Romanian PM says 2026 budget to be adopted at the end of January

Prime minister Ilie Bolojan said on Wednesday, December 10, that Romania’s state budget for 2026 will be adopted only at the end of January, citing the need for Parliament to first approve legislation required to ensure predictability and compliance with the country’s deficit targets. His comments came as the government has been working to align fiscal policy with commitments made under the EU’s budgetary framework, envisaging a fiscal consolidation of 2 percentage points to some 6%-6.5% in 2026.

Speaking to B1 TV, Bolojan said the timing of the budget depends on the completion of parliamentary procedures for several laws underpinning the fiscal framework, Digi24 reported. He stressed that the government aims to present a budget that supports deficit reduction while enabling economic development in the latter half of next year.

The prime minister said the legislative package must be in place before the budget can be finalised, arguing that this sequence is necessary to ensure coherence and predictability. He added that the government expects inflation to fall markedly in 2026, creating improved conditions for investment once the fiscal outlook stabilises.

The prime minister also said the government intends to avoid revisions after adoption, thus requiring all enabling laws to be concluded beforehand.

“End of January. We depend on parliamentary procedures, we depend on the adoption of all laws, which will allow us… to have a predictable budget, that leads us towards meeting the target,” he told B1 TV, adding that the objective is to create “conditions for development in the second half of next year."

(Photo source: Gov.ro)