The leaders of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the National Liberal Party (PNL), RMDSZ, and the parliamentary group representing national minorities have reached an agreement on the main principles and measures of the new government program, according to their joint statement issued Tuesday evening.
The discussions, held at the Victoria Palace, included representatives of the “main pro-European parties,” namely PSD, PNL, RMDSZ, and the parliamentary group for national minorities. During the meeting, they agreed that the new government program will focus on reforms, investments, reducing public expenditures, and modernizing the country. “Thirty-five years after the fall of the communist regime, we must prove that democracy is more than promises—it means responsibility, fairness, and concrete measures that improve people’s daily lives,” the statement, as reported by Agerpres, declared.
Key Plans of the Pro-European Coalition:
State Reforms:
- Reduction in the number of ministries to a maximum of 16 and a 25% cut in state agencies.
- Reduction of state secretaries by at least 50%, allowing smaller ministries a maximum of two secretaries and larger ministries up to three.
- Consolidation of decentralized institutions, limiting ministries to oversee at most two nationwide networks of public services.
Bureaucracy Reduction:
- Digitalization and interconnection of central and local administrative databases.
- From July 1 next year, state institutions will no longer request documents from citizens that other state institutions have already issued.
Decentralization:
- Transfer of certain powers to mayors and county council presidents based on the principle of subsidiarity.
Public Spending Cuts:
- Alignment of the state budget with new development priorities.
- Expansion of centralized procurement systems and review of expenditures exceeding 20% of an institution’s average spending.
- Modernization of the public procurement system and revision of civil servant employment terms to introduce performance-based criteria and merit-based compensation.
Tax Policies:
- Retention of the flat tax system.
- Introduction of taxes on large assets and a reduction in labor taxes, with cuts of up to 5% for low wages and families with multiple children.
- Exemption of students working during their university years and post-retirement workers from health contributions.
Investments:
- Over €155 billion allocated for investments over the next five years.
- Over €27 billion for infrastructure projects, including 2,000 km of highways and express roads, 2,700 km of railway infrastructure, three regional hospitals, 10 new hospitals, 17 hospital renovations, 200 integrated health centers in small towns and villages, and equipping 2,600 medical practices.
- €16 billion for irrigation systems and promoting new processing facilities.
Education:
- Over €6 billion for education, extending the Hot Meals in Schools program to all institutions, supporting over 750,000 children to reduce school dropout rates, constructing 900 nurseries and kindergartens, modernizing over 9,000 schools with new equipment, and purchasing 1,200 electric school buses.
Economic and Social Support:
- Allocation of 6-8% of GDP for state aid programs aimed at boosting industrial production.
- Support for families with housing assistance and preferential loans.
- Construction of 100,000 social housing units, prioritizing young couples and families with children.
The RMDSZ, PSD, PNL, and the national minorities group aim to implement these ambitious plans, with the coalition government expected to channel efforts toward development, modernization, and social equity.
Source: Maszol.ro