PNL calls on PSD to withdraw its statement on the budget deficit and present Eurostat data accurately

Riana Gegiu

23 October 2026, 11:10

Politics

Foto: Facebook/ Partidul Naţional Liberal

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The National Liberal Party is calling on PSD to publicly retract what the liberals describe as manipulation regarding the level of the budget deficit and to remove from the party’s official website the statement referring to data published by Eurostat. PNL is also requesting that budget indicators be presented accurately.

The liberals argue that the clarifications issued Thursday by the Ministry of Finance contradict the interpretation promoted by PSD and explain the significance of the Eurostat data. According to PNL, the Social Democrats’ statement allegedly presented the deficit level incorrectly and could have created a false impression of the state of public finances.

PNL warns that messages conveyed by the main governing party could affect Romania’s credibility, particularly in its relations with European institutions and financial markets. The liberals are calling on PSD to publicly correct the information and use official data in its communication about the evolution of the budget deficit.

The dispute comes after Eurostat published indicators on public finances and following intervention by the Ministry of Finance, which provided explanations on how the data should be interpreted. PNL believes the ministry’s clarifications disprove the message previously conveyed by PSD.

Context: the dispute over the deficit has intensified over differences in Eurostat methodology (cash vs ESA) and disputed figures in recent months

Before the PNL complaint, several political reactions emphasized that the deficit is presented differently depending on the methodology used. The Liberals argued that, in the first six months of 2026, the deficit is 2% of GDP according to the cash methodology and 3.4% of GDP according to the European ESA methodology, while the Social Democrats cited a level of 9.2%, which the PNL said refers to an indicator for the second quarter, not to the cumulative deficit for six months.

The Ministry of Finance intervened with explanations, saying that Eurostat data confirm the reduction of the ESA 2010 deficit, from 9.2% of GDP in 2024 to 7.8% in 2025, while the differences would be due to the way European funds are recorded, the timing of revenues, and payment commitments. The 2025 data were presented as final, while those for the first two quarters of 2026 were presented as provisional, and the PNL also cited Moody’s, Fitch, and S&P estimates forecasting a deficit for Romania of between 5.8% and 6.25% of GDP.