Participarea premierului Marcel Ciolacu la votul final din Parlament asupra bugetului pentru anul 2024

Address by Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu in the plenary session of the Parliament, after the adoption of the state budget for 2024

Marcel Ciolacu: Speaker of the Chamber, President of the Senate, members of the Government, dear MPs, I would have liked to have a fair debate in the committees, at the parliamentary groups, both of those who created this coalition and those in the opposition. No one knows the absolute truth, but we start from the principle: being the representatives of Romanians in the most important forum of democracy, we are people of good faith. I would have liked to have this speech, these debates as between colleagues, sometimes as friends. I think that I also had a lot to say regarding irresponsibility, the excessive deficit, and many other issues, but with all due respect to the institution you represent, I cant say that I have much respect after yesterdays attitude in the Parliament, I am caught up in the spirit of the holidays and I will abstain. After the demonstrations of yesterday and after todays laughter, it seems that Im starting to believe what was heard in the halls of the Parliament or on the street, the fact that you vaccinated yourself a thousand times to cover Voiculescus theft and it seems that it damaged you a lot. I thank you very much for your vote. I thank the Minorities group, the UDMR Group. This is a budget for Romanians, not for politicians. It is a budget for development, we cover the investments like this year, they are larger than consumption. I want to thank the coalition colleagues, especially president Nicolae Ciucă. There was no need for an amendment to provide that taxes will not be increased next year, my word and that of the PNL president, Nicolae Ciuca, being sufficient in this respect. Thank you.

Statements by Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu in Parliament after the adoption of the state budget law for 2024

