At the end of 2011, the Romanian Government and representatives of the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund agreed on a list of key EU-funded projects, worth a total of EUR14 billion, to represent a priority for Romania. Works on most of these projects were barely started at that time.
The Government pledged to speed up works so projects, most of them signed between 2009 and 2011, will be 50% completed this year and some even finished. According to the execution calendar, they are due to be finished in the 2012-2015 interval.
The latest data regarding project development between December 3, 2011 and June 30, 2012 reveal that in the case of more than one third of the projects, worth about EUR4 billion, no progress has been registered or works advanced at an extremely slow pace.
The latter category includes water system rehabilitation projects in Brasov county (a EUR189 million investment, with works advancing from 5% to 6.93% in the first half of the year), Arad (EUR139 million, works progressed from 0.62% to 3.15%), Dambovita (EUR140 million, from 5.50% to 6.14%), Iasi (EUR141 million, from 1.20% to 5.44%), Braila (EUR95 million, from 1.50% to 2.79%), Ilfov (EUR76 million, from 2.32% to 7.25%), Alba (EUR102 million, from 6.68% to 8.53%), Buzau (EUR99 million, from 0% to 3.09%), Timis (EUR118 million, works advanced from 0.01% to 0.14%), Covasna (EUR86 million, from 0.10% to 0.70%), Hunedoara-Valea Jiului (EUR40 million investment, advanced from 4.20% to 7.86%), Neamt (EUR107 million, from 0% to 1.47%), Sibiu (EUR100 million, from 0% to 0.30%), Mures (EUR110 million, from 0% to 1.21%), Bihor (EUR83 million, from 2.50% to 3.57%), Prahova (EUR162 million project, advanced from 0% to 1.40%), Bacau (EUR117 million, from 0% to 1,.09%), Galati (EUR129 million investment, works progressed from 0% to 0.17%), Dolj (EUR150 million, from 0% to 0.20%).
The same poor results were registered for several other projects, which targeted the creation of waste integrated management systems in several counties, the rehabilitation of roads and the modernization of the Emergency Hospital in Valcea.
Some projects have seen no development at all in the first six months of the year: projects targeting to extend and upgrade water supply systems in the counties of Satu Mare (a EUR102 million investment, development 0%), Botosani (EUR102 million, works have not started), Valcea (EUR98 million, works not started), as well as several road and railway infrastructure projects.
At the beginning of July, two European Commission officials told the Romanian ambassador to the EU that the country’s plan targeting to increase the EU fund absorption rate has failed and authorities refuse assistance from financial institutions, while the administration is paralyzed by the current national context. Authorities accept the recommendations made by the Commission, usually without also applying them, they added.
The Romanian Government said in a statement Saturday that the remarks by the two EC officials regarding Romania’s EU fund absorption plan represent only a “general approach” to the matter.