* Ion Ghizdeanu, National Prognosis Commission: "We will revise our prognosis for 2010"
* Bogdan Hossu: "The poverty rate will increase substantially compared to last year"
* The poverty threshold: 500 lei
The austerity measures that our authorities announced in order to cut budget spending have messed up the estimates of the National Prognosis Commission (CNP) concerning the poverty rate in Romania.
According to an official report that we got hold of, the Commission had predicted a poverty rate of 18.3% for 2010. Meaning, out of the 21.4 million citizens, 3.92 million would have officially enter the qualified for poverty. The poverty threshold is 60% below the median of available income per equivalent adult. For instance in 2008, the poverty threshold was 459.33 lei.
The National Prognosis Commission for 2010 estimated a decrease in the poverty rate of 0.2%, an assumption which is surprising, considering that the crisis is worsening and the exit was certain only if one listened to politicians" statements.
In other words, around 50,000 citizens would have been removed from this category, and their living standard would have theoretically improved compared to last year.
According to our information, the government drew up its budgetary and fiscal strategy for the 2011-2013 period around this estimate, which is based on data from the National Statistics Institute. The strategy was discussed yesterday in a government meeting.
The forecasts are now being invalidated due to the incompetence of the Executive, which changed its tune abruptly: at first, it strongly assured us, including in March, that pensions and wages would remain unchanged, and then in May it announced that it would cut pensions and social security by 15% and 25% off the wages of public sector workers.
"We are already working on revising our progno
