we keep our word. We provide them with funds to make their outstanding payments and reassure them that they can settle further payments.
Another priority is the 2014-2020 European funds, which practically end late this year. Today we approve an emergency ordinance with procedures that allow the early closure of programs related to this financial framework. Todays measures will help us take the absorption rate to over 90%. For the same purpose, today we are allocating 300 million lei to the Ministry of Agriculture, to ensure the co-financing of projects from the National Rural Development Program 2014-2020. We need to complete the investments with European funds, the money to reach the beneficiaries and the invoices to be settled by the European Commission.
Today, the Ministry of Finance submits another important legislative document: we approve the draft law establishing the Investment and Development Bank of Romania. For over a decade, there has been talk about this bank, which exists in all European countries. We finally have it here too. This bank represents the missing link between the money of international financial institutions and Romanias strategic investment projects. We will thus have the appropriate financial instruments for the projects that the countrys economy needs.
Regarding major objectives, because we started building the 2024 budget, I ask all ministers to prioritize their projects, and we will not give up any important program. For example, the Hot School Meal program, which we have extended this year, must continue. And I ask the minister of Education to correctly size this essential program for 2024, especially for children from vulnerable areas.
I am glad that this government also finds time for culture. It is about the National Museum of the History of Romanian Jewry and the Holocaust, a project included in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, with about 17 million euros. I am sure that it is a relevant project and that it will be not only a major cultural landmark, but also an architectural gem that Calea Victoriei in Bucharest will regain; and, just as importantly, it will be instrumental for the efforts to combat discrimination and anti-Semitism, an unfortunately increasingly present phenomenon in Europe and the world.

Source: Gov

The text of this article has been partially taken from the publication:
Read in full - click here
TikTok launches Election Center ahead of Romania’s May presidential vote

TikTok has launched an Election Center dedicated to Romania's upcoming elections as part of its broader effort to protect "the integrity of the platform" and promote access to reliable information. The initiative is supported by a new media literacy campaign and ongoing collaboration with more than 20 fact-checking partners, the company said in a statement. […]

Romanian interim president meets with OSCE election observation mission

Romanian acting president Ilie Bolojan met on Friday, April 25, with a delegation from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, or ODIHR, of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), according to a statement from the presidential administration. The acting president told the delegation that Romania "is faithful to democratic principles […]

Shareholders of Romanian oil giant OMV Petrom approve record dividends for 2025

Shareholders of Romanian oil company OMV Petrom recently approved the distribution of record dividends amounting to RON 2.8 billion (EUR 562.6 million) for the 2024 financial year, as well as the 2025 budget, which provides for investments of RON 8.1 billion (EUR 1.6 billion). The decision was taken during the Ordinary and Extraordinary General Meetings […]

European Film Festival reaches ten cities in Romania for 29th edition

The 2025 edition of the European Film Festival (FFE), which takes place this year in Bucharest and nine other cities, will screen more than 40 feature films, 28 of which are national premieres. The festival will also present two selections of short films, also screened as national premieres. Among them are 11 documentaries, 13 films […]

Update: Russian security service says it arrested Romanian man for spying for Ukraine

Update: The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in an official press release that the Romanian citizen was initially detained in the Abkhazia region four months ago and was later transferred to Sochi, Russia. "Steps have already been taken to provide consular protection and assistance with the central and local authorities, in accordance with international regulations," […]

Russian security service says it arrested Romanian man for spying for Ukraine

Russia’s Federal Security Service, FSB, said on Friday, April 25, that it arrested a 23-year-old Romanian citizen on suspicion of spying for Ukraine by sharing the locations of Russian air defense systems. The unnamed man is accused of collecting and transmitting information about air defense sites in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi to […]