PM Ciolacu, IMF delegation discuss gov't objectives

Keeping up macroeconomic stability, a sustained pace of investment and the continuation of reforms are the Romanian government's objectives for 2025, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said on Friday at a meeting at the Government House with a delegation of the International Monetary Fund"The budget recently approved in Parliament includes the largest volume allocated so far to investment, namely 7.8% of the Gross Domestic Product. We will prioritise public projects, so that those at an advanced stage of implementation receive the necessary funding to be completed at a fast pace. Another line of action is to support projects carried out on European funds, for which we have allocated budgetary resources. We capitalise on this window of opportunity that Romania has both for the dynamics of investment and for the implementation of the reforms undertaken under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) and convergent with our objective of joining the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in 2026," Ciolacu is quoted as saying in a press statement.According to Ciolacu, the government will continue to act to support the private sector through measures aimed at the food industry, construction, encouraging industrial growth, as well as investment in energy and infrastructure.During the consultations, he pointed to the government's commitment to fitting into the government deficit of 7% of GDP this year and to continuing the downward trend in the coming years under a taxation plan agreed upon with the European Commission.Ciolacu also mentioned educing public staff expenses and restructuring the budgetary apparatus and administrative-territorial reorganization as among the governmental priorities for the coming period. He also mentioned the measures to improve the collection of public revenues, by expanding digital transformation.The meeting with the IMF is part of the government's series of consultations with international financial partners and the business community, with Ciolacu having this week meetings with the World Bank and representatives of several international investment funds.  (Photo:https://gov.ro/)