Government Wants National Resources Contracts Declassified

• Emil Boc: "We are making efforts to keep the budget deficit around 2% of the GDP

Prime Minister Emil Boc told an economic debate organized by the Romanian Academic Society (SAR) yesterday that the Government was making efforts to keep the budget deficit around 2% amid the ongoing domestic and foreign constraints. Boc criticized the previous Government for significant expenses made in the last ours of their term of office and pointed out that the budget deficit had increased from 2% of the GDP in the beginning of 2008 to 5% of the GDP in October - November 2008.

Premier Boc also criticized the two-fold increase in the cost of public workforce in 2005-2008, despite Romania"s failure to attract even enough E.U. funds to offset its contribution to the E.U. budget. He pointed out that six out of the seven Structural Operational Programmes had not even been audited yet, which meant, two years after Romania"s accession to the E.U., that sheer irresponsibility was at play. He assured the audience that such programmes would be accredited shortly.

Referring to the salary issue, Boc suggested the unions to keep their claims reasonable because, should the Government satisfy all demands for raises, the entire budget for 2011 would be just enough to pay salaries. Boc stressed that the Government would pass a law regulating a single salary policy for all public employees and added that an emergency ordinance regarding technical unemployment and other measures agreed with the social partners was being prepared. Emil Boc also stressed that the Government would keep the flat tax at 16%.

Boc also emphasized that, throughout the term of his office, the Sterling Affair would not create any more precedents. He made a public commitment that all contracts related to natural resources to be signed during his term of office would be made public, with the exception of those which the Defence Council would keep classified for reasons of national security. Boc added that he would ask for the declassification of all contracts related to the use of national heritage items and natural resources.

Premier Emil Boc on Monday said that contracts related to the use of public resources would not be classified during his term of office and that he would take steps to have all existing such contracts declassified.

"I want to assure you that, as long as I am Prime Minister, there will be no more classified contracts related to the national resources and riches. All of them will be public. I will take steps towards the declassification of all contracts related to the use of national heritage items, riches and resources of Romania," Boc said during a debate on the economic crisis organized by the Romanian Academic Society.