The Executive will also conclude a services agreement with these companies to check up invoices and the requests for reimbursement and assistance in tackling legal issues.
Romania’s European Affairs Minister Leonard Orban on Tuesday said the big problem is the slow development of large projects targeting infrastructure, environment and energy, which, he stressed, keeps the country’s EU fund absorption rate at a low level. Orban added this situation calls for a project needed to set up a task-force to include operative teams of experts in the fields of environment, transport and public procurement. He also said the project will be carried out within the Technical Assistance Facility (TAF) and will include two subsequent contracts targeting environment and road infrastructure projects.
The two projects, which will be launched by the end of March, will be contracted in May and will run for six weeks. The budget for the environmental project is estimated at nearly EUR85,000, VAT not included, while the road infrastructure project was earmarked EUR72,000, VAT not included.
The Government also wants the European Affairs Ministry to sign in the next six months a services frame agreement with companies that implement large projects. The agreement will run for two years and will provide companies with assistance on the management of public purchases and on services for the verification of reports and invoices, the drafting of files for reimbursement requests and guidance in solving legal problems. The agreement for the provision of assistance in nearly 100 projects is estimated at EUR4.6 million.
The Romanian Government targets to attract EUR6 billion in EU funds in 2012. The European Commissioner for Regional Policy Johannes Hahn recently said Romania must attract nearly EUR30 million in EU funds weekly by the end of 2012 to get the same EU financing in the 2014-2020 interval as in the previous financing period. Romania has been allotted EUR19.2 billion in EU funds for 2007-2013.