More than 50 milestones and targets from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) are still unfulfilled by the Romanian authorities, although, according to the assumed calendar, they should have been ready since last year.
The Ministry of European Investments and Projects responded to a request by the newspaper Libertatea regarding the status of the PNRR, given that at the last major event of the European Commission on this topic, i.e. the arrival of Celine Gauer (the head of the structure in Brussels that monitors the management of the PNRR at the EU level) in Bucharest, from April 20, she warned that the Romanian Government is in great delay.
“Romania is lagging behind what it should have been,” Gauer pointed out, according to Adevărul, asking for “acceleration of the pace” regarding the implementation of the PNRR. Last but not least, the representative of Brussels warned that if Romania does not move fast enough, it could even lose the pre-financing, so give money back.
And the raw data provided by MIPE show the delay, but not any trace of concern of those in the government dealing with the PNRR, a program for which Romania should fulfill its obligations assumed in September 2021.
It should be noted that the European authorities have not yet given the green light to the payment of request number 3, although it has been submitted since December 15, 2023, and includes benchmarks and targets from the second half of 2022. Brussels has been asking for clarification, especially in the area of professionalization of state companies, where, according to Libertatea information, European officials did not overlook that in some institutions the promotion of nepotism continued.
Only half of the objectives are met
The situation is not good at all in terms of the objectives that Romania should have put in place by the end of June 2023, i.e. those related to quarters I and II.
“According to the schedule for sending payment requests to the European Commission, payment request 4 from the PNRR will be sent in the third quarter of this year. This payment request will contain a number of 46 targets and milestones, related to the I and II quarters of 2023. At this moment, 26 targets and milestones have been achieved, while another 20 are being implemented,” says MIPE in the answer for Freedom. Among the very sensitive objectives of this period is the new wage law, where until now there is not even a draft of the project.
Asked about the money that Romania hopes to collect from the future payment request, MIPE advanced the sum of 2.68 billion euros.
“The fourth payment request, in the amount of 2,680,277,594 euros, of which 1,003,031,904 euros for the non-refundable financial assistance component and 1,677,245,690 euros for the refundable financial assistance component, is conditional on the full fulfillment of 46 milestones and targets with deadlines for the first quarter of 2023 and the second quarter of 2023”, the institution currently led by Adrian Câciu sent.
6 out of 38
The situation is even more dire in terms of the objectives in the 2023 second part of the NRDP
“The milestones related to quarters III and IV of 2023, respectively 38 targets and due milestones (of which 4 milestones and two targets have been implemented, and the rest are being implemented), will be the subject of payment request no. 5, with a submission deadline of the first quarter (no – the months of January – March) 2025”, says MIPE, which means that 32 objectives, i.e. almost 80% of those related to the third and fourth quarters, are not ready.
Follow us on Google News
Tags: EXCLUSIVE PNRR advancing snails pace Dozens arrears Ciolacu Government Romania Risks
-
