Prime Minister Ludovic Orban appears before Parliament

The Romanian Government is preparing an investment-based economic recovery plan

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Roxana Vasile, 19.05.2020, 13:30

The Liberal Government in Bucharest is preparing an
economic recovery plan after the coronavirus pandemic, Liberal Prime Minister
Ludovic Orban said in Parliament, where he was invited to present the measures
taken so far by his team. The Prime Minister stated that, in the first quarter
of 2020, Romania reported the biggest economic growth at EU level. Ludovic
Orban:

Most Romanian companies and most fields of activity
remained operational, and the figures speak for themselves. Our data shows that
in the first quarter Romania had the biggest economic growth. Data for the
second quarter will reveal that, compared to other countries, Romania’s economy
fares far better than many are willing to admit.

Prime Minister Orban added that restrictions in the
economic field were taken to lower the threat to people’s lives and well-being,
saying that no construction site was closed down. Evidence of that can be found
in the structure of economic growth for public investments. As regards the
hospitality industry, which has been under tremendous pressure during this
crisis, Ludovic Orban said the Government supports the restart of activity by
taking active measures, when the epidemiological context will allow it. The
opposition in Parliament disagrees, claiming the Government’s economic policies
have made it impossible for thousands of companies to pay their bank
installments, many of them now on the verge of bankruptcy. The opposition says
the Government’s support programme addressing SMEs has turned out to be
inefficient. ProRomania leader Victor Ponta believes the Orban Cabinet in fact
has no solutions to the present crisis:

Today Romania’s Parliament must make up for the
Government’s lack of action and measures. We are talking about the economy, the
true crisis Romania is already facing and which it will most likely continue to
face, once the health crisis has passed. Allow me to ask you – will you resign
willingly or must Parliament remove you from office again?

In turn, Social-Democrat interim leader Marcel
Ciolacu has called for concrete actions, the lack of which might trigger a new
vote of no-confidence:

You’ve inherited a functional economy, with a 4%
growth, which you’ve now lowered to 2%. Over 70% of Romanians have money in
their bank accounts to last them a month. Today, you should have resigned, but
you lack the dignity to do it, for all the damage you’ve done to this country.

Other parliamentary groups have asked for concrete
measures to overcome the economic crisis, calling on the Government to show
responsibility and engage in a constructive dialogue with its political partners.

(Translated by V. Palcu)