Interim Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan stated in Timisoara on Monday that public investments must be made judiciously, noting that given the very large number of investment projects proposed for government funding in recent years the Executive has prioritized them and mandated co-financing from local authorities.
Ilie Bolojan gave this response to a question from the press regarding the funding of the future "Dan Paltinisanu" Stadium in Timisoara, for which the Timis County Council has already prepared its 25% share of the funds required to build the sports facility.
"Last year, we mandated a 25% co-financing contribution from local authorities; I am convinced that when a mayor or a county council president sizes a project whether it be a stadium, sports hall, or other asset knowing they must provide co-financing ensures they will determine the appropriate scale much more accurately. Without such co-financing requirements, we have seen and could continue to see, absent these measures investments that are oversized and disconnected from the reality of a given municipality; we encounter situations where towns have beautiful stadiums but no football teams, or where there are multiple stadiums yet the local team's performance and level of support are insufficient to fill even a single stadium for regular matches. Consequently, the requirement to allocate 25% strikes me as a matter of common sense," explained Ilie Bolojan.
The interim head of government explained that, secondly, it was necessary to postpone contracting for these stadiums due to significant financial pressures involved in supporting projects already underway, which are at 30% to 50% completion.
"The decision agreed upon with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Development is for this co-financing and state budget allocation mechanism to take effect on January 1, 2028, rather than January 1, 2027. This means that local authorities agreeing to this formula will sign a financing agreement stipulating that all work carried out until the end of 2027 will be funded from local budgets, after which the 75% (Government) / 25% (local budget) split will apply. I believe this was a sound measure, as it takes into account both the local authorities' desire to carry out the investment projects they wish to pursue and our budgetary capacity to provide the necessary co-financing," stated Ilie Bolojan.
Timis County Council President Alfred Simonis announced on Friday that the Romanian Government has committed to unblocking the construction of the new "Dan Paltinisanu" Stadium in Timisoara, on the condition that the costs of work carried out through the end of 2027 be covered by the county administration's budget.
"Once this government document is approved, the National Investment Company (CNI) can sign the design and construction contract with the winning bidder, and we can get to work. We at the County Council are ready. We are committing 126 million lei by the end of next year, while the remainder up to the total of 603 million lei will be covered by the CNI starting in 2028," stated Alfred Simonis.
The new "Dan Paltinisanu" Stadium will have a capacity of 32,000 seats, with covered stands, and will be the largest after the National Arena. AGERPRES
Comentează