The draft state budget law for 2019 was approved by the Cabinet in its November 8 meeting, IPN reports. The costs for social protection were raised by 2.2 billion lei. Besides the financing of the new measures aimed at socially supporting persons on low incomes and elderly persons, financial resources will be allocated for improving the policies to support the families with children and to protect the children in situations of risk.

The 2019 budget will keep the investment component. Over 3.5 billion lei will go to implement projects financed with foreign funds. About 66 projects financed with foreign funds will be under implementation next year. The most important of these refer to road infrastructure. There will also launched new projects in education and agricultural development.

“It is a budget that is centered first of all on investments in people. This budget will ensure the continuation of the started infrastructure projects, including the Good Roads project. The draft budget continues to lay emphasis on the rise in the population’s incomes, taking into account the implemented pension system reform and the salary law,” stated Pavel Filip.

The transfers from the state budget to other budgets will rise by over 3.2 billion lei and financing will total 22.4 billion lei. Allocations of 11 billion lei were planned for the local budgets. This money will go to cover salary costs, to open preschool institutions and to feed the children. The transfers to the mandatory health insurance funds will come to 2.8 billion lei. The other transfers are aimed at the social insurance budget.

The state budget revenues in 2019 will total 42.1 billion lei, an increase of 14.1%. The largest amounts will be collected as taxes and duties. The state budget expenditure was projected at 47.6 billion lei, up 13.5%. The state debt at the end of 2019 will be 62.8 billion lei, an increase of 10.3%.

The draft state budget law for 2019 is to be submitted to Parliament for examination and adoption.