Parliament passes 'socially-oriented' 2010 Budget in second reading, amid Communist criticism

Parliament on Thursday passed the 2010 Budget bill upon second reading, with the votes of the ruling Alliance for European Integration (AEI) and two unaffiliated MPs, as the opposition Party of Communists criticized it as an “antisocial and unstimulating project”, Info-Prim Neo reports. Presenting the bill, Finance Minister Veaceslav Negruta said the budget provides for incomes of 15.2 billion lei, up 2 billion lei or 13.7 percent from this year; and expenses of 19.3 billion lei, by 1.6 billion lei or 8.2 percent more than in 2009. GDP is expected to rise 1.5 percent to 64.3 billion lei, while the rate of inflation is set at 5 percent. Exports and imports are expected to increase by 12 percent and 15 percent, respectively. According to the minister of finance, the budget is “balanced and realistic”, underlining that social spending makes up 72 percent. The Communist faction criticized the bill and accused the government of not respecting electoral promises. “We acknowledge that the country is stricken by the crisis and that the government wants to fulfill its commitments with the IMF. However, the Communists Party was in a similar situation, and yet the previous government didn't accept to fulfill them at the expense of the veterans, poor families, and the like”, said Communist MP Elena Bodnarenco. Another Communist MP, ex-economy minister Igor Dodon told the AEI deputies they will have to give explanations in the future legislative race why they have compromised the promises that earned them seats in Parliament. “I'm not entirely happy, as prime minister, to present this budget before Parliament. But we have to consider the realities. We have assumed a number of commitments which we will respect and we avoid populist approaches that would give people false hope”, stated PM Vlad Filat, while seeking the opposition's endorsement for the bill. To become a law, the 2010 Budget Bill is to pass a third reading with potential amendments.