The government of Romania should approve by emergency ordinance the public administration and economic relaunch bills on Thursday, February 19, prime minister Ilie Bolojan said in an interview with Europa FM, as reported by Economedia.ro. This is also the last deadline announced for the 2026 budget plan.

The outlook for quick endorsement of the two bills turned, however, uncertain since the Social Democrats have intensified criticism against PM Bolojan to a level that exceeds what normally can be accepted among members of the same ruling coalition. 

Three Social Democrat ministers reject the administration reform proposed by PM Bolojan, according to Stiripesurse.ro. Florin Barbu, minister of agriculture, Bogdan Ivan, minister of energy, and Alexandru Rogobete, minister of health, do not agree with cutting by 10% the payroll in their respective ministries.

The public administration reform aims to reduce personnel expenses in the central public administration by 10%, without affecting employees' basic salaries, through institutional reorganisation, reduction of bonuses, or job cuts.

At the level of local authorities, a reduction in positions is foreseen, which will generate a 10% reduction in occupied positions across all local public administration authorities. For a transitory one-year period, local administration can defer personnel reduction if they observe the 10% cut in the personnel expenditures.

The economic relaunch bill envisages allowances for investments.

The budgetary impact of both bills should offset each other.

The public administration bill is the fifth of the six measures envisaged by PM Bolojan in August 2025. Four of them were endorsed by lawmakers and promulgated already, while the one regulating magistrates’ special pensions is stuck at the Constitutional Court, where it was referred to by the High Court (ICCJ). 

iulian@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Gov.ro)