The need for European funding
Regional Policy Commissioner Corina Cretu believes Romania should focus more on EU funds absorption
Florentin Căpitănescu, 20.09.2017, 13:11
Attending a meeting with local and regional authorities in Cluj, north-western Romania, the European Regional Policy Commissioner Corina Cretu has stated that Romania must simplify the procedures for accessing European funds and absorb them more rapidly. Commissioner Cretu has recalled that all national management and control authorities in the field have been accredited. She has also given a few details about the impact that money from the previous EU budget framework has had on the Romanian economy:
“After a lot of effort and a rather slow start, we have managed to get to an absorption rate of approximately 90%. Thanks to European funding, in the past ten years some 51,000 jobs have been created in Romania, of which 14,000 in the private sector. We have provided support to small and medium-sized enterprises, which are the back bone of any economy. 2,700 such companies in Romania have received direct support.”
Corina Cretu has drawn attention to the fact that there are only two months left for the EU member countries to meet all the requirements in order to get European funding. Unless they do so, the College of Commissioners will discuss the possibility of suspending some funding lines, Commissioner Cretu also said:
“The conditions imposed on public procurement in road and railway transportation are indeed a big problem, because public procurement affects all projects horizontally. In the field of research and innovation, we are about to lift this conditionality. Also, waste management and public administration are faced with big problems.”
Commissioner Cretu has also stressed the fact that the European Commission discourages over-regulation with regard to the absorption of EU funds. She believes that Romanian authorities should make all the necessary efforts to attract as much European money as possible, because the future EU budget will be sensibly smaller, given the withdrawal of Great Britain. Moreover, the EU budget will be used to deal with new challenges, such as migration and security.
At the same meeting, the Minister Delegate for European Funds Rovana Plumb has stated that Romania has made up for part of the delays registered with regard to accessing European funds. She has also stated that big steps have been taken also towards simplifying the procedure whereby Romania can get access to EU funds.
