Romania's interim Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan said on Friday that when the country's future is at stake, personal, party and electoral interests should give way to the national interest, stressing that the decisions of credit rating agencies assessing Romania in the coming period will depend on three key factors: budgetary performance, political stability and the outlook for 2027-2028.

'We are in a period of assessments that influence investors' decisions and the interest rates Romania pays on the money it borrows - the decisions of the rating agencies. Three key factors underpin these assessments. The first is what we have achieved so far, namely our budgetary performance. The budget execution for the first half of the year confirmed that the government did what was necessary and right. Revenues were collected more efficiently, spending declined and the deficit is narrowing. We were honest with Romanians, we started putting the country's finances in order and limiting waste,' Bolojan wrote in a Facebook post.

According to the interim prime minister, more could have been achieved had reforms not been blocked from within the former governing coalition.

'We worked hard to recover the delays accumulated over recent years in implementing PNRR [the National Recovery and Resilience Plan] so that Romania would not lose significant funding. Some of these overdue measures were passed by Parliament over the past two weeks, but unfortunately the de facto PSD-AUR alliance undermined them with amendments that could trigger financial penalties and constitutional challenges. If populism took a break and alarmist falsehoods stopped, the unified pay law could also be adopted within a maximum of two weeks,' he said.

Bolojan identified political stability as the second key factor considered by rating agencies.

'A stable parliamentary majority, a serious government and a predictable, realistic and responsible governing programme enhance the credibility of public policies. In Romania, the government was brought down and we are now facing political uncertainty because the de facto PSD-AUR alliance acted solely out of political and clientelist interests. They were not concerned about the consequences for the country. In recent months, despite obstruction and political harassment, we have responsibly fulfilled our duty to govern and administer the country, but with limited powers. We need a government with full powers, willing to stay the difficult course - one that does what is necessary, not merely what is popular. It must reduce tax evasion, cut state spending and continue public administration reform. It must also confront the network of vested interests that opposes any return to normality in the sectors from which it derives its privileges. Only then will the state become more efficient, the economy rest on sound foundations and international markets maintain confidence in Romania,' he said.

Bolojan said the third important factor was the outlook for 2027-2028, noting that the 2028 elections are approaching and, with them, the risk of a return to 'populism and wasteful spending.'

'It has happened before, and both we and those assessing us know it. The growing number of statements heralding the end of fiscal discipline is a warning sign. Those who treat the budget deficit as an abstract figure with no consequences are misleading people. It is like telling someone they can spend without limit, regardless of their income and without ever having to repay what they borrow. The irresponsible creation of false expectations for the sake of opinion polls must stop. If we do not continue measures to reduce public spending this year, we risk returning to the dead end created by the budgetary excesses of 2024. When Romania's future is at stake, personal, party and electoral interests must no longer matter. Only the national interest matters,' Bolojan said. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Daniel Florea; EN - writing by: Simona Iacob)