Romania has more than 3,000 projects financed through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) still awaiting completion and reception, with less than two weeks until the August 31 deadline, interim prime minister Ilie Bolojan said on August 21. The number has fallen from about 4,500 projects identified as outstanding on August 13.

The government has accelerated reception procedures in an attempt to ensure as many projects as possible are completed and certified before the deadline. Prefects and institutions serving on reception committees have been instructed to work at weekends to speed up the process.

"This week, all discussions were focused on the PNRR, because we still have 10 days, practically, until August 31. It is an important element. We still have over 3,000 works, out of the over 15,000 works, to receive during the next week," Bolojan said, as quoted by Agerpres.

"We organised meetings with prefects, and we made all the institutions that are part of the reception committees work on weekends, Saturdays and Sundays. We are trying to do everything we can to complete these works," he added.

The PNRR deadline represents a significant challenge for Romania because projects that are not completed and certified within the applicable timetable risk losing associated EU financing – and have to be financed from the national budget. The government has therefore focused on the administrative stage of receiving completed works, alongside efforts to accelerate projects that remain under construction.

Bolojan also pointed to progress in adopting legislation linked to PNRR milestones, saying the government had made a significant effort during the summer to approve the outstanding normative acts.

"I believe that this effort that was made this summer to adopt the laws related to the PNRR is a very important aspect, because it allows us to collect the almost EUR 8 billion that is this year's investment component, the contribution of funds from the PNRR to major investments in Romania," he said.

The PNRR provides Romania with access to a total of about EUR 20 billion in grants and loans, subject to the completion of agreed reforms and investments.

iulian@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Gov.ro)