Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan presented, prior to the meeting at Cotroceni convened by Nicușor Dan on the topic of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), the list of nine laws that need to be quickly adopted for Romania to not lose billions of euros in European funds.
The head of the Government says that the voting of these laws by the deadline of August 31 is „a test of responsibility” for the entire political class.
10 billion euros depend on rapid reforms
Bolojan warns that Romania needs to attract approximately 10 billion euros from the PNRR in the coming months - funds that represent a significant part of public investments.
"Accessing European funds is vital for Romania's development," says the Prime Minister.
Major projects are funded from these funds: highways (including the Moldova Highway), hospitals, schools, railway electrification, or public buildings rehabilitation.
How it works: meet milestones, get the money
To receive the funds, Romania must meet a series of conditions assumed in the PNRR, called "milestones."
By summer, there are still several dozen to be met. Each milestone means money: if achieved, the funds come; if not, they are lost.
According to the Government, 9 of these milestones are essential and condition over 7 billion euros.
The 9 laws that need to be adopted
To achieve these targets, the Executive must pass through Parliament 9 laws covering key areas:
- Integrity in public office – updating legislation to prevent conflicts of interest
- Renewable energy – using state lands for green projects
- Urban planning and construction – new rules for city development and bureaucracy reduction
- Energy – reducing coal dependency and promoting investments in clean sources
- Heating and energy for the population – rules for more efficient and less polluting systems
- National Agency for Fiscal Administration (ANAF) – reform and digitalization to increase tax collection
- Romanian Waters – changing the way water resources are managed
- Public sector salaries – a clearer, unified system linked to performance
- State-owned companies – reducing interim appointments and stricter governance rules
The stakes: billions of euros lost if laws delay
Each of these milestones has a major financial stake. If not met, Romania risks penalties of hundreds of millions of euros for each area.
In some cases, losses can reach nearly a billion euros for a single milestone.
The Prime Minister says that beyond political conflicts, the adoption of these laws must be treated as an emergency.
He emphasizes that the main objectives of the Government in the coming period are:
- meeting the milestones in the PNRR
- continuing investments
- payment for already started works
- completion of ongoing projects
"The voting on the 9 laws will be, beyond disputes and different approaches, a test of responsibility for the political class in Romania," Bolojan conveyed.