The goal of the review is to consolidate the budget process in light of slowing economic growth, declining projected revenues, and a growing government budget deficit, which reached $7.7 billion in the first five months of 2026.
Maya Savva, State Secretary at the Ministry of Finance, emphasized: “The expenditure review is a crucial tool for modernizing the budget process. … Through this process, we are strengthening fiscal discipline and enhancing the capacity of institutions to prioritize expenditures. …At the same time, support from development partners and international experts allows us to align our national methodology with international best practices and develop a sustainable mechanism integrated into the national budget system.”
The review mechanism will make it possible to identify in a timely manner “opportunities to reallocate budget resources to areas of greater importance and strategic priority,” according to the Ministry of Finance. The ministry will examine potential savings on a ministry-by-ministry basis.
The assessment of potential savings will take place after analyzing the internal cost-optimization measures already initiated by the ministries. It should be noted that new oversight rules—which introduced a mandatory evaluation mechanism for large public projects costing more than 200 million lei (or 10 million euros) for key funds—are already in effect. The Ministry of Finance also proposes limiting adjustments to the state budget to once a year to ensure stricter control over spending.
