’Romania will not ask IMF for a new aid deal’, head of PM’s Chancellery said

Romania will not negotiate a new deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), just keeping an institutional relationship, like any other state, the head of the prime minister Chancellery Dragoș Tudorache said, quoted by profit.ro.

Romania’s standby agreement with the IMF of EUR 2 billion, blocked on June 2014, has expired on September last year, after several assessment missions were postponed due to disagreements between the international institutions and the authorities in Bucharest on budget deficit and privatization of state companies in the energy sector.

“Our position has been very clear regarding the relationship with the IMF. We have expressed very clearly that we do not intend to negotiate a new agreement. This does not mean that we will not continue to have relations with IMF (…). It’s a relationship from partner to partner, there is not a visit to start negotiations,” Tudorache explained, given that IMF representatives could come to Bucharest this spring.

A delegation of IMF led by its new head for Romania, Pakistani Reza Baqir, has visited Romania last month, meeting with Presidential Adviser for Economic and Social Policy, Cosmin Marinescu, at the Cotroceni Palace.

The talks have focused on the most important developments of the Romanian economy, the positive economic outlook for the next period, but also some risks to Romania’s growth potential.

The press reported that the IMF delegation has requested a meeting with President Klaus Iohannis in March to present the conclusions of the assessment mission that will be made in Bucharest that month.