Prime Minister Florin Cîțu published, on Friday, the budget execution by ministries, for the first six months of the year. From the state budget, the Government spent 84% of the funds scheduled in the first half of 2021. “Champions” of execution are the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Labor, with 96%, and on the last place is the Ministry of Energy, with 28%.
Budget execution by ministries:
- Ministry of Justice – 96%
- Ministry of Labor and Social Protection – 96%
- Ministry of Education – 95%
- Ministry of Finance – 95%
- Ministry of Internal Affairs – 94%
- Ministry of Youth and Sports – 91%
- Ministry of Culture – 90%
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs – 88%
- Ministry of Development, Public Works and Administration – 83%
- Ministry of Health – 80%
- Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development – 79%
- Ministry of European Investments and Projects – 79%
- Ministry of National Defense – 79%
- Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure – 73%
- Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests – 67%
- Ministry of Research, Digitization and Innovation – 64%
- Ministry of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Tourism – 46%
- Ministry of Energy – 28%
At the same time, 82% of the budget of the Ministry of Finance – General Actions was spent. This budget includes the Prime Minister’s reserve fund, Romania’s contributions to the EU or the interest paid by the Government. The total execution of the state budget in the first half of the year is 84%.
Regarding the budget rectification, where funds will be redistributed within the ministries, PM Cîţu saud that he will manage it in the same way as he managed the budget, but that it is “very complicated” to understand explanations from ministers who want more money, although they they did not spend the money allocated and have “zero execution” projects, although they had funding.
The budget redistribution has prompted discontent in the ruling coalition. The leaders of USR PLUS accused that the ministries managed by the USR PLUS ministers received less money than the ministers requested.
The biggest dissatisfaction in the USR PLUS camp is related to the budget of the Ministry of Transport. Transport Minister Cătălin Drulă demanded almost RON 3 billion, while the prime minister provided in the first version of the rectification presented to the coalition only RON 320 million, almost ten times less than the minister asked.
Cătălin Drulă said that the execution in the ministry from funds from the state budget is 90%, and the non-allocation of the required sums will lead to the braking of the asphalting program, markings, road repairs, as well as the replacement ones to the railway”.
From the other camp, PM Florin Cîțu attacked Cătălin Drulă, saying that “I should have taken more money from the Transports, not given, if I were to consider the budget execution” .