Bucharest will have a special expert in the Unit Romania of DG Regio (Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy - ed.n), European Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Cretu and Mayor of Bucharest Gabriela Firea announced on Friday during a joint press conference. Corina Cretu stressed the importance of a better coordination between the City Hall, the district mayoralties, the ministries and the managing authorities, so that the projects with European funding can be submitted in due time and the European Commission analyse them as soon as possible and the works get started.
"From our point of view, it is clear that these are complex, large projects that need assistance - external as well - in order to be drawn up, which is why we have decided that for Bucharest too, we would have a special expert in the DG Regio Unit Romania. There are projects that Romania has not implemented before. I am a strong supporter of this concept of exchange of best practices, and the administrative capacity is far more important in my opinion than money itself," the Commissioner said.
Gabriela Firea recalled that when taking over the mandate of general mayor she identified a series of projects with European funds that were blocked. She organized working groups, which led to the completion of the following: Piata Sudului Underpass, Triumphal Arch and the Astronomical Observatory rehabilitation works. "We currently have several projects also financed through European funds: at the Glina sewage treatment plant, a project blocked for four years. The Capital's City Hall experts, with whom I have held consultations and who work every day at this project, have finally managed to restore it, put it back on track," the mayor stated.
Gabriela Firea also said that the rehabilitation of the district heating network, which would benefit from 187 million euro from European funds, has also been a blocked project. As far as the mobility projects are concerned, Gabriela Firea stressed that these are up to 300 million euro, of which 209 million euro are eligible from European funds and 91 million euro come from co-financing on behalf of the municipality. In this regard, the mayor mentioned the following: the purchase of 100 trams, 100 trolleybuses and 100 hybrid and electric buses; the rehabilitation of tramways; bicycle lanes (worth 25 million euro, the construction of four park and ride parking lots).
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