This year's biggest public investments to take place in Romania is in transport field

The public investments in 2009 are scheduled at 10.24 billion euros (20 percent of the general consolidated budget), and almost a fifth of the sums - 1.96 billion euros are earmarked to the field of transport, according to the Minister of Public Finance - Gheorghe Pogea.

Public investments in the field of public works and housing will stand at 1.5 billion euros, agricultural infrastructure - 1.29 billion euros, educational infrastructure - 745 million euros, health - 221 million euros, tourism - 156 million euros, energy - 74 million euros. Out of the total sum for investments, local budgets will be allotted some 32 percent, respectively 3.2 billion euros.

In 2009, overall public expenses are scheduled at over 51 billion euros, accounting for 35.5 percent of the GDP.

The country\'s administration expenses are double as against the ones for investments, worth 20 million euros, of which expenses for personnel - 11 billion euros (8.2 percent of the GDP) and expenses for acquisitions of goods and services - 6.5 percent of the GDP. The expenses for the social component are scheduled at 10.8 percent of the GDP or 15.5 billion euros.

The draft budget on 2009 is scheduled to be discussed in Parliament on February 17.

The 2009 budget is devised with a deficit of 2 percent of the GDP, with an economic growth worth 2.5 percent, inflation of 5 percent, an exchange rate for one euro of 4 lei and a GDP of 144.7 billion euros (579 billion lei).

Source: Embassy of Romania - London