Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan’s visit to Brussels
On the sidelines of his visit to Brussels, Romania’s Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan met with three European Commissioners.
Leyla Cheamil, 23.09.2025, 14:00
The European Commission welcomed the bold efforts of the Bucharest Government to balance Romania’s budget situation, conveying that it is important for reforms to continue in order to consolidate stability and ensure the sustainability of the country’s public finances. This is one of the conclusions of Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan’s visit to Brussels on Monday, where he met with three European Commissioners. The Bucharest official confirmed the need for reforms to continue. Ilie Bolojan met with Valdis Dombrovskis, the EU Commissioner for Economy, with whom he discussed the measures taken by Romania to reduce the large budget deficit. The discussion was extremely important, considering that Bucharest is preparing to operate a budget adjustment, and the balancing must be coordinated with the assumed targets. A related topic is the Recovery and Resilience Plan, recently modified by Romania and submitted to Brussels, in order to attract as many funds as possible for delayed projects, which would help the country’s economic recovery. Talks were held amidst efforts to regain the trust of partners in Brussels and, as a result of reforms, to stop the procedure that would lead to the blocking of certain EU funds for Romania.
Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan also met with Andrius Kubilius, the European Commissioner for Defense. Talks focused on projects worth nearly €17 billion, which Romania wants to implement by 2030, with advantageous financing based on the European SAFE program. These are strictly military projects, although some have dual use, such as highways in eastern Romania. These projects must be detailed and submitted by November, a deadline valid for all European states. The Commission will assess the plans and pay the first installments in the first quarter of 2026. The program includes a 10-year grace period for loan repayment, competitive interest rates and options for bilateral agreements with third countries to expand eligibility.
Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan’s last meeting in Brussels on Monday was with Roxana Mînzatu, the EU Commissioner for Social Affairs and Vice-President of the European Commission. The two discussed the future budget of the European Union from which Romania will receive non-reimbursable funds. The Commission has proposed a new structure of this European budget, and Romania, much like other member states, is preparing a response both for the negotiation in the Council and to position itself as best as possible in absorbing the funds. Talks also focused on the SAFE initiative and Romania’s opportunities on the European single market in terms of competitiveness, education and new jobs. (VP)
