Romanian prime minister Ilie Bolojan has offered assurances that public investment projects already in advanced stages under the Anghel Saligny National Programme will continue, despite the government’s decision to halt broader funding for the scheme due to budgetary constraints.
His statement was made during an interview on B1 TV on July 21, following a wave of criticism from political allies and local officials.
“These investments had an amount allocated this year. This amount is almost completely consumed,” Bolojan said, explaining the suspension of new allocations, as quoted by Ziarul Financiar.
He added that during the first half of the year, government spending exceeded initial commitments while revenues fell short, creating a funding shortfall.
Ilie Bolojan confirmed that approximately 35% of the projects funded through the Anghel Saligny Programme will still proceed in 2025.
“At the proposal of the Ministry of Development, this decision was made that the road projects that are 80% already completed should be continued so that we can complete something this year, and for the water, sewage, and gas component, those that are therefore in a phase of over 40%,” he stated.
The Anghel Saligny Programme, launched to support infrastructure development in local communities, became a point of tension within the ruling coalition after the suspension announcement. Social Democratic Party (PSD) leaders accused the government of undermining public investment, particularly in disadvantaged areas, and threatened to reconsider their position in the coalition.
“Regardless of who is in government, there is no longer any possibility of continuing these projects at the amounts that were contracted without anyone thinking that a phasing was needed,” Bolojan added, suggesting that the original design of the programme did not account for a realistic disbursement timeline.
The prime minister reiterated the need for fiscal discipline and strategic prioritisation amid rising debt and pressure to reduce the deficit. The Ministry of Finance recently reported a significant shortfall between revenues and expenditures in the first half of 2025.
iulian@romania-insider.com
(Photo source: Gov.ro)
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