Romanian minister promises first Resilience money in Oct-Nov

The first tranche under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, some EUR 1.9 bln, will be disbursed to Romania in October-November "immediately after the endorsement of the national plan (PNRR)," promises the minister of investments and European projects, Cristian Ghinea.

The money will be disbursed for projects already being carried out and for projects that are currently being prepared, Ghinea explained, according to Economedia.ro.

The statement comes in the context of Social Democrat opposition criticising the Government for slow and inefficient implementation of the Resilience Facility at the national level.

This week, vice-prime minister Dan Barna said that he expects the first money early next year for projects that are ongoing at that time - prompting more criticism from PSD.

The Social Democrats accused the Government of undermining the national economy because "Romania will not receive a single euro under the Resilience Facility this year."

Romania officially sent PNRR to Brussels on May 31, after a one-month delay but within the deadline set by the European Commission. Then, minister Ghinea said that Romania's PNRR would be approved within two months.Subsequently, he announced the postponement of the approval deadline due to the need for clarifications on projects.

In this context, Cristian Ghinea said that Romania would have a final answer on PNRR in September and, in November, will get preliminary financing of EUR 1.3 bln.

(Photo source: Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea)