The European Commission has approved the revised version of Romania’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan after three months of intense negotiations.
Highway A7 receives 2.17 billion euros in grants, while the eight new hospitals and 1,200 ambulances remain in the PNRR.
"I believe it is time for some good news. Lately, we have been mostly witnessing how things are not going exactly as they should. Today marks an important day for Romania's development," said Minister of Investments and European Projects, Dragoș Pîslaru, on Wednesday.
The Minister explained that the renegotiation process was "a strategic reconstruction" through which Romania transformed an oversized plan, with projects contracted for 47.4 billion euros for an allocation of only 28.5 billion, into a balanced and feasible plan.
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"We transformed a plan that was related to a portfolio of heavily over-contracted projects, largely delayed projects, projects with procurement issues. At this moment, we have a revised version that is realistic, sustainable, results-oriented, and feasible to be implemented by August 31, 2026," said Pîslaru.
The new value of the PNRR is 21.41 billion euros
The final value of the PNRR is 21.41 billion euros, of which 13.57 billion euros in grants, the full amount, and 7.84 billion euros in loans.
Funding for Highway A7, amounting to 2.17 billion euros, has been moved to grants, representing a success in negotiations with the European Commission.
The "Renovation Wave" program now has a component of 1.39 billion euros in grants, and strategic investments in digitization, automation of administration, and governmental cloud are maintained.
New investments have been introduced in the plan. Among these are the capitalization of the Bank for Investment and Development, the acquisition of modern emergency ambulances, and an additional act of 350 million euros allocated to the energy transition. Three existing investments received additional funding of 254 million euros.
The 8 new hospitals and the 1,200 ambulances remain in the PNRR and will be implemented by August 31, 2026.
In the fiscal area, Pîslaru negotiated a reform by restructuring the National Agency for Fiscal Administration to have a more efficient tax administration and higher revenues to the budget.
The plan has been significantly simplified, from 518 milestones to 390, with over 128 milestones eliminated for a clearer and more predictable implementation.
The document will be published on the European Commission's website in the immediate future, and formal approval will take place at the ECOFIN Council meeting in November.