Romanian Parliament Passes 2010 Budget Bill

Romanian parliament on Thursday adopted 192 to 138 the state budget for 2010, following several days of wrangling over thousands of amendments proposed by the opposition.

The 2010 state budget envisages total revenue of 66.65 billion lei (EUR1=RON4.1286) and expenditure of RON101.67 billion, reflecting a deficit of RON35.02 billion.

The act, a key element to unlock new disbursements of a EUR20 billion multilateral loan package led by the International Monetary Fund, includes a series of unpopular measures, such as wage and pension freezing and extensive layoffs in the public sector.

Romanian lawmakers are also set to debate and approve a draft on the social security budget, a likewise controversial bill.

Late last week, the Labor Ministry announced that freelancers might be compelled to pay social contributions on copyrights. Following loud protests from media representatives, the government said the measure will not affect freelancers who also have individual labor contracts.

mediafax.ro