Romania’s Fiscal Council urges legal workaround to facilitate budget revision

According to Art. 6 of Law No. 500/2002 on public finances, as subsequently amended and supplemented, annual budget laws may be amended during the budget year through amending laws, drafted no later than November 30, in compliance with the rules and conditions provided for by Law No. 69/2010.

In general, amendments to the general government budget, which align budget planning with actual execution, are adopted through emergency ordinances subsequently approved by laws.

The Fiscal Council drew attention to problems in ensuring the funds necessary for the operation of some institutions until the end of the year, especially in the health sector and, in particular, with regard to emergency reception units.

“These problems highlight the need to adopt a budget rectification, even a partial one, as soon as possible,” said Daniel Dăianu, president of the Fiscal Council.

He recalled that, in light of the finalisation of the PNRR, draft laws related to the assumed milestones were introduced in Parliament as legislative initiatives by members of the Government who also have the capacity of parliamentarians, with a request for debate under the emergency procedure.

The same mechanism could be used for a minimal rectification that would not impact budget expenditures or the approved budget balance, without increasing the deficit or supplementing financing needs. Such a rectification would be based on a redistribution among credit authorising officers by reducing expenditures for which a lower degree of execution has been recorded.

Daniel Dăianu said that such a legislative initiative could be submitted by members of the Government who also have the capacity of parliamentarians, with the Ministry of Finance and the other ministries involved providing the technical substantiation. The bill could then be debated and adopted by Parliament under the emergency procedure.