The bulk of funds went to motorway projects, mainly highways, which drew almost EUR1 billion, while air transportation drew no money. Romania still has EUR3 billion available from the 2007-2013 financial period it can absorb by the end of next year. If it doesn’t, the money will be lost.
EU-funded roads, including highways Orastie-Sibiu or Lugoj-Deva, have so far drawn around EUR988 million from the EU, the equivalent of 71.5% of the total sum Romania took from Brussels in the past seven years through the Sectoral Operational Program-Transport (POS-T), reads a Transport Ministry document.
At the opposite end, the railway sector and the subway got to absorb EUR318 million, the equivalent of 23% of the money paid by the European Commission through POS-T, while the naval field drew EUR76.4 million, namely 5.5% of the total sum Romania has drawn so far through POS-T.
Instead, air transportation took no money from the EU during for the 2007-2013 period.
The largest EU-backed projects in 2007-2013 includes the rehabilitation of Coslariu-Sighisoara railway section, involving costs of EUR1.1 billion, the building of the Lugoj-Deva railway section (EUR162 million) and the subway mainline 5 of Bucharest’s Drumul Taberei district (EUR215 million).
In the first two years of the above-mentioned period, 2007 and 2008, the Romanian government drew no money for transport infrastructure projects from Brussels, and in 2010, 2011 and 2012 the absorbed sums were small, reaching a total of below EUR300 million.
In the first half of 2013, European funds allotted through POS-T were blocked, being unlocked as late as last summer. By late 2013, Romania reached European Commission payments of EUR876 million, below 20% of the money earmarked through POS-T. Bigger payments were operated this February, so that Romania reached a 32% absorption level, the equivalent of EUR1.38 billion.
Romania by late February drew around 34%, namely EUR6.2 billion, from the total amount it can receive from the EU in 2007-2013 for the 7 sectoral programs.
The Government still has a year and nine months, that is by the end of 2015, to complete the investment projects it started and to draw the rest of up to EUR19.2 billion.
2013 was the best for EU fund absorption, as there were payments for high-value projects, with the sum standing at EUR2.8 billion.
Of the seven programs through which Romania can bring money in the economy from Brussels, the Regional Program leads by drawn sums, EUR1.6 billion, followed by infrastructure, EUR1.4 billion, and environment (EUR1.1 billion).
Even though 2013 saw the biggest sum being drawn from the EU compared with all the years since EU integration, the state budget did not get the planned sums. The consolidated budget had RON11.2 (EUR2.5 billion) planned from the EU and it got only 80% of the money, namely RON8.9 billion (EUR2 billion).
(English version by Catalina Apostoiu)