Hiring, salary increases and increments for two kings under the BNR, in the last meeting of the Bolojan Government. The proposals were then withdrawn. Explanations of the Minister of Finance

The Bolojan government had on the table on Monday, in the last meeting before the motion of censure, two memoranda by which the expenses with the salaries of the employees (salaries and allowances) will be increased by 6.5%, which is the estimated average rate of inflation, at two offices subordinate to the National Bank of Romania (BNR): the State Mint and the Printing Office. The two memoranda were later withdrawn.

• The increase in expenses for the two kingdoms was proposed by the Minister of Finance, Alexandru Nazare, and the Governor of the National Bank of Romania, Mugur Isărescu, and in the memoranda it was stipulated that these increases would be borne from the two kingdoms' own revenues.

Minister of Finance: “A unitary analysis is needed for these memoranda, there are more on the way”

The Minister of Finance, Alexandru Nazare, said that the two memorandums that provided for hiring and salary increases and increments at the State Mint and the Printing Office were withdrawn at the request of the Ministry of Finance, for “further analysis”.

“They were removed from the agenda of the government meeting at our request for further analysis. A unitary analysis is needed for these memoranda, there are more on the way, from several institutions, and we will do an analysis on all of them,” answered Nazare, when asked by HotNews what was the reason for the withdrawal.

Asked at whose request, exactly, they were withdrawn, Nazare replied that the Ministry of Finance was the one who requested it.

“It was a technical meeting. In the preparatory meeting I saw only this evening that they were on the agenda and I asked for their elimination”, said Nazare, when asked why he withdrew the two memoranda from the agenda, since he is also the one who initiated them.

Asked how they got on the agenda, if the BNR asked them, the Finance Minister answered: “No, the BNR didn't ask them, I explained earlier.”

Asked what other institutions have asked for salary increases, Nazare replied: “There are several types and several institutions that have various requests, which we want to treat as a unit, and that's why this will be done as a block.”

How were the requests for salary increases and increases at the Mint and Printing been motivated

Both memorandums were initiated by the Minister of Finance, Alexandru Nazare, and the Governor of the National Bank of Romania, Mugur Isărescu.

The two officials reasoned that, according to the law, in 2026, economic operators who apply the provisions of Government Ordinance no. 26/2013 regarding the strengthening of financial discipline at the level of some economic operators in which the state or administrative-territorial units are sole or majority shareholders or directly or indirectly hold a majority stake (..) may increase salary expenses compared to the level achieved in 2025 with the amounts representing increases in salary expenses related to the maximum average price increase index forecast for 2026, based on a thorough analysis justified, after approval by the Government by memorandum.

In the two memoranda, it was stipulated that the increases can only be requested by economic operators who comply with the following conditions:

• have not recorded losses and outstanding payments on December 31, 2025 and do not foresee such situations in 2026;
• if they have recorded losses and/or overdue payments on December 31, 2025, provide for the reduction of realized losses by at least double the amounts programmed for the increase in salary expenses, as well as the reduction of overdue payments by at least 20% compared to the level achieved on December 31, 2025;
• if they benefited from subsidies/transfers from the state/local budget for the operational activity, the amounts representing salary increases according to the above must be borne from own income, with the reflection in their increase accordingly.

Financial impact estimated at over 4.8 million lei at the Mint

A first memorandum concerned the State Mint, a financially autonomous authority under the NBR, whose object of activity is monetary production, respectively the manufacture of Romanian metal coins for circulation, numismatic and medal production, as well as the realization of works with a high degree of technological complexity.

The financial impact related to the increase in salary expenses (salaries and allowances) by applying the average price increase index forecast for 2026 (at the average inflation rate), in the amount of 6.5%, for a period of 9 months, starting from April 1, 2026, is over 1.7 million lei, compared to the level of expenses made in 2025.

“The increase in salary expenses, correlated with the average price increase index, is justified by the need to maintain the stability and continuity of the director's activity, in the context of a competitive labor market and the shortage of specialists in niche technical fields specific to the production activity (e.g. engraver, die cutter, wire cutter, etc.). The adjustment of the salary level contributes to the retention of qualified staff, given the high level of retirements and the difficulty of recruiting specialists such as the aforementioned,” the memorandum stated.

Another measure concerned the filling of vacant positions.

According to the organizational structure approved by the Board of Administration of the “State Mint”, on 31.12.2025, the total number of positions provided for was 270, of which 244 were occupied and 26 were vacant.

The act proposed to fill the 26 vacant positions, the financial impact in the total salary expenses being over 3.1 million lei.

Financial impact of over 1.5 million lei at the Printing Office

The second memorandum referred to the same measures at the National Printing Office. The cumulative financial impact of applying the provisions of art. XXXVI paragraph. (2) and para. (3) from GEO no. 89/2025 was determined by reporting on the level of salary expenses made in 2025, resulting in an increase of more than 1.5 million lei in the salary expenses scheduled in the draft budget of revenues and expenses for the year 2026, compared to the level estimated before the application of these measures.

The memorandum also provides for the filling of 3 vacant positions, starting on April 1, 2026, after the approval of this memorandum.