Because of low demand for financing for the rehabilitation and reconversion of polluted industrial sites, the ministry asked the Commission for permission to reallocate the funds to areas of the ROP that had received more applications, and would create jobs and improve economic conditions in the eight development regions.
Out of the EUR200.09 million initially allotted from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), EUR172.85 million will be redistributed toward other projects:
– rehabilitation and modernization of healthcare service infrastructure: EUR26.65 million;
– durable development of structures to support regional and local businesses: EUR13.31 million;
– support for the development of micro-enterprises: EUR28.47 million;
– restoration and durable utilization of cultural patrimony, as well as the creation or modernization of associated infrastructure: EUR39.8 million;
– development and modernization of tourism infrastructure: EUR65.58 million.
The ministry says 2,627 projects, worth a total EUR4.98 billion, had been signed through the ROP by February 10; EUR3.14 billion will be provided from the ERDF, 84.38% of the ROP’s allocation from the ERDF. The goal is to contract 100% of these funds in 2012.
The value of payments to beneficiaries was up to EUR1.09 billion. The Commission refunded EUR437.24 million provided through the ERDF, 11.73% of the ROP’s ERDF allocation. The absorption target for 2012 is EUR788.34 million, meaning the total value of refunds from the Commission would be EUR1.22 billion at the end of 2012, 32.9% of the ROP’s ERDF allocation.