The IMF Board approved Friday the sixth evaluation of the stand-by agreement with Romania, Mihai Tanasescu, Romania’s representative to the IMF told MEDIAFAX.
The IMF was initially set to discuss this EUR900 million disbursement mid-December but the Board meeting was postponed because Romania had failed to adopt the state budget, public sector wage laws and the pension reform in due time.
A joint review mission of the IMF and the European Commission was in Romania at the end of October to asses progress under a EUR20 billion IMF-led bailout loan agreed in spring 2009. Romania has so far received EUR15.2 billion of the loan.
In May 2009, Romania agreed with the IMF on a EUR13 billion stand-by arrangement, part of a EUR20 billion financial support that includes funds from the European Union, the World Bank and other international lenders.
An IMF delegation is expected in Bucharest on January 25 to review the current arrangement and hold talks with Romanian authorities on a new, one-year precautionary deal worth EUR3.6 billion.