PNRR, radically reset: 100 milestones deleted, billions directed towards highways and hospitals

Dragoş Pîslaru stated: "The projects that will be removed from the PNRR will be financed from other sources. I am referring to the projects whose implementation stage is between 1 and 30%, which would be financed from the Cohesion Fund under the European financial framework Multiannual Project 2021-2027, but also here for the infrastructure above. have been started, are at the 0% stage, although the financing contract was signed, they will no longer be done."

• Dragoş Pîslaru: "The PNRR amendment will be approved at the ECOFIN meeting on October 10”

The government has proposed to Brussels officials the elimination of over 100 targets and milestones from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and the prioritization of funding for several road and rail transport infrastructure projects and projects regarding the construction of hospitals, Dragoş Pîslaru, Minister of Investments and European Projects, announced yesterday at a press conference. The official specified that the proposal of the Bolojan government is to be approved by ECOFIN at the meeting on October 10, a meeting that was initially scheduled for the latter part of next month.

Dragoşi Pîslaru stated: "The projects that will be removed from the PNRR will be financed from other sources. I am referring to projects whose implementation stage is between 1 and 30%, which would be financed from the Cohesion Fund under the 2021-2027 European multiannual financial framework, but here too those regarding transport infrastructure and health infrastructure will be prioritized. Projects that have not been started, are at a 0% stage, although the financing contract was signed, will no longer be carried out. I had a meeting the other day in Brussels with Raffale Fitto, the European Commissioner for Regional Policy, who told me that he agrees with the flexibility regarding certain readjustments and reallocations for projects that will do without the financing that they initially had ensured through the PNRR. We are talking about strategic projects that were included in the PNRR and that will have financing from the Cohesion Fund. We are in the process of resetting the PNRR with the European Commission and, since road and rail transport infrastructure and hospitals are critical elements, there is sufficient reason to allocate European funding to complete key projects. At the same time, we will accelerate and monitor the investments that will be made from the PNRR, where we also want a massive simplification of targets and milestones. All of this is aimed at receiving 15-17 billion euros on the PNRR and the Cohesion Fund by December 31, 2026, amounts that would be sent by Brussels after the approval by ECOFIN in the meeting of October 10 of the official version of the PNRR for the last year of implementation”.

• MIPE officials, trip to the Côte d'Azur on European funds

During the press conference, Minister Dragoş Pîslaru declared that he no longer tolerates the waste of European funds allocated to Romania, offering in this regard a negative example even from within the Ministry of Investments and European Projects (MIPE). The Head of MIPE stated that he had initiated the procedure for the dismissal of a director and for the investigation by the Disciplinary Commission of several employees, who were to go on external trips - motivated as trainings - to Nice (on the Côte d'Azur, in France) and Larnaca (in Cyprus) on European funds.

Dragoş Pîslaru specified that the respective trips, called trainings, were organized by the Bucharest-Ilfov Regional Intermediary Body and provided for the travel of a total of 30 people who were to be accommodated in Nice and Larnaca in 4-5 star hotels.

Minister Pîslaru stated: "We had an internal circular in the ministry on this subject, and we explicitly communicated that no one is going on a state trip. I found out on Friday when, indeed, the two trips were canceled. Well, on Monday, when I was in Brussels, I was informed that the director had given himself leave and approved the leave for other colleagues who were on the list of participants in this training, others asked to participate in teleworking, so I checked with the transport company and a number of seven participants in this training left for Nice with plane tickets that had already been repurchased. Therefore, today I ordered the dismissal of the respective director. At this moment, the director will find out that when he returns from Nice, he will return without being a director anymore. Moreover, I requested disciplinary complaints for all colleagues who went on this trip on public money."

According to the head of MIPE, the expenses for the two trips amounted to 535,000 lei, an expense that was to be borne from the allocations we receive for technical assistance in order to implement projects financed by the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+). Dragoş Pîslaru declared yesterday that he would no longer allow European funds to be spent on unnecessary things, but only for the benefit of citizens, as we are talking about money from the European Union budget, a budget made up of contributions from member states, contributions that come from state budgets, that is, from people's taxes and duties.