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Romania Can’t Monetize Its Public Debt – Ctrl Bank Chief

Romanian central bank isn’t able to follow the example of the United States and monetize the public debt, central bank governor Mugur Isarescu said Wednesday, warning that a high banking exposure may endanger budget deficit financing.
Romania Can’t Monetize Its Public Debt - Ctrl Bank Chief
26 mai 2010, 15:23, English

„If banks were to reach an exposure level beyond which they believe they can no longer lend the state, then financing the budget gap becomes problematic,” Isarescu told a financial forum. „Our physical limit for a high deficit is rather stringent.”

Isarescu said banking exposure to the local market has increased to around 15%, from earlier levels of 3.5%.

Finance Minister Sebastian Vladescu said last week that the country’s public debt is expected to widen to around 40% of the gross domestic product by end-2011 from approximately 30% of GDP currently.

In the absence of the recent additional spending cut measures agreed with the International Monetary Fund, the country’s government debt would reach 50% of GDP in 2011, Vladescu said.

End February, Romania’s public debt stood at around EUR37 billion, or some 29% of the GDP.