The European Public Prosecutor's Office has officially confirmed that it has launched an investigation into the procurement of electric school minibuses, Minister of Investments and European Projects Dragos Pislaru announced on his Facebook page.

'I have received official confirmation from the European Public Prosecutor's Office that an investigation has begun into the procurement of electric school minibuses under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), based on the referral I submitted. I hope the investigation will proceed as swiftly as possible and, if it is proven that the law has been breached, all those responsible will be held accountable,' the minister noted.

On August 12, 2025, the Minister of Investments announced that he was sending the Ministry's Control Body to verify how the procurement of electric school minibuses financed through the PNRR had been carried out. This followed media reports alleging that, in Iasi and Prahova counties, the minibuses had been purchased at inflated prices.

'We cannot speak about modernising Romania and investing in the future of our children if European funds are used improperly or even stolen. I read with deep indignation the information reported in the press regarding possible overpricing of electric school minibuses financed through the PNRR. I will send the Minister's Control Body to thoroughly verify how these procurements were carried out: the procedures, the prices paid, the technical criteria, and compliance with the rules governing the use of European funds. I will request immediate clarifications from the authorities involved, and if irregularities are found, these will be followed by financial corrections and, where appropriate, a referral to the European Public Prosecutor's Office, led by Laura Codrura Kovesi, the independent body responsible for investigating, prosecuting and bringing to justice offences against the EU budget,' Dragos Pislaru wrote on his Facebook page at the time.

A week later, the minister said he expected an initial report by the end of that month from the head of the Ministry's Control Body regarding the procurement in question.

On December 8, 2025, Pislaru announced that he would refer the matter of the electric school minibus procurement to the European Public Prosecutor's Office after irregularities were identified in the use of European funds, and that he would send the findings of his Control Body's checks to the Department for the Fight Against Fraud and the Competition Council.

In total, 74 procurement procedures were carried out individually by authorities in 40 counties. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Nicoleta Banciulea; EN - writing by: Cristina Zaharia)