Government: Blocking budget rectification by President negatively affects economy, Romanians' fundamental rights

The President Klaus Iohannis's move to block the adoption of the first budget rectification negatively affects the economy and the Romanians' fundamental rights, the Goverment specified, in a press release sent to AGERPRES on Friday. 

"The Romanian Government fully understands its responsibilities it holds to ensure a good governance and will take all necessary measures for the complete and on time payment of pensions, child benefit, wages of the public servants, to ensure the medical services and the safety of the citizens, the good functioning of the state's institutions, despite the attempts of President Klaus Iohannis to bar the adoption of the first budget rectification of this year," the gov't release reads. 

According to the Executive, "the president's refusal of immediately summon the Supreme Council for National Defence (CSAT) to approve the budget rectification draft can endanger not only the incomes of the most vulnerable categories, namely pensioners, mothers and children, but also the access of the patients to medical services." 

Also, the Government publicly requests the President "to grant the deserved attention to the budget rectification draft for 2018, so as not to bring grave damage in guaranteeing the Romanians' right to health care, pensions, public safety and the good functioning of the state's institutions. 

President Klaus Iohannis decided to summon the Supreme Council for National Defence on September 4, on the agenda of which will be the analysis of the budget rectification proposals of the institutions with attributes in the field of national security for the year 2018. 

In the context, the Government specifies that they need "additional funds for pensions and other social rights", "larger resources for health", "extra money for supplying the structures under the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MAI) for intervention, maintenance pf helicopters that give out air support, especially during SMURD missions of rescuing human lives, equipment and fuel", to which it is added "additional funds allocated to the National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority (ANSVSA) for "countering the effects of African swine flu, but also "support for agriculture" necessary in ensuring the financing of the agricultural autumn campaign and investments in zootechnics for the poultry sector and also for swine breeding. To this the sums added for "finalizing contracts of financing for the Human Capital Operational Program, worth approximately 1.120 million Euro, of which the EU's contribution is 952 million Euro", "investments in local infrastructure", "essential projects in the transport sector: repair and upkeep works on the national road lines and highways, capital repair works for railway", plus "programs for supporting Romanian entrepreneurs". 

Finally, "some main credit authorizing officers, of whom the Romanian Cultural Institute, the state secretary for recognizing the merits of the fighters against the communist regime that was installed in Romania during the period of 1945-1989, they do not have the full payment of wages ensured for September, given that through the budget amendment a proposal was made so that personnel costs were to be added. As a result of Romania's president not summoning the CSAT, "there is a risk that employees from these public institutions to not benefit on time from the payment of social contributions," the Government says.