New government must be in place by the end of the year, says Marcel Ciolacu

A new pro-European government must be in place by the end of the year to put an end to the period of uncertainty the country is going through, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said.

He acknowledged, in the context of the Fitch agency's announcement, that Romania is going through turbulence caused by political instability, but said that the future parliamentary majority has the capacity to put the country back on a stable path.

The prime minister delivered this message at the start of the government meeting on Wednesday, December 18, which could be the last in the current configuration if negotiations between the pro-European parties advance quickly and a new executive is sworn in early next week.

Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu believes it is necessary for Romania to have a new executive by the end of this year, putting an end to the political instability, relying on a pro-European parliamentary majority and implementing the reforms of the NRRP.

"We will stop this uncertainty by creating a pro-European majority and a government that will carry through the reforms and investments of the NRRP committed to at European level. This must happen by the end of this year. We have lived through the economic, health, energy and border war crises together. I firmly believe that we will get through this period together. Romania has automatic stabilization mechanisms and we have the ability to mobilize all the resources at our disposal to get back on a stable path", said Marcel Ciolacu.

A new meeting of the leaders of the pro-European parties will take place at the Victoria Palace to discuss the constitution of the new executive. PSD, PNL, UDMR and the national minorities have adopted the principles of the future government program, and now USR's point of view on this document is expected.

Returning to Wednesday's government meeting, it will extend the price cap on Motor Liability Insurance for another three months, until March 31, 2025, in order to prevent the price of these policies from rising.

It will also approve investments in road infrastructure and 410 million lei for the modernization of the Cugir mechanical plant, so that it can produce armaments to NATO standards.

Translated by: Radu Matei