Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan held a meeting on Saturday morning with the Mayor of Botosani, Cosmin Andrei, and Prefect Raluca Curelariu, in the presence of the President of the County Council, Valeriu Iftime.
The talks lasted around 50 minutes, after which the head of the Executive left the Botosani City Hall building through a side entrance, in order to avoid another confrontation with a group of protesters who had booed him upon arrival.
At the end of the talks, Mayor Cosmin Andrei expressed scepticism about the prospects of resolving the municipality's outstanding problems, which had been raised during discussions with Ilie Bolojan.
"I accepted Mr Iftime's request [the president of the County Council and of the PNL Botosani, editor's note] out of courtesy and administrative interest, to have this discussion with the prime minister, after which I am not very optimistic. And I say this not in a subjective manner, but also taking into account the economic context. I put on the agenda the main objectives concerning the municipality of Botosani, as was only natural. We discussed the palliative care hospital, the Municipal Stadium, and delayed payments in school infrastructure, which are now causing serious problems for contractors," Cosmin Andrei said.
He also called for less developed counties to benefit from larger government allocations in order to reduce the gaps with more developed regions.
"We also discussed key issues that we would like the prime minister to embrace regarding the principle of EU subsidiarity, with decision-making transferred to local authorities, greater decision-making power and more financial leeway, so that more money remains at local level, because we know best what the city's needs are. I put forward a suggestion (...) for an approach similar to that of the European Union when it comes to financial allocations - providing greater support to those who have fallen behind. The municipality and county of Botosani lag behind other counties and cities in the country because of geographical positioning and because of the conflict at our border. If the European Union allocates cohesion funds so that we can catch up with wealthier regions, perhaps the Romanian Government should do the same, directing considerably larger sums towards us so that we can catch up with western regions of the country, which are more privileged, have no war at their border and benefit from both road and rail infrastructure," the mayor said.
He also raised the difficult situation faced by the local district heating company, which is on the brink of bankruptcy due to the high costs of green certificates.
"I also brought up the situation of Modern Calor, which in my view is at a critical point. If we do not receive support this year, the company will go bankrupt. It is important within the national energy system because Modern Calor primarily produces electricity. Not to mention the social aspect, the jobs involved and the homes heated through the centralised system," the mayor of Botosani added.
Ilie Bolojan is also meeting with business representatives from the county at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, followed by talks with local mayors.
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