Romania is negotiating with the European Commission over a plan to channel part of its remaining Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) resources into the state-owned Investment and Development Bank (BID), a move that could allow the funds to be used beyond the programme’s official end in August, according to Cursdeguvernare.ro.

Interim minister of investments and European projects Dragoș Pîslaru confirmed that discussions are ongoing and said Romania could receive an answer on June 19.

“We are in negotiations on this, yes. But on Friday, we will probably know what comes out,” Pîslaru said.

According to Euractiv, nine EU member states are considering similar solutions. Spain, Poland, Italy, and Greece have already directed more than EUR 20 billion to national development banks, taking advantage of provisions that allow such institutions to manage EU funds through loans, guarantees, and other financial instruments.

Romania still has to absorb around EUR 11 billion from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) before the deadline. By the beginning of 2026, only 58% of the facility's funds had been transferred to member states, while an even smaller proportion had actually been spent.

Pîslaru noted that Romania secured a similar arrangement during the renegotiation of its recovery plan last year. Alongside the reallocation of funds towards projects with higher implementation prospects, the European Commission approved the capitalisation of the Investment and Development Bank with EUR 100 million.

The Recovery and Resilience Facility regulation allows national promotional and development banks to act as intermediaries for EU funding, provided the resources remain linked to the objectives and reforms included in the approved national plans.

The European Commission said the mechanism is intended to support reforms and investments that contribute to the green and digital transitions and strengthen the resilience of member states' economies.

iulian@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Mfe.gov.ro)