IMF comes to Bucharest in December for talks on 2015 budget

A joint Mission of the International Monetary Fund and the European Commission is coming to Bucharest for talks with the Romanian Government on the draft budget law for 2015. The Mission led by Andrea Schaechter, from behalf of the IMF and by Istvan Szekely, respresentative of the EU Commission, will arrive in Romania in early-December, the visit being scheduled between December 2 and 10, according to the Romanian Ministry of Finance.

“The Mission targets strictly the draft budget law, it doesn't concern any assessment of Romania's commitments undertaken to the IMF under the precautionary agreement concluded between Romania and representatives of the foreign creditors. Subsequent to talks with delegates of the foreign financial institutions, the draft budget law for the next year will be put up for public debate and will be submitted to the Government for approval”, states a press release.

As the draft budget law should have been made public already, President Traian Basescu sounded the alarm and asked the Government to present it as soon as possible.

“Romania's major priority is a draft budget. Companies, enterprises, citizens engaged in business are not able to envisage the project for 2015 in lack of the budget and information on whether taxes will increase or not (…) Therefore, I explicitly ask the Government to be able to present the draft budget in the shortest time”, said the President in a press statement.

Before leaving for a vacation at the beginning of this week, Prime Minister Victor Ponta asked the Cabinet he leads to prepare the draft budget for the next year before the Mission starts the visit in December, so it can be presented to the delegates of the IMF and the EU Commission.