Romania could reach 97.22% of its National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) if it adopts the remaining reforms, interim Minister of Investments and European Projects Dragos Pislaru said on Friday at a press conference held after a Government meeting.

According to Pislaru, Romania will submit its fifth PNRR payment request on Friday, worth 2.84 billion euros, covering 75 targets and milestones, including 21 reforms and 54 investments.

'It is very important to understand that, if Romania manages to adopt these reforms, it could reach 97.22% of the PNRR. When this Government took office last June, this scenario seemed unrealistic. We are now working towards a scenario in which we can reach 97.22% of the PNRR,' Pislaru said.

The minister stressed that, following the submission of the fifth payment request, absorption under the grants component is expected to reach 78%.

'I believe this is an important message from me, from the team at the Ministry of Investments and European Projects and from the Government: with a little political and societal responsibility, Romania can be more than just mediocre in terms of PNRR performance; it can become a textbook case of how to turn around an absorption programme,' the minister said.

Regarding the timetable for the coming period, Pislaru said the fifth payment request would be submitted on Friday, while a preliminary decision by the European Commission is expected in approximately two months.

'I would like to present the timetable for the period ahead. So, we are submitting the payment request today. Obviously, this will require a period which we estimate at around two months for a preliminary decision by the Commission, followed, of course, by the Council's decision. We are therefore looking at the actual receipt of the funds this year, which is very important for the Ministry of Finance. According to the European Commission's guidelines, the sixth payment request is to be submitted around the end of September. 30 September is the working date we are using,' Pislaru explained.

He added that preparations for the sixth payment request had already begun, alongside the finalisation of the fifth request.

'I just want to confirm that we have already started gathering the evidence needed to prepare the sixth payment request, in parallel with the work we have done on the fifth payment request. I think it is important for you to know that we are not leaving these things until the last minute. In fact, something very important regarding the fifth payment request, which gives us confidence that we can submit it, is that today we received the Audit Authority's audit summary on the milestones and targets covered by the fifth payment request, and it was positive. This has enabled us to submit the request and for me to sign it,' the minister said.

Pislaru also announced that, towards the end of the August 31 deadline, the Ministry of Investments and European Projects will organise a conference dedicated to the institution's role as coordinator of reforms and investments.

According to him, the MIPE portfolio of projects financed through the PNRR has been completed in full.

'We had a portfolio worth 4.2 billion euros, of which 1.26 billion euros was in non-repayable financial assistance. The MIPE portfolio of PNRR projects is 100% complete, in the sense that we have achieved and will achieve all the targets and milestones. This was personally important to me because, if you are the national coordinator and demand high standards from everyone else, it would be a problem if there were issues with the portfolio you yourself administer institutionally,' the minister said.

He mentioned investments in museums, culture and the REPower programme among the projects in MIPE's portfolio.

'And I can also confirm that I will invite you to see this portfolio, which is absolutely fascinating and not widely known. We are talking about museums, investments across the country in the cultural sector, and REPower, in an important context. The fact that the REPower programme, which we took over with an almost impossible set of conditions to work with, has now been completed in terms of its milestones and targets is important,' Dragos Pislaru added.

Romania's National Recovery and Resilience Plan is financed with 21.41 billion euros, of which 13.57 billion euros is provided in grants and 7.84 billion euros in loans. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Nicoleta Banciulea; EN - writing by: Cristina Zaharia)