WB: Romania at risk of losing EU financing for Cluj-Napoca subway, new hospitals and afforestation

Romania could lose EU financing for three major projects covered by the national implementation of the Resilience Facility (PNRR), according to an analysis by the World Bank for the Romanian Government, quoted by G4media.ro.

The projects target the Cluj metro (EUR 300 mln financing under PNRR), the 27 new hospitals and hospital wards (EUR 2.1 bln), and also the afforestation campaign (EUR 730 mln).

European projects minister Marcel Bolos admitted the existence of this report drafted by the World Bank for his ministry but showed more optimism concerning the EU financing.

The "EUR 6 bln budget [under the Resilience facility this year] is a huge budget, and we don't know how much of it will be validated and how much will remain in the end because it depends on those who implement the reforms and on us – on how we will conduct the discussions during the negotiations with the European Commission," Bolos said, quoted by Ecopolitic.ro.

However, according to Cursdeguvernare.ro, Romania should get nearly EUR 8 bln under PNRR this year, while the Government assumed on a conservative basis that only EUR 1.9 bln of this would be disbursed to the budget in 2023.

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