Ilie Bolojan accuses Sorin Grindeanu of preparing to justify a possible failure to meet the deficit target

The conflict between the National Liberal Party (PNL) and the Social Democratic Party (PSD) over the budgetary situation continues after Ilie Bolojan accused Social Democratic leader Sorin Grindeanu of preparing “excuses for a possible failure” to meet the deficit target. The reaction came after Grindeanu criticized the former prime minister, accusing him of leaving unpaid bills and obligations deferred to the future.

Bolojan argues that the PSD leader’s statements ignore estimates from international rating agencies. Moody’s, Fitch and Standard & Poor’s forecast deficits of 5.8%, 5.9% and 6.2% of GDP, respectively, for Romania in 2026, and did not downgrade the country.

The former prime minister says the quarterly deficit does not automatically reflect the situation at the end of the year. He explains that some expenses for completing projects under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) were brought forward, with the situation expected to be offset by the collection of the amounts related to payment requests 5 and 6. Bolojan warns, however, that Romania could lose funds because of failure to meet certain decarbonization targets and the non-approval of the wage law.

The liberal accuses the PSD of potentially seeking additional allocations during budget revisions without measures to control spending, and says he will monitor the government’s decisions and the evolution of public finances.