During ongoing negotiations to form a new government, it seems that PNL and PSD have reached a consensus on some measures against the Covid-19 pandemic, namely on extended testing and antiviral therapy for COVID-19 in outpatient and also on enforcing the green certificate with free testing of state employees for 60 days.
More precisely, PSD and PNL pledged to set up more than 1,000 test centers for COVID-19 in the next period, as well as to enable the access to outpatient to antiviral therapy. The measures were agreed by the negotiating teams of the two parties, led by Alexandru Rafila and Nelu Tătaru.
“We discussed some measures for the immediate control of the pandemic, which means: extended access to testing, we estimated that we can probably set up well over 1,000 centers where testing can be done, the problem is also related to access to these tests ; it is about providing outpatient care and preparing a possible wave 5, so that patients can go as close to home as possible to the medical services and benefit from investigations; outpatient access to antiviral therapy and, obviously, stimulating the domestic production of such products “, said the PSD deputy Alexandru Rafila, who is listed with the highest chances to take over the Health portfolio in a PNL-PSD Government.
He commented that the pressure on hospitals can only be raised if the patients are checked in the outpatient units.
Rafila also argued that the high mortality in Romania, including according to WHO experts, is due to the late diagnosis, because patients arrive to the hospital too late, and often when they have already developed severe forms of the infection, patients who can not be helped anymore.
In his turn, the former PNL Minister of Health, Nelu Tătaru said that a preventive measure can be considered the introduction of the green certificate, with the free testing of the state employees for a period of 60 days. The existing draft bill, which is now being debated by the Members’ Health Committee, provides for testing on their own expense.
“It also means a prevention of those who will arrive at the hospital, (…) testing, family medicine, monitoring, free tests that can be done, the green certificate that we will issue and will reach a free test for 60 days “, said Tătaru.
Asked it there is money in the state budget to test all public employees for two months, Tataru said an evaluation had been asked to the Ministry of Finance in this regard.
Deal also on salary, pension and allowance hikes, time frames still at issue
The Liberals and Social Democrats have also agreed on increases in some incomes, such as pension, salaries and child allowances. They are somehow divided over the percentage of the hikes and also on the time frame to enforce these rises. While PSD wants a pensions rise of 11%, PNL thought of a minim 6pc and a maximum 12pc increase.
“Without messing up the budget, we can go to a rise of 10% -11%, but I don’t know if to be enforced as of December 1, or January 1,” said PNL vice-president Rares Bogdan.
PM, tax issues still at odds
PNL and PSD are still at loggerheads on other issues, such as the single tax rate or the tax on luxury.
Liberals claims that overcharging the great fortunes would make their owners to relocate them abroad, in countries with more friendly tax systems. As for the single quota and enforcing a progressive taxation, Rares Bogdan commented: “The egalitarian issues are from another period, are related to communism. We are living in capitalism now”.
PSD chair Marcel Ciolacu is insisting on a progressive taxation, claiming that “those who own impressive mansions with pools, who have yachts and change their limos on an annual basis will not hurt so much due to the rise of the tax by few percentages”.
The big dispute between PNL and PSD is the nomination of a Prime Minister. PNL wants a Liberal PM, PSD also wants the seat, while UDMR said it is entitled to take this position.
Liberal vice-president Rares Bogdan said today that they “exclusively” want a Liberal Prime Minister, however hinted that they are not clinging to Florin Citu.
As the rotational PM option has been mentioned, PNL does not see it as a viable variant. “PNL is not mandated for these negotiations to accept the rotational PM. We are coming with our own PM, exclusively from PNL”, he argued.
As for Florin Citu, he mentioned: “Florin Citu is the PNL chairman and, according to the party’s decision , he is our nomination for the PM position, but we will not block the establishment of the government because of a name”.
The ball is in President Iohannis’s courtyard now, as he is to meet the leaders of PSD, PNL and UDMR on Friday to decide on the PM nomination.