Finance Minister: First Draft of Budget Ready by January 27

“Romania needs a leaner, more efficient state. That is why we have already taken the first steps: we have limited the state’s operating costs and we will prepare the first version of the budget by the end of January”, says Finance Minister Tanczos Barna in an interview with Radio Kossuth and taken over by maszol.ro.   The minister specified that the first version of the budget will be available by January 27, which he will present to the coalition and the Government, following which the parliamentary procedure will begin.   According to the minister, joining the Schengen area will significantly reduce the costs of imports and exports, which is particularly beneficial for companies active in the automotive industry and trade. “Of course, we are not happy that imports are increasing, as Romania has large deficits in the foreign trade balance, but the opportunities have now expanded significantly,” he added.   Barna Tánczos stressed that the stable reserves of the National Bank and the wage increases of the past period are further strengthening the economy: “Stability cannot be questioned. Our gold and foreign exchange reserves are at record levels. This proves that we are moving in the right direction and that we have the tools to face the challenges”, said the deputy prime minister.   Regarding the presidential candidate, Tanczos admits that there is not full harmony within the ranks of the social democratic and liberal parties, and Crin Antonescu is not fully supported. “But the coalition has no other alternative at this moment. Time is very short and the challenge is very big”, he said on Kossuth radio.   The situation is serious, the advance of extremist and anti-EU forces threatens democracy, the FinMin also states.    “It is a difficult decision, because a quasi-independent candidate should be supported. Although he was once the chairman of the Liberal Party, he worked with the social democrats. Then there was the grand social democrat-liberal coalition, with which they achieved a record result and won the elections together. A strange situation has arisen, and regardless of this, I think that a decision must be made urgently, and the elections must be organized at the end of March, beginning of April,” Barna Tánczos said.