FinMin Vilceanu: We estimate public debt to reach 49.1-49.2 pct of GDP at end of year

Romania's public debt will reach 49.1 - 49.2 pct of GDP at the end of the year, down from about 49.5 pct where it currently stands, Finance Minister Dan Vilceanu said on Tuesday, emphasizing that the nominal GDP will increase, agerpres reports.

"We estimate that the public debt will get somewhere at 49.1-49.2 [percent of GDP, ed.n.], at the end of the year, given the projections of GDP after the revision. So we are on schedule. What I want to tell you is that, as you know, we have a loan plan - and a public debt management strategy based on which we make these loans - and we do nothing but what you know - because I already saw news yesterday, that the Ministry of Finance has borrowed again. You know very well that we have bids on Monday and Thursday," Dan Vilceanu mentioned.

Regarding the budget deficit, the Minister of Finance specified that the authorities are focused on maintaining the negative balance at 7.13% of GDP.

"Today at 5:00 pm there will be a discussion in the Coalition and after this discussion we will know exactly if there are any changes and what they are. (...) We are very focused on maintaining the deficit. From the moment the handover-reception of the ministry with the prime minister was carried out, I was given this task not to exceed a 7.13 deficit. We are paying attention to this and to the way in which the ministries carry out their execution. We would not want to allocate money and that money not be spent. We borrow money and later the ministries do not spend the money and we all pay the interest," Vilceanu underlined.

According to the estimates of CFA Romania analysts, the public debt will reach, in a 12-month horizon, approximately 52 pct of GDP.