The government program proposes the competitive privatization of TAROM and bans new state aid for the airline

The Romanian state will no longer be able to provide new restructuring aid to TAROM for the next ten years, according to the government program submitted to Parliament on Saturday by designated Prime Minister Siegfried Mureșan. The document proposes the competitive privatization of the national airline and a ban on any new public financing, including through the accumulation of debts to other state-owned companies.

The program provides for essential air connections to be maintained through public service contracts, accessible to any operator that meets the requirements. In the transport sector, it also proposes the listing of stakes in Otopeni Airport and the Port of Constanța, as well as the competitive concession of the new Otopeni terminal and port terminals.

For rail transport, contracts for passenger services would be awarded competitively, in lots, starting in 2028, without direct extensions. The state's new trains would be transferred to the winning operator, while public subsidies on profitable routes would be eliminated.

The program also provides for opening the road passenger transport market, digitizing rail procedures, reforming Metrorex's funding, and separating CNIR from CNAIR. The authors say the measures aim to reduce subsidies and increase the efficiency of state-owned companies.