Basescu: Take responsibility together for breaking promises

Some “very strict measures” could target the 50 percent rise in the salaries of teachers and higher pensions for certain labor groups. The Minister of Education, Ecaterina Andronescu, said that the salaries of teachers will not be increased by 50 percent, but by only 37 percent.

Analyst Zoe Petre said that “it is clear that these have been only promises. They do not plan to apply these hikes. And pretexts will be easy to find – it is a time of crisis, etc,” Petre told Business Standard.

The President stressed the need for solidarity between the president and the government, as well as solidarity among ministers. “Many of the commitments in your programs will be unable to fulfill, due to rapid evolutions of economy in a negative direction, as a result of the economic and financial crisis,” said Basescu.

The Prime Minister Emil Boc asked that all ministries participate in drafting the 2009 budget, which will be presented by tomorrow by the Minister of Finance, Gheorghe Pogea. He indicated that the budget includes a drastic cut in budgetary expenses, but does not imply a reduction in funds allocated for investments and funds for cofinancing EU projects.

Sources in the Ministry of Finance said that next year’s budget is based on a 3.5 percent economic growth, a five percent inflation rate, and a Gross Domestic Product worth RON 584 billion (some €145 bln).