Romanian Interior Ministry Says Only 9,000 Ministry Employees To Be Laid Off

„The figure 18,000 is imagines. We’ve never put forth a clear figure because we haven’t finished indentifying all the positions to be eliminated from the organizational chart,” said Igas.

He said about 9,000 people would be laid off, but their number is not yet certain. He added the first to leave will be the people that haven’t been doing their jobs properly.

Government on Monday approved a bill aiming to cut Interior Ministry budget spending and reduce staff numbers. The bill has been sent to the Parliament to be debated with urgency.

The Interior Ministry’s budget, approved in December 2010 by the Parliament’s committee’s for defense and public order, is of EUR1.7 billion, or 1.38% of gross domestic product, and stipulated 18,000 ministry employees were to be laid off this year, in two stages.