Romanian European Affairs Minister Leonard Orban on Wednesday presented the financial corrections proposed by the Commission for five pre-suspended EU programs targeting transport, environment, regional development, economic competitiveness and HR development. Payments for these programs were halted after the EC identified a series of public procurement irregularities.
Financial corrections are a precondition to resuming payments. The EC propositions are as follows:
The regional development program: financial corrections of 10% applied to contracts for which public procurement procedures were launched before October 1, 2011.
The economic competitiveness program: financial corrections range between 5% and 25% of the value of contracts.
The operational program for transport: financial corrections of 25% applied to public procurement contracts launched before October 1, 2011 and administered by national roads authority CNADNR and state-owned railway company CFR.
The operational program for environment: financial corrections of 10% applied to all contracts for which public procurement procedures were launched before October 1, 2011.
For the Human resources program, the Commission proposed financial corrections of 5% to 25%.
Government spokesman Andrei Zaharescu said the Government approved a memorandum drawn up by the European Affairs Ministry, which accepts the financial corrections proposed by the Commission.
Orban said recently, Romania could absorb “at least 15%” of European Union funds by the end of 2012 if the European Commission resumes payments in upcoming months for some of the programs pre-suspended in October. The total value of the pre-suspended projects rises to EUR10.5 billion.