​My approach is that we do not need to govern for Europe, we need to govern for ourselves and our request to the IMF was to maintain the agreement for two years so that problems will be dealt with, President Traian Basescu declared in a conference on economic recovery organized by the financial daily Ziarul Financiar.

Here are Basescu’s most important statements

  • I confess that I had the fear that 2012 we would risk budgetary derails because of the electoral year
     
  • For each elections, if you look back, you will see that the next two years were a hard work to recover what it was spoiled 

  • We still have an apparatus that spends more than we produce

  • Our objectives is not to cut social subsidies but target them more efficiently 

  • We plan to cut some spending with this subsidies but no one will be refused support just because we want to cut spending

  • Only those Romanians who need them will and should receive financial support 

  • The current account deficit does not have to exceed 5% of GDP which is tough 

  • The essence is to concentrate on consistent stimulation with the help of specialized banks to stimulate exports 

  • Official objectives regarding economic growth remain the same: 1.5% for 2011 but I think we can exceed 2% this year 

  • We will have to set a clear calendar for the liberalization of prices administered: energy and gases

  • We need to decide and communicate this plan to our European partners

  • We have resources to set up new jobs

  • We launched programs that can generate new jobs but the local administration do not know whether they can absorb these money correctly 

  • European money is the main pillar to generate new jobs 

  • We need to reorganized the administration of this country 

  • Bucharest has too many parties in the councils and for a decision to pass, there is a lot of compromises to be made 

  • The key element for Romania is stability 

  • A political crisis in Romania would draw it back considerably 

  • If everybody would pay their social contributions, we could decrease their levels. Pay it and we will give it back 

  • The state budget cannot afford imbalances and it is important for all companies to pay their taxes