Romania’s budget deficit will remain within the limit of 3% of the gross domestic product (GDP) this year, and the economic growth will exceed 5%, Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu said yesterday evening at a local TV station.

He also promised that the GDP would exceed RON 800 billion (EUR 178 billion) and some 180,000 new jobs would be created this year, reports local News.ro.

Meanwhile, the adviser of the central bank governor, Lucian Croitoru, said yesterday at a different TV station that Romania could, in theory, keep a budget deficit of up to 3%, but that would make it difficult to reach a 5% economic growth.

“I don’t think it’s difficult to bring the deficit to 3%, this is feasible. I do believe it’s hard to have a deficit of 3% and a growth of 5% at the same time, this seems very difficult,” Croitoru said.

The Government is expected to send the 2017 budget draft to the Parliament around January 26, finance minister Viorel Stefan said last week.

editor@romania-insider.com