The proposition will be put forward during negotiations with International Monetary Fund experts to soon visit Romania, Ponta said, adding that the increase should be applied immediately after the Parliament approves the state budget for 2013.
The governing program announced by Romania’s new Government targets to gradually increase the minimum wage to RON1,000 by 2016.
A team from the International Monetary Fund will visit Bucharest between January 15 and 29 to review Romania’s performance under a EUR3.6 billion stand-by agreement.
Romania and the IMF signed a EUR3.6 billion precautionary loan agreement in April 2011, successor to a larger EUR20 billion international bailout package received during 2009-2011. The agreement is supplemented by a EUR1.4 billion loan from the EU and another EUR1 billion from the World Bank. So far, the authorities in Bucharest have not drawn any funds.
Romania’s state budget for 2013 has yet to be approved by the new Parliament, as debates on the draft act were set back by parliamentary elections held on December 9. (EUR1=RON4.4153)