AUR files simple motion against Minister of Finance

On Wednesday, AUR filed a simple motion in the Senate against the Minister of Finance, Alexandru Nazare. Titled „The State Budget: The Moment of Truth. Same Minister, Two Sets of Accounts: One for Romanians, Another for Brussels,” the motion argues that this action is a response to the „selective presentation of the state of public finances.” It calls for the periodic publication of budget deficit estimates—calculated in line with the European ESA methodology—alongside data regarding the cash-based deficit.

„Romanians are presented with convenient figures, calculated using a methodology based on cash flows, while the indicator actually used in Brussels to evaluate Romania’s fiscal situation remains inaccessible to the public at home,” the text of the motion states.

According to a party press release, presenting the cash-based deficit without an updated estimate of the ESA-based deficit fails to provide citizens with a complete picture of the budgetary situation.

„An unpaid bill does not equate to better deficit figures, and deferring a payment is not the same as eliminating it. Budgetary transparency should not stop where inconvenient figures begin,” the initiators of the motion stated. AUR’s Demand for Minister Nazare

In the text of the motion, AUR points out that Alexandru Nazare served as Minister of Finance both in the Bolojan Government—which was dismissed following a motion of no confidence supported, among others, by the PSD—and in the government led by Luca Niculescu.

„The party that brought down a government due to its economic policy is now keeping the very person responsible for drafting and implementing fiscal policies in charge of public finances,” the motion further states.

„We call upon the Minister of Finance to amend the current practice for reporting budget execution, so that, at least once a quarter, the Ministry of Finance publishes—alongside the budget deficit calculated according to the cash-flow-based methodology—an updated estimate of the budget deficit based on the ESA methodology,” the motion notes.

Budget Deficit Drops to 3.81% of GDP After the First Nine Months of 2026

Last week, the Ministry of Finance released data regarding the budget deficit for the first nine months of 2026.

The consolidated general government deficit reached 78.3 billion lei—equivalent to 3.81% of GDP—after the first nine months of 2026. This represents a decrease of 24.17 billion lei compared to the same period in 2025, when the deficit stood at 5.31% of GDP. Budget revenues increased by 11.9%, while expenditures rose by 5.5%, and investments exceeded 107 billion lei. According to the Senate’s rules of procedure, a simple motion may be initiated by at least one-fourth of the senators. However, the adoption of such a motion by the Senate does not automatically result in the minister’s dismissal, nor does it compel them to resign.