Businesspeople request outsourcing, privatisation and centralised auctions from Government

Business people say that cutting salaries and pensions is not enough and feel the state should be even less involved in the economy, outsource as many control and money collection services as possible, and sell its minority interests especially in companies like Petrom and Romtelecom, but also provide for a minimum guaranteed price in agriculture.

The first entrepreneur to have suggested concrete measures to boost budget revenues is Marius Cristescu, owner of the Bega group in Timisoara. He suggested the state should cut the amount of space rented from private entrepreneurs by 25%, because it will have fewer employees as a result of the layoffs, renegotiate a 25% cut of the price it pays for the space it rents or put up for sale all the unfinished hydropower plants, whose construction started before 1989.

On the other hand, Doru Lionachescu, main partner of the Capital Partners boutique investment bank, proposes a 12-month moratorium on public procurement, except for a few essential cases, where acquisition should be centralised by the Finance Ministry, the reduction by dissolution of the governmental apparatus (both central and local), as well as of the parliamentary apparatus by at least 50%, which should also include the closing of Romania's embassies and representative offices in any location (except for a few key ones), as well the sale of the state's minority interests, especially Petrom and Romtelecom, to majority shareholders.

He also suggests outsourcing of customs inspection service to specialised private companies, paid with a fee from the additional amounts collected for the budget exclusively.