The government will accelerate payments of European funds and energy investments, in order not to lose funds, claims interim Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, who also holds the Energy portfolio on an interim basis, in a post on Facebook.
“When I took over the interim position at the Ministry of Energy, I asked for a status of investment projects, to see how much money had been paid, how many payment requests were under analysis and where the files were. So that we could take measures to complete the investments by August and not lose the European money. I saw that we have money, we have projects, but we have blockages and problems that delay the works. On the European funds from the PNRR, this year, in the first 4 months, payments of 60 million euros were made (payment status chart). There are still 135 million euros requested for payment, in 82 unprocessed requests, many submitted for months. From last year, the majority, and a few from 2024 (attached chart, by quarters)”, claims Bolojan.
“We still have 4 months to finish the work and make payments. We would still have to pay over 400 million euros, without the submitted and unresolved applications. The delays are long, and the conclusion is simple: it is not enough to have funding. We need to have organization, fast processing and payments made on time. Otherwise, the work will not be finished and we may lose the European funds,” he added.
The government promised to allocate “more people to verification and payments, from the ministry” and to increase the approval rate for those involved in the verification process. Bolojan also claims that the way of working with European Bank (EIB) experts will be changed, to reduce the time for verifying payments, and that “support (with personnel) from the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of European Projects will be created, to unblock legal approval and verification of applications.”
The remuneration granted to the staff involved in the allocation of European funds will also be modified.
“This week, we will also change the way in which bonuses are awarded to those who work on European funds (up to 40% of the salary),” Bolojan added.
“Until now, these bonuses were not awarded based on achievements, but based on the annual grade obtained for the previous year. The bonus was awarded at the maximum, because almost everyone has the grade of “very good”.
We will introduce monthly evaluations, and the bonus will be linked to deliverables: files resolved, payments released, deadlines met. We are not eliminating incentives for colleagues who work. We are eliminating their ex officio payment. Those who deliver must be rewarded. Those who do not deliver cannot receive the same benefits just because, on paper, everything looks “very good”. By the end of August, in order to recover the delays and not lose European funds, effort and good organization are needed.
In the next two weeks, we will make payments of over 60 million euros. “The amount paid will be made public weekly,” the prime minister concluded.
