In an interview with G4Media, Prime Minister-designate Siegfried Mureşan stated that indexing pensions and public sector wages is essential, given that there have been no increases for two years. The rise in income for public sector employees will be factored into the drafting of next year’s budget.
„We will draft next year’s budget law at the end of this year. We want it adopted by the Romanian Parliament on time—before December 31—at which point we will know exactly how much we can afford and when. Pensions and public sector wages haven’t risen in two years. I believe pensions need to be indexed as soon as possible; when we draft the budget law, we will know exactly how much we can afford and from what date. However, my aim is to have pension indexation in 2027, along with public sector wage indexation as soon as possible,” Siegfried Mureşan stated.
The Prime Minister-designate was, however, evasive regarding the funding source for the projected increases. He referred generally to state revenues. „We will increase pensions and salaries; we will index them as soon as we can afford to do so next year. Where will the money come from? From state revenues. I do not believe the economy will contract next year. I believe the worst is over—provided we remain responsible—and that the inflation rate will continue to stabilize, the deficit will keep falling, and state revenues will rise, while expenditures have already been cut. We will look at where else we can curb state waste and reduce state aid,” said Mureşan.
The Prime Minister-designate noted that 90% of state aid goes to just five or six companies in the transport and energy sectors. Regarding these companies, Mureşan stated that they must provide quality services at good prices and, as far as possible, generate a profit for the state.