Romania Fast-Tracks Austerity Approval in Face of Resistance

Romania’s government is rushing to approve a sweeping fiscal austerity package, provoking a potential no-confidence motion by surging far-right parties in parliament.

Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan is using a constitutional fast-track provision to push through the measures, which aim to reduce Romania’s budget deficit — the widest in the European Union — to below 6% of economic output next year.

The expedited procedure without a parliamentary vote initiated on Monday exposes the governing coalition to a no-confidence vote, with the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians topping polls and sporadic protests over the belt-tightening measures.

The motion against ...