Romania in the EU

Romania's representative in the new European Commission, Corina Cretu, presented in Bucharest a report on her 100 days in office as the new EU Commissioner for Regional Policies

Bogdan Matei, 17.02.2015, 14:05

The European Commissioner for Regional Policies, Corina Cretu, chose to present the report on her first 100 days in office back home, in Bucharest. A former Social — Democrat MEP and since the autumn of 2014 the holder of a key portfolio in the European Commission, Corina Cretu announced that so far, 188 EU operational programs had been adopted, of which 175 under her coordination. The rate of absorption of community funds has increased at EU level, but the new member states, including Romania, still have difficulties absorbing such funds. In fact, Romania’s main problem, as it is seen in Brussels, is the poor administrative capacity to access European funding, as Mrs. Cretu warned.

Moreover, the EU Commissioner also said, the European Commission had noticed that Romania had some weak points with regard to drawing up a social map, but also in the public procurement sector and in its inclusion strategy for the Roma population. Also, the Commission believes that it is important for Romania to have a long term strategy for rural areas and that is why it pays special attention to the coordination between urban and rural development. Attending the opening of the General Assembly of the Communes’ Association in Romania, Corina Cretu called on the Romanian local officials to identify products that could be seen as emblematic for a certain region and to promote projects that would benefit the people. Corina Cretu:

“ We have European funds, economic diversity and new jobs, education for both children and adults, healthcare, leisure time. In the 2014-2020 programming period we can fund all those domains, provided you have concrete projects, which meet the needs of your communities, projects that must also be laid down in Romania’s strategies in the field.”

A textbook case of what properly managed European money can do are the over 250 million Euros, available under a cross- border Romania — Bulgaria investment program, signed last Friday by the European Commissioner Corina Cretu. Mrs. Cretu told the Radio Romania correspondent in Brussels that the program would improve the living, learning and working conditions in the two countries’ border regions, thus rendering them more attractive to both tourists and investors. Also, the area is full of opportunities due to the proximity to both the Danube and the Black Sea. The good cooperation between the two south-East European countries, which joined the EU eight years ago, and their effort to jointly solve common issues are essential, the European Commissioner Corina Cretu also said.