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PM Dacian Ciolos held a press conference on Wednesday to present a balance sheet of his one-year mandate at Victoria Palace.
Ciolos stated that his Cabinet enjoyed ‘a relatively volatile political endorsement’ in Parliament, which hindered certain decisions.
“There were huge pressures that this government should start reforms and to intervene in many fields, considering that some parties would have expected the Government to take care and manage the country’s current affairs,” the premier said. He pointed out that certain things have come up to light, some hidden for over 20 years.
Ciolos argued that the crises in the healthcare system are talking. “The crises due to certain factors that hadn’t been approached in the front as it should have been – the biocides, the lack of medicines in pharmacies. On education, we had the discussions related to the PhD theses quality, the incapacity of the system to clear up these things. On Labour, besides the salary issue, there were problems related to the chronic unemployment in certain regions,” the PM said.
Ciolos argued that they could have restricted themselves just to manage the current affairs with so many fields that needed a structural reform approach. “We were aware that we could not open all reform fronts.”
PM Ciolos pointed out some of the Cabinet’s achievements.
“We made the governmental decisions more transparent as much as possible. We created new platforms of public confrontation, we created the sole register of interests’ transparency, we kicked off the procedures of cutting down the administration red tape. We assumed the organization of transparent local and general elections. For the first time, we used a control system against multiple voting that proved to be efficient.”
Ciolos also mentioned that his Cabinet maintained the budgetary deficit within the restrictions imposed by the EU, also reviewing the pay rises, the increases of pensions by 5%, rise of the European funds’ absorption from “50 to 80%” and kicking off negotiations to lift visas for Canada.
The prime minister said that reforms started in 2016 are beneficial for the economy and society, while voicing hope the Grindeanu Gov’t would continue them.
The premier stated he is very attached to the “Romania 100” platform and that “any government should get inspiration from this platform in its ruling programme”, hinting he will monitor the activity of the new Cabinet from this perspective.
“I will get involved in the civic sector, I have confirmations from several partners who stood by me during this year of ruling, to monitor if the reforms wo embarked on will be considered or not,” Ciolos explained.
Dacian Ciolos also denied he would leave Romania or that he is eyeing the position of SIE head. “I want to say very clearly that I have no intention to leave the country, I have no reason to leave, I intend to stay,” he revealed. Questioned by a journalist on the information that he might take over the leadership of the Romanian Intelligence Servie (SIE), he also denied. “There are mere speculations. I have never considered it, I have qualifications for other responsibilities,” Ciolos concluded.
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