Iohannis: The current political class has responsibility to accelerate key-reforms

President Klaus Iohannis said on Thursday that the concerns of the Government and Parliament must be aimed at reforming key-sectors such as Health, Education, Transport, but also the interaction between the state and the citizen, emphasizing that "the unity" of the coalition partners and their determination in making the right decisions is needed, even if some of them are difficult.

"Romania is at the beginning of a road, a road of important reforms in the big public systems, of investments and of accessing European funds. The current concerns of the Government and of the Parliament for reforms and investments must be translated as soon as possible in concrete proposals, aiming at reforming key-sectors, in areas such as health, education, transport, but also in terms of interaction between state and citizen. Too much time has passed in the last three decades, too many opportunities have been missed, things that have slowed down or even compromised the big development projects of Romania. The current political class has both the chance and the responsibility to accelerate the essential reforms for the benefit of all Romanians", the head of state said at the New Year reception of the Romanian-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which takes place in video conference format.

According to Iohannis, forecasts indicate that Romania will benefit from a 4.3% increase this year, a "fairly good" percentage in the current context.

The head of state specified that Romania continues to face the spectrum of economic imbalances, against which sustainable solutions must be found.

"It is essential to strengthen the state of public finances, as well as to implement policies to support increasing competitiveness, with a special focus on increasing exports and attracting long-term investment. We must be aware that economic developments in the coming period will be directly influenced by the pace and success of the vaccination campaign against COVID-19, both at European and national level. It is up to all of us to return to normalcy, in conditions of health safety," said Klaus Iohannis.

He stated that the business environment must remain a very important partner of the Romanian state.

"The development of Romania cannot be imagined without a public-private symbiosis, without a correct collaboration, based on involvement, respect and decisional transparency", the president showed.

The head of state mentioned that in 2020, the "good communication" between the business environment and the Government led to the adoption of appropriate economic measures, both at the beginning of the health crisis and later, and many of the positive effects of these measures continue today. He gave as an example the Kurzarbeit scheme, the SME Invest scheme, the guarantee scheme for large enterprises, which are to produce the "expected" effects in the coming months.

The President also said that there is still the need to clarify some regulations and the need to simplify the procedures for streamlining the state's activity, in order to effectively support the private environment, business people expecting seriousness and efficiency from the Government.

"The delays that still exist in the implementation of some solutions are also strong signals for the members of the governing coalition," Iohannis said.

According to the head of state, Romanian companies must "become more competitive regionally, dare to develop long-term investment projects and invest in innovative products, using the latest and most advanced technologies."

"We all want a partner business environment, together with which we can give the economy vision and stability. This objective, vital in the new economic and geopolitical context, can be achieved including by improving Romania's image, both inside and especially outside the country. Large companies can promote, sometimes even more efficiently than public authorities, the benefits of a friendly business environment, a competitive tax regime, quality Romanian products, a wide variety of tourist attractions, untapped natural resources and a well-trained workforce. Only by working together, through the joint effort of state authorities and the business environment, can we reach the destination of the road that Romania embarks on at the beginning of the year towards state reform and economic well-being. To achieve these goals we also need the unity of coalition partners and their determination to make the right decisions, even if these are difficult decisions," President Iohannis said.