Increase of the salaries in public domain”, discussed with IMF

President Traian Basescu met on Thursday, for the last time, with Jeffrey Franks, who has been the chief of IMF mission for Romania since 2009.

Jeffrey Franks will be replaced from summer by the Dutch Erik von Vrijer, whose statements, according to the specialists, shows that he favours reduction of taxes.

The IMF actual mission wants to find out if Romania can take part in the deficit targets, if the process of state entreprises reform scored progresses, when the prices of the natural gases for the population will be liberalized, the situation of the bilateral contracts from energy, which are now in the attention of the European Comission for suspicions of incorrect acts, but also how well Romania attracts and spends community founds.

The reunion of salaries

As it was expected, after the discussion from Wednesday with the president of the European Council, Herman van Rompuy, President Traian Basescu has discussed on Thursday with IMF commission about the intention of the Romanian authorities to reunify the salaries of budgetaries, aproximately 16 per cent, after they had been cut with 25 per cent.

IMF commission was in Romania in March, when it was endorsed the fourth evaluation of the agreement with Romania.

International Monetary Found placed the fifth instalment at Romanian stateʼs disposal, around 505 millions Euros,which raises the total available sum in case of necessity about 2 billion Euros.

Simultaneously, IMF and European Commission have revised in diminution the prognosis of the economical growth for Romania this year, to 1,5-2 per cent , because of the anticipated recession in Euro zone and deterioration of the conditions from the international markets.

Unfulfilled objectives

The Government has assumed the carrying out of 15 objectives in the intention letter advanced through Washington at the last IMF mission, but from all these only 4 have been carrying out till the end of this month, the time limit.

The unfulfilled objectives include the integral sale of Oltchim and Cupru Min companies, the public secondary offerts for Transgaz (15 per cent from actions), the selection of the intermediaries from Romanian Post for the sale of a minority package of actions, the selection of the intermediaries at Electro Serv, respectively the sale of a minority packet, the Electrica Serv privatization, the listing of 10 per cent from Nuclearelectrica, Electrica Supply privatization and RRW merchandise.

Translated by Anamaria Petrache

MTTLC, Bucharest University