Romania postpones talks with European Commission on revising recovery plan amid government crisis

Romania has postponed a planned visit to Brussels initially scheduled for May 7–8 to discuss revisions to its National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), Economediareported, citing sources close to the matter.

The delay follows the recent government crisis that culminated in the resignation of prime minister Marcel Ciolacu on May 5.

According to sources, the Romanian delegation requested the postponement, and the visit is now expected to be rescheduled for next week. The purpose of the talks is to renegotiate the implementation calendar and reduce the number of milestones, as the country faces significant delays in executing the recovery program.

The European Commission confirmed for Economedia that Romania has not yet submitted a formal request to amend the PNRR and did not provide details on a revised timetable for review and approval.

Romania has so far submitted only three out of eight payment requests under the PNRR and has received EUR 9.4bn out of the EUR 28bn allocated. With less than 14 months remaining until the mid-2026 deadline, the country is expected to forgo several targets and milestones that cannot be realistically achieved within the current timeframe.

In this context, the Romanian authorities are under pressure to prioritize reforms and investment objectives that are still attainable in order to avoid losing further funding. The government had already faced challenges meeting the initial deadlines due to procedural delays, limited administrative capacity, and recent political uncertainty.

The political crisis, which erupted after the failure of the governing coalition's candidate to advance to the second round of the presidential elections, has complicated key policy negotiations, including the PNRR implementation. Interim Prime Minister Cătălin Predoiu now leads a caretaker government until after the May 18 presidential run-off.

The delay in talks with the European Commission adds to concerns over Romania's ability to effectively absorb EU funds, a key issue highlighted by domestic experts and European officials in recent months.

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