Bolojan: The issue is not whether Prime Minister remains or leaves, but delivering serious budget

Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan said on Tuesday evening, in response to the conditions set by the Social Democratic Party (PSD) leader Sorin Grindeanu for continued political support, that this amounted to an "unfair game", stressing that there had been no discussions within the coalition regarding the solidarity measures package proposed by the Social Democrats and that no proposal lacking a funding source would be accepted. "I have not fuelled public statements during this period. I have avoided responding to the string of gratuitous accusations that have been made, because I have a responsibility towards our country as long as I hold the position of Prime Minister, and that is the most important thing. As I have said, an atmosphere that generates predictability is necessary, because regardless of who the Prime Minister is and regardless of the coalition in place, if this principle is not respected, we cannot move in the right direction," Ilie Bolojan said on public broadcaster channel TVR 1 when asked about Sorin Grindeanu's statement that, should the state budget law fail to pass Parliament with the solidarity measures included, PSD would withdraw its political support for the Prime Minister. The head of government underlined that any proposal must be financially covered. "As regards conditions or other such matters, this is an unfair game, because there are two situations. If a party or a ministry wishes to make certain proposals in order to shape policies in one direction or another, then, when you are part of a coalition, as the protocol also stipulates, these matters should be discussed beforehand and what is agreed between partners must be sustainable. I stress this, because any proposal, however good it may sound, must be financially viable. If we do not have the funds, then things are not in order. Were this done properly, it would be appropriate. But consider that these proposals are often made from outside, with no funding solution whatsoever. No proposal that lacks a funding source and cannot be rationally accommodated within the budget will be accepted," the Prime Minister said. He stressed that "the issue is not whether Bolojan remains Prime Minister or leaves, but rather the responsibility to produce a serious budget". "Any proposal that comes with a clear funding source, with measures to cover additional expenditure, is perfectly normal to discuss. But this game in which some make unfunded proposals and others are branded as villains for rejecting them brings no benefit whatsoever and, as you rightly said, this type of spectacle helps no one," Ilie Bolojan added. The Prime Minister specified that there had been no coalition discussions on the solidarity package. "There have been no such discussions within the coalition. I have said it before - there is no problem if a party comes forward with a proposal; we will discuss them in the coming period. But we must be aware that we need to draw up a budget based on real data, a budget that provides predictability for Romania," Bolojan said. Asked about PSD's threat to withdraw from government if the solidarity measures are not included in the budget, Bolojan replied: "It is each party"s decision. My responsibility, and that of the coalition, is to draft a responsible budget, and I assure you I will do everything in my power to ensure that happens.' "There is no problem in discussing any proposal that has a funding source behind it or in examining what savings can be made in certain areas. I agree that we should discuss investment components and how to support them, but we must also see from which resources we finance them. We must reach a conclusion as soon as possible so that we have a budget in place within the shortest possible timeframe, which is entirely normal. (...) By the end of next week, we should be able to send the budget to Parliament. How long parliamentary debates take will depend on Parliament's organisation," Ilie Bolojan added. On Monday, PSD leader Sorin Grindeanu said that his party's support for Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan depends on the shape of this year's budget.

Bolojan: The issue is not whether Prime Minister remains or leaves, but delivering serious budget

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