Romania has a positive balance in its financial relationship with the European Union, having contributed approximately 30 billion euro to the EU's common budget while receiving over 100 billion euro in return, MEP Victor Negrescu said in Alba Iulia on Saturday.

'In conclusion, Romania has a positive balance in its financial relationship with the European Union. We have contributed approximately 30 billion euro to the common European budget and received more than 100 billion. The potential is much greater than that. We need to identify additional financial resources, whether through funds available from the European Investment Bank or through other programmes available directly from Brussels. We have to consider all these opportunities,' Negrescu said at the 'Transylvania EU Funds Day' event.

The MEP said that nine out of 10 public investments in Romania have at some point been financed with European funds, while 60 percent of projects currently under way rely heavily on EU funding.

'As a matter of fact, Romania depends on European funds, our counties depend on European funds and our communities need these financial resources, particularly for investment. The private sector also needs this financial input into the national economy, but it is up to us to use these funds effectively,' Negrescu said.

He also referred to the next multiannual financial framework for 2028-2034, noting that the European Commission has proposed a long-term EU budget of almost 2 trillion euro, under which Romania would receive around 60 billion euro.

'At present, the member states have not reached an agreement on this budget. By the end of the year, they are expected in principle to agree on the future multiannual budget. Under the European Commission's proposal, Romania would receive almost 60 billion euro, which is broadly similar to the amount allocated under the current multiannual financial framework. It is a significant sum, but we must preserve it during the negotiations,' Negrescu said.

He added that member states will have to draw up national plans, specifically a national and regional partnership plan, which will require approval by the European Commission.

'At the same time, we must recognise another reality. The financial allocation is also changing. Whereas until now more than 50 percent of the funds were distributed through national envelopes, for the first time the majority of the funding, more than 55 percent, will be managed directly from Brussels. We will have a European Competitiveness Fund, for which we must prepare projects with a European dimension, large-scale and substantial projects involving many stakeholders. We also need to learn how to build genuinely effective public-private partnerships. We have to create ecosystems, and we will see examples of such ecosystems, so that we can succeed in these European competitions, because Romania will have to submit projects that compete directly with those from other member states,' the MEP explained.

The Vice-President of the European Parliament organised the second edition of 'Transylvania EU Funds Day' at the Gheorghe Sincai Multifunctional Centre in Alba Iulia on Saturday, a platform for dialogue dedicated to the future of European funding and strategic investment for Romania's development. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Marinela Brumar; EN - writing by: Adina Panaitescu)