Deputy PM Viorel Stefan: In 2018 we want main engime to be investments

Deputy PM Viorel Stefan on Tuesday stated that in 2018 economic growth "will change its engines," while specifying the Government wants this year "the main engine to be investments." 

"This is the year when economic growth will change its engines. So we are in 2018 and we want the main engine to be investments. (...) The industry turnover increased by 13.7 per cent (...) in the first quarter of 2018 compared with the first quarter of 2017. This shows a consolidation in the industrial area, which creates the premises for a robust, sustainable economic growth," said Viorel Stefan at the Victoria Governmental Palace. 

In his opinion, it is very "encouraging" that orders are growing in industry. 

"If in the first quarter of 2016 the orders volume increased by just 4.1 per cent, in the first quarter of 2017 it grew by 12.9 per cent, and in the first quarter of 2018 indicates an order volume that is up by 15.8 per cent, which creates the premises for an upward trend in the next quarters of this year," said Viorel Stefan. 

Moreover, he specified that "a significant reduction" of the gap between imports and exports has been recorded. 

"From a double level in terms of import growth compared with exports growth - and we are looking now into 2016, when imports grew by 7.2 per cent in the first quarter, while exports grew by only 3.6 per cent in the first quarter of 2018, which shows an increase in imports by 10.8 per cent, and in exports by 9.8 per cent, while we want in 2020 to switch on surplus. This is an encouraging trend and these are real premises that will determine such evolution," says Viorel Stefan. 

Moreover, he specified that "the business environment confirms the feeling of confidence in the government." 

"Direct foreign investments, if we compare them with the first quarter of 2016, have increase in the end of the first quarter of 2018 by 57 per cent, from 0.88 billion euros up to 1,380,000,000 euros, with a 2017 level, of course, of 1,140,000,000 euro, which means an upward trend," said Viorel Stefan.