ME identifies energy investment opportunities worth EUR 40 bln

The Ministry of Economy (ME) has identified investment opportunities worth approximately EUR 40 bln in the energy sector, opportunities that could draw the interest of important investors, Adriean Videanu, the Economy Minister, stated yesterday, Agerpres informs. Among those opportunities Videanu mentioned the construction of a new hydropower plant on the Danube or of the second nuclear power plant whose location will be decided by the end of this year. The Economy Minister pointed out that the public-private partnership represents one of the measures that have to be considered in order to overcome the current difficult period, but underlined that unfortunately at the moment the legal framework is not coherent and attractive from the point of view of the public-private partnership.

After a careful analysis the state has to take the decision to sell its minority share packages in conditions of economic efficiency, Economy Minister Adriean Videanu stated on Sunday. 'After a careful analysis the state has to take the decision to sell its minority participations in each company, participations held by AVAS (Authority for State Asset Resolution - editor's note) and by the Privatization Office from within the Ministry of the Economy,' Videanu explained. He gave the example of the CEZ Company that bought Electrica Oltenia and that used a contractual right to buy the minority shares package, with the price set to be paid being higher than the one that the company paid for the majority shares package.

Extension of the "de minimis" aid for SMES, one of anti-crisis measures proposed by PDL

Adriean Videanu, who is also first vice president of PDL, presented yesterday the anti-crisis measures proposed by his party and the extension of the "de minimis" aid for SMEs, and stated that 37 measures were found which will be discussed today in the coalition.

Videanu said that PDL measures against the crisis target the economic growth, the increase of the budgetary revenues, the rationalization of the budgetary expenditures and the growth of the monetary liquidity in the banking system. In connection with the economic growth, PDL proposes to set up a scheme of state aid for SMEs considering the extension of the "de minimis" aid for SMEs in an amount between EUR 200,000 and EUR 500,000, Videanu said.

PDL also supports the production for export through guarantees and counter-guarantees, the state having the obligation, through its instruments, respectively Eximbank, to expand the area of the guarantees and counter-guarantees in order to support the export production. Videanu pointed out that PDL proposes to exempt the profit reinvested in the real economy, and also to grant a fiscal credit for the renovation and modernization of the dwellings and buildings, because at this moment this is an area of major fiscal evasion.

As for the growth of the budgetary revenues, PDL requests to expedite the turning into account of the attribution units according to the protocol from Kyoto. Videanu explained that Romania has available around 250-280 million tons of CO2 emissions, which mean over EUR 2.5 bln, and which, turned to account, could create the premises for the investments in the real economy. PDL also agrees to introduce the lump sum tax by activities there where the tax evasion is difficult to evaluate and to replace the minimum tax, but also to expedite the appearance of the Law regarding the public-private partnership.

He pointed out that PDL proposes the analysis of the possibilities to reduce tax evasion, in domains such as fuels, alcohol and tobacco excises. As for the restructuring of the budgetary expenditures, PDL proposes the restructuring of ANAF, starting from the premise of the fiscal simplification and of reducing tax evasion, and thus ANAF will have to focus on the evasion area. In connection with the growth of the monetary liquidity in the banking system, PDL pursues the temporary exemption of the interest rate related to the amounts deposited in banks, and the growth of the weight of the public internal loan on short and very short term in the total public internal loan. PDL first vice president Adriean Videanu declared, after the presentation of the anti-crisis measures proposed by PDL, that the measures proposed previously by PSD are "painful," the Social Democrats presenting them publicly for "politicianist" reasons.

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