Traian Basescu: European funds attraction, public employees' most important task

President Traian Basescu emphasized the importance public employees have in accessing European funds, adding that this is the most significant task they have to accomplish at present.

"You represent a unique chance for Romania. Politicians cannot do what I ask you to do, what the country currently needs. We face a big problem: the incapacity to draw funds made available by the European Union. I do not think there is another more important mission for the public employees at the moment. Practically, all Romania's development and medium-term outlook depends on the utilization of these funds", Basescu told on Sunday the delegates present in the Extraordinary Congress of the Trade Union Federation of Public Services - PUBLISIND.

The head of state said that Romania has available 5.9 billion euros in structural funds, of which it used just 170 million euros and this is the first and foremost responsibility of the public employees in charge with EU funds attraction.

He pointed out that, in case Romania fails to succeed to attract EU funds in the years to come, the situation will get worse because the agreement with the International Monetary Fund was conceived to confer stability, and also in the idea that Romania could compensate the borrowed money with equivalent inflows of non-repayable financial resources from the EU.

"The most important mission you are currently entrusted with, which can contribute to Romania's modernization even during a crisis period, is the attraction of European funds, utilization of the huge amounts we have from external lending, from the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Investment Bank (EIB). There are conditions under which Romania has to cover a minimal contribution from financial standpoint to the domestic component, on which utilization of the European money depends", highlighted the President.

In this context, he stressed that EIB has earmarked one billion euros annually for Romania in the aim to substitute the domestic contribution.

Basescu took this opportunity to draw attention that the 3.2 million productive people employed in industry and services shoulder through their paid taxes the entire state budget payment system.

"We have this unbalance in Romania's social and economic structure. We must manage it as better as we can, by producing as little suffering as possible in an economic crisis period", stated the head of state.

Busescu highlighted solidarity is needed in the context of the economic crisis, but that it cannot be claimed without offering explanations to those involved.

"I think that Romania took the measures it needed, so that this economic crisis does not trigger an overturn, does not generate strong economic and social slippages. It all depends the way resources will be managed and how efficiently we will use them", said Basescu.

Rompres