Romania business people to politicians: Don't jeopardize IMF deal

No matter if the Romanian Government falls or not in ongoing political wrangling, the deal Romania has reached with the IMF should be complied with faithfully or the economy risks a collapse, representatives of the banking and business sectors contacted by HotNews.ro say.

IMF officials contacted by HotNews.ro refused to comment on recent developments in Romanian politics, where the government faces a censure motion while presidential elections are looming. Meanwhile, sources close to the current government have speculated for HotNews.ro that a fall of the Executive may lead to a halt in economic activities in the state budget sector for weeks, making the targets in Romania-IMF deal harder to reach.

Contacted by HotNews.ro, Liviu Voinea, head of the Group for Applied Economics, said it would be of no surprise if the Romanian currency leu falls against the euro faster than expected. He said speculative attacks might take place, but that wouldn’t mean the attacks would succeed. Voinea also said that risks of Romanian authorities failing to fulfill the deal with the IMF are minimal.

Matei Paun, head of BAC Investment, also said he hoped for IMF „understanding” towards Romania. He said he would not imagine politicians „playing” with the IMF deal targets.