Marcel Ciolacu: I thanked my colleagues. What matters is to have a state budget, Romania's budget, and that all investments and new projects will kick off as of January 1. The local administration authorities will have a budget as of February, and they can plan the new investments. We will honor all our pledges and I think this is the second year with a budget for projects and programs which have been selected together with each Minister. It is the second year with economic growth on investments and not consumption, and the budget deficit will be half the investment expenditure, which will happen this year and more surely next year.
Reporter: Is it an overestimated budget?
Marcel Ciolacu: No, as there will be over 80,000 new jobs. Romania has not entered a recession, whereas large European economies such as the German one faced a recession in the first two quarters, which was directly seen in the industry in Romania and energy consumption. At this moment, things entered a new stage, you very well know that Germany is Romania's main trade partner in the European Union.
Reporter: Is the deficit underestimated? There is an opinion of the Fiscal Council saying that the budget deficit is much too high.
Marcel Ciolacu: We know this discussion. It was last year too. They alleged we would end last year with a deficit of 7. 3 percent, 7. 8 percent. In the end, we will finish this year with at least 0.5 percent less than last year. To observe this rule, it will stand at 5 percent at the end of next year, as we pledged. We are starting to become a serious and responsible state in front of the European Union, and the Commission, we keep what we promised.
Reporter: You said that it is not an overestimated budget. But even the Finance Ministry said in that chapter that digitalization, introduced in the budget, is very risky.
Marcel Ciolacu: In what sense, it is very risky?
Reporter: It is risky not to take all the money, the ten billion specified there.
Marcel Ciolacu: Regarding digitalization, together with the minister, we drew up a program until March. Already from January 1, we start with e-invoicing, we already come with the seal...
Reporter: The idea is efficiency, Prime Minister. This system will have...
Marcel Ciolacu: Please...
Reporter: Will its implementation be so effective and bring in ten billion?
Marcel Ciolacu: Together with my colleagues, I assumed this budget. Every time there will be discussions about whether it is sustainable or not. I will demonstrate that everything I assumed, including ANAF digitalization, which has not been done for 33 years, promised, because, regardless of whether they want it or not, I will do the ANAF digitalization, because a very clear conclusion has been reached, that we can no longer stagnate.
Reporter: Its about the countrys budget and chapters of the countrys budget.
Marcel Ciolacu: If we respect each other, we listen to each other to the end. Please judge me for the things Ive done, not someones opinions or assumptions.
Reporter: Mr. Prime Minister, was there a need for a 5% increase in the salaries of mayors and heads of county councils?
Marcel Ciolacu: It is a 5 percent increase for the entire budget system. As for the mayors, I understand that the examples, normally, are the general mayor of the Capital or a president of the County Council, forgetting that there are also mayors of villages concerned. The whole public system receives 5%, this increase is not for the magistrates, because you know that there have been increases as far as they are concerned. This increase is not for the teachers, and I apologize to some who judged me that I did not increase salaries by 40%. You cant cut 10% from teachers to increase by 40%, because we increased by 50% the salaries for teachers. Its hard to cut though.
Reporter: But the mayors...
Marcel Ciolacu: The mayors refer to a minimum salary from a few years ago. I understand the argument but know that they are people just like everyone else.
Reporter: /.../
Marcel Ciolacu: What I promised and kept is that dignitaries do not receive this increase.
Reporter: Mayors complain that they dont have enough money to...
Reporter: /.../
Marcel Ciolacu: What exactly? I dont know, I told you a principle, because if every time we make these exceptions, and we made them for dignitaries, the employees immediately below the mayors will have a higher salary than the mayor. It is an abnormal thing in a normal society. We have to understand one thing, a very clear principle, no state employee should have a higher salary than the president of Romania. An employee from a town hall cannot have a higher salary than the mayor, because, under public pressure, this is not always done. Its not fair. If we want to...
Reporter: Another important article...
Marcel Ciolacu: Please!
Reporter: Mr. Prime Minister, why did you postpone by six months the reorganization that you talked about for an entire spring?
Marcel Ciolacu: I dont think I could, within 3 weeks, finish the reorganization of the budget system, something that hasnt been done for 30 years, the same as with ANAF. Instead, I promised very clearly that I would start this year. I have a promise with the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Agriculture. At the Ministry of Finance alone, there were 186 normative acts approved. I had to make an internal administrative organization of the Government. You will see and you will be pleasantly surprised, from my point of view. This reorganization will be done in record time.
Reporter: And what do we do with those state, central, or local institutions that, at the moment, use this respite of time to make changes in the organizational chart, just to beautify this reorganization?
Marcel Ciolacu: They wont have time.
Reporter: /.../
Marcel Ciolacu: It is not true. It is the maximum...
Reporter: No, we already have these challenges at the local level.
Marcel Ciolacu: It is the Court of Accounts' recommendation. It is a decision of the Constitutional Court. If I had done this, I would have breached the law. I prefer to obey the law.
Reporter: Your draft law, which deals with combating tax evasion, passed in Parliament yesterday. Tell us why people who caused damage up to a million euros, can escape prison, if they return that money and...
Marcel Ciolacu: First of all, no one gets out of jail in this case. Secondly... You asked me. If you know better, answer yourself. Its not like that. Do not mind. Lets understand: in my legislative document and that of Mr. President Nicolae Ciucă, I dont know if you knew, but I would have expected the press to make, at the time, however, a case of this, the DIICOT and the DNA did not have any more responsibilities in this matter at that time; DIICOT, which fights organized crime and organized criminal groups. I know that tax evasion is usually done by an organized group, there are several, and one cannot do all the evasion alone. I havent heard anyone; I havent heard the media saying that DIICOT no longer has powers in this respect. We introduced those responsibilities. We introduced penalty increases of up to 15 years for VAT evasion, something that is also at the level of the European Union. Two amendments were submitted. No one gets out of prison as they pretend.
Reporter: But they don't even enter.
Marcel Ciolacu: No law is retroactive, right?
Reporter: We are not talking about the people who go out...
Marcel Ciolacu: I read that they will come out. There is no decriminalization of facts. The person violated the law...
Reporter: And can he pay for the damage?
Marcel Ciolacu: The second time the respective person breaks the law, he/she goes to prison, because no more...Thirdly, madam, I am neither a judge nor a prosecutor.
Reporter: No, you are the initiator of some laws.
Marcel Ciolacu: I was not the initiator, I was not the initiator and I repeat, it is an amendment that was submitted by the parliamentary groups.
Reporter: PSD./.../
Marcel Ciolacu: Secondly, I am neither a judge nor a prosecutor. Im not interested in putting anybody in jail, because I dont deal with that kind of thing. My responsibility is to make a sustainable budget. Im interested they return the money, with all the increases and all the accesses. Thank you!

Source: Gov