Good morning! I would like to congratulate those who have taken the initiative of organizing the event - Mediafax and Romanian-German Chamber of Commerce - and say that the daily problems or short term ones are the ones that occupy the largest part of our agenda. I even more appreciate the fact that there are initiatives, there is will and ability to discuss medium and long term projects, because the idea of a "City of Tomorrow", a better way of life for large urban inhabitants is inevitably an idea in the medium and long term.

I think it is a very good idea to invite mayors firstly, and chairmen of county councils. By the nature of political activity, mayors have the chance to have more seats and be able to think on several election cycles, which a Government, except, obviously, Germany, has rarely the opportunity to think more than on one election cycle.
I would like you to find as many answers today. I was born, raised and I am living in a big city like Bucharest, a city that has greatly changed for the better and just do not take it as a praise for the General Mayor, but that many good ideas about which the President spoke earlier, from Germany and other Western countries, were acquired.
Today, coming to you, I looked and see that especially when it is very good weather, Bucharest looks like a city where we can enjoy living. I very soon realized that being Prime Minister, for me, traffic was easier than for the other inhabitants of the city.
If I go deeper, I would see that there are many things to do in our cities, starting from a pollution degree that we do not know or we do not manage to reduce, to the traffic problem, a problem which exists in all European and world cities, to many other things related to the quality of life, energy efficiency, all those small things we do not notice but when things do not run well, and when we need them. I want to say only one thing: regarding the partnership of those whose main task is considering this vision, from my standpoint, the main partnership should be between local authority and private environment. Obviously, the local authority would never have otherwise the necessary financial resources, but probably, neither all information nor outlook necessary to think on the long term.
I think that the main responsible and the main key of success is a real partnership among the private environment, NGOs and local authorities. Regarding the Government, fewer regulations, fewer central intervention – the idea that you know from Victoria Palace what should be done in Baia Mare, in Satu Mare, or in Botosani, or in a district of Bucharest, is a wrong idea and I hope we do not fall again in the mistake of believing that everything can be done better at central level.
And surely, with a vision that the private environment and the local authorities can have on the medium and long run, we can hope in the years to come, to have a living standard in Romanian cities not necessarily so quick at the level of some German cities, or other European cities, but what matters is the trend…And if we manage every year to make a city where one can live better, I think we all have what to gain. I congratulate you for the idea, and I very much want that all you will conclude following these discussions, will be included in a strategy which unlike many other strategies thought in Romania, will be implemented. We are an extremely prolific country at drawing strategies and very poor in their implementation. Thank you, I wish you a good day, and may there be as many good ideas as possible.
 I was glad I had the opportunity to attend only at the beginning, at this debate organized by the Romanian – German Chamber of Commerce and Mediafax Agency. The mayors, local authorities are those that in partnership with private environment can think of the development of urban communities on average and long term. What I can tell you, without being news, is the fact that we discussed yesterday too, and we want upon the revision of the Constitution, to introduce for the first time, the notion of “local communities”, local communities with extended rights, and we speak here about regions, counties, towns, and communes, we speak about the Upper Chamber of Parliament, the Senate, that will have a decisional role in everything is related to the development legislation of local communities, and that, although I run a central Government, I very much believe in the fact that most of the decisions and the best of them should be made at local level, and not at central level.

Reporter
The Mayor General requested you the legislative amendment in the field of local public administration. Furthermore, he gave examples even more concretely; now, he requests a draft Executive Decision, to come in their support for the reconstruction of facades, through expropriation of owners who do not want it.

PM Victor Ponta
With respect to the legislative support for local authorities to have more powers in the local development policies implementation – and here, we speak about the fact that all cities of Romania are confronted more or less with the same problems, either construction of some buildings, or the buildings belonging to cultural heritage buildings, where any intervention is much burdened by the regime of buildings, either we refer to the sanctions to be imposed to those who do not observe the traffic norms …the Mayor General told that he received only two text messages for parking. The question was: how many fines were given, how many cars were lifted, how many fines were paid? There is no European country or in the world, where to make order in a city only with requests: there are sanctions as well and their enforcement at the same time with infrastructure development is the solution that works.
Therefore, from legislative point of view, everything coming from local authorities’ representatives to overcome the hindrances which appear each time, I will do it with all openness.

Reporter
About the Ministry of Health, the situation from there…The accounts were sequestrated as 4 millions EUR were not paid to an Austrian company.

PM Victor Ponta
I guess it is something very new. I do not know, I will inform and I will tell you my point of view.

Reporter
With respect to Bechtel, have you received information from the Control Unit? What is happening with the contract?

PM Victor Ponta
They left yesterday. I have not received until today.

Reporter
But penalties are so big, that we cannot terminate the contract?

PM Victor Ponta
I do not know details.

Reporter
Do you take into account the CAS reduction as being a gradual one, until 2016 – 2 percent, 3 percent, on January 1, 2014 and other -5 percent until 2015?

PM Victor Ponta
In the autumn, on the basis of the results in the first two trimesters and forecasts for trimester III, we start and build the draft budget for 2014. Furthermore, I hope that we can stipulate in the Constitution, upon revision – as now it is put down that the budget is annual – let us pass to the multiannual budget notion, and for this reason, on the basis of very concrete data, in autumn, we will know exactly how we build the budgets for 2014, 2015 and 2016.
Our commitment and belief that it is a very good thing go towards reducing social security contributions to employer.

Reporter: Mr. Prime Minister, why did you terminate so late the contract with Bechtel, if there were problems there?

PM Victor Ponta: You mean why we do not terminate it in 2004 or when?
Reporter: Last year, for example. Or why now?
Reporter: But can you explain more precisely what is happening now, because ...
Victor Ponta: No, I cannot explain you, because I am not responsible of this. When there is a Government information, I will explain then to you.
Reporter: But neither Mr. Dan Sova gave explanations on this topic.
Victor Ponta: Well, because he is in the negotiation procedure.
Reporter: From your point of view, the contract should be terminated?
Victor Ponta: Yes.
Reporter: Why?
Victor Ponta: Because in 2005, due to the stupidity of those who led then Ministry of Transport - I hope it is just stupidity, and nothing else - instead of implementing a contract that was very good, they began renegotiations, delays , rethinking, recalculations ... and here we are, after almost ten years, it does not happen anything.
Reporter: Mr. Pop is still at the highways or has resigned, as you asked him?
Victor Ponta: CNADNR is under reorganization. Immediately after we receive the decision to unlock the Sectoral Operational Programme Transport, CNADNR will go back to the Ministry of Transport and will appoint a private manager, based on Ordinance 109, and we will establish National Highways Authority, which will remain in the coming years the main responsible for the construction and operation of highways.
Reporter: But Mr. Pop will remain?
Victor Ponta: I have no idea. I do not deal with private management it is a firm with selected consultant, if I'm not mistaken, by the Boc government.
Reporter: Speaking of the revision of the Constitution, have you agreed with bringing forward presidential elections?
Victor Ponta: Frontload? How frontloading?
Reporter: In fact, by that time ...
Reporter: ...
Reporter: April 1 to November 1 would bring forward Presidential elections.
Victor Ponta: No. The main idea was for a period to pass in which elections are held, on time, early elections cannot be set very clearly when – in order to avoid last year’ situation with elections in December or January, or when the vote presence and the electoral campaign are made difficult because of natural conditions. Therefore, the idea is in the future, we should try through Constitutional provisions, and afterwards, by those legal to create the framework whereby the elections take place during April – November.

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