Romania has an absorption rate of European funds of 16.3% and is currently above the European Union average of 11.4%, said on Wednesday the Minister of Investments and European Projects, Dragos Pislaru, who took stock after his first month in office.

'According to the latest data from the European Commission, Romania currently exceeds the EU average absorption rate of 11.4%, reaching 16.3%. While our national reporting also tracks different stages, ranging from funds effectively transferred to Romania, to those contracted and submitted for payment, we are primarily referencing the European-level figure of 16.3%. This translates into the second-highest absolute value among EU countries: EUR 5.64 billion, with more than 5,800 projects currently underway. Compared to last year, when the absorption rate was below 5%, this marks a significant acceleration. Under our current mandate at the Ministry of Investment and European Projects, this upward momentum is set to continue,' said the minister.

According to him, there has been significant and 'very strong' progress in several programs.

'The Sustainable Development Program is currently the top performer in Europe in terms of absorption. The Transport Program and the Social Inclusion and Dignity Program are also advancing well. Even at the level of regional programs, if we look, for example, at the North-West Regional Program, we can see substantial progress. What I find especially important is that there is no risk this year of losing EU cohesion policy funds. We're referring to the potential risk of decommitment. One of our key objectives at the ministry is to launch all necessary calls to ensure that there is no risk of decommitment in the future either,' the minister explained.

At the midpoint of his first month in office, the minister of Investments and European Projects warned that, based on technical assessments, projects totaling approximately EUR 6.3 billion are unlikely to be completed by August 2026.

'At this moment, we are facing a situation where projects worth around EUR 6.3 billion are, from a technical standpoint, no longer feasible to complete by August 2026 or fail to meet procedural requirements. That leaves us with EUR 8.7 billion out of the initial EUR 5 billion still viable under the NRRP, to which we must add a set of resilience-related measures,' was saying Dragos Pislaru on July 15, at a press conference at the Victoria Palace following a meeting with the European Commission's Director-General and the Interministerial Coordination Committee for Romania's National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP). AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Cristian Anghelache; EN - writing by: Simona Iacob)