Getting EU funds in Romania: a practical approach

Companies interested in European funding may apply in the frame of different operational programs like Increase of Economic Competitiveness, Human Resources Development, National Program for Rural Development or the Regional Operational Program. See our recent articles here. We've listed some practical issues applicants should know, as well as some useful contacts for each area of interest. For each program, a managing authority has been assigned. It is responsible for the implementation of the operational program. In some cases, the Managing Authorities have delegated the implementation of their program to other organizations, called Intermediate Bodies, for example the Intermediate Body for Energy, the Intermediate Body for the Promotion of the Information Society or the National Authority for Scientific Research. Before applying for EU funds, there are a couple of things applicants should know in order to improve their chances of being successful:

to develop economic activities included in the classification indicated by the Applicant Guide not to have state debts, not to be under bankruptcy or liquidation to have at least one or two years activity with operational profit

In order to receive European funds you need to define a project and decide which are the project objectives, its total budget, the eligible and non-eligible expenditures, where it will be implemented. The categories of applicants eligible for EU funds are: small and medium sized enterprises, large enterprises, micro-enterprises, start-up, national companies, public local authorities, public institutions, non-governmental organizations, and universities. In order to establish if a project is eligible or not for European funding, it is essential to consult the Applicant Guide, a document that includes the activities eligible for financing and the Framework Document for Implementation, which specifies details such as the maximum sum allotted per project, types of beneficiaries and other criteria. These documents are generally available in the Romanian language only and may be found on the websites of the Managing Authorities. So if you are a foreigner, you will need some local support at least in terms of language issues. The Managing Authorities will publish calls for proposals based on the Applicant’s Guides. These guides contain the selection criteria and the documentation that needs to be submitted with each project proposal. The application needs to be drafter in Romanian. Each Management Authority establishes the elements composing a financing file, however this has to contain the Financing Application Form and its annexes. The final project is submitted to the Management Authority or to the responsible Intermediary Body. The selection process may last 2-3 months since submission. The financial agreements with the applicants will be concluded in Romanian currency.