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PM Orban: Economic growth not to exceed 4 pct by much
This year's economic growth will not exceed 4 percent by much, said Prime Minister Ludovic Orban on Monday, drawing attention to the fact that this way the 5.5 percent increase anticipated by the Social Democratic Party (PSD) government is ruled out.
"To no avail has been the forecast of the European Commission and other institutions that there will be an economic growth of 4.1-4.2 percent, they went for an economic growth of 5.5 percent. We will see how much the economic growth will be. But I don't think it will exceed 4 percent by much. The exchange rate ... the inflation rate ... again, a much underestimated inflation rate. All these, you realize, have generated incomes that did not exist, so that they could allow incurring some expenses which were not strictly necessary," Orban told private broadcaster Realitatea Plus.
In this regard, the prime minister added that the budget made by the Social Democratic government was built on "false premises".
"Minister Citu has explained very clearly that the budget is built on false, deceitful premises. I bring to mind once more, so that all Romanians know: according to the fiscal-budgetary responsibility law, there is an accountability of the prime minister and of the minister. The prime minister and the Minister of Finance had the obligation to give at the budget presentation an affidavit regarding the veracity of the economic data underlying the budgetary construction. They issued an emergency ordinance, so that they would no longer be compelled to give this affidavit, that is not to be accountable any longer. They obviously gave this ordinance because they said a lot of lies in the budgetary construction, starting with the economic growth," Ludovic Orban went on to say.