The European Commission imposed "firm and rigorous conditions" for the investments funded under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), and this resulted in an estimated risk of losing EUR 7.8 billion (27%) out of a total envelope of EUR 28.5 billion, former minister of investments and European projects Marcel Boloş announced on his Facebook page in a report on "How Romania stands one year before the deadline."

The most hit areas are the health sector (public hospitals particularly), where Romania risks losing EUR 920 million of funding; the environment, with EUR 2.29 billion funding potentially lost, especially water-sewage and waste infrastructure; the education (EUR 728 million); energy efficiency (EUR 1.02 billion), especially energy efficiency in residential buildings intended for the population and public institutions; transport infrastructure (EUR 1.98 billion); digitalization of SMEs and energy renovation in Repower EU (EUR 728 million).

This rigidity was accentuated by Romania's fragile fiscal situation, generated mainly by the lack of a correlation between fiscal reforms and those regarding expenditures, but also by the very low pace of implementation of the investments carried out under the Plan, the former minister wrote.

iulian@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Inquam Photos/Sabin Cirstoveanu)