USR-PLUS wants more debates on Govt.'s controversial EUR 10 bln investment plan

Reformist USR-PLUS objected the Parliament's quick endorsement, without thorough debates, of the controversial "Anghel Saligny" promoted by the Government and implying EUR 10 bln of public investments over the next eight years.

USR-PLUS does not oppose the program in principle but wants more transparency and wants to put it in the context of the medium-term fiscal strategy, a document expected by the European Commission by October 15.

The Senate's steering body, controlled by an ad-hoc majority of liberals (PNL, at rule) and social democrats (PSD, opposition), refused the requests expressed by the head of the expert budget committee Claudiu Muresan (reformist, USR-PLUS). Muresan asked for more time to draft an appropriate report.

Previously, the energy expert committee in Senate has approved quickly the Government's plan with no amendments.

Think-tank Expert Group has criticised "Anghel Saligny" program for lacking an adequate algorithm for the allocation of funds. The EUR 10 bln is "helicopter money" aimed at pleasing all the mayors, Expert Group also stated.

Senate speaker Anca Dragu (reformist, USR-PLUS) explained that USR-PLUS senators would table amendments in the budget committee.

"We want this money to really help the local authorities in projects that make a difference in people's lives and not end up in the pockets of some party companies as it happened [with previous similar programs]. Our suspicion is based on concrete facts. We want to introduce an amendment through which the Government will come up with an update of the medium-term fiscal-budgetary strategy and show how it makes fiscal room for these RON 50 bln in the medium-term fiscal-budgetary strategy because we did not see this yet, and we need to understand where the money comes from, how we do the financing, what the impact is on the public deficit. There are very serious things that have been treated superficially," Dragu commented, quoted by G4media.ro.

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