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Meeting between MAI leadership and World Bank representatives on loans granted to the Ministry.
The status of the loans granted by the World Bank (WB) to the Interior Ministry (MAI) for the implementation of development policies regarding disaster risk management was the focus of Thursday's meeting between relevant Minister Catalin Predoiu, Secretary of State Bogdan Despescu and representatives of the Inspectorate General for Emergency Situations (IGSU), the General Inspectorate of Romanian Police (IGPR) and the General Inspectorate of Romanian Gendarmerie (IGJR) with World Bank Country Manager for Romania and Hungary, Europe and Central Asia Anna Akhalkatsi and several representatives of the financial institution, told Agerpres.
According to a MAI press release, the institution is implementing, with the support of the Finance Ministry, three projects fully financed by the World Bank through a loan guaranteed by the Romanian Government worth 232 million EUR. The main objective is to increase the disaster resilience of the infrastructure under the administration of the subordinate structures and is structured as follows: 142 million EUR for the IGSU; 50 million EUR for the IGPR; 40 million EUR for the IGJR.
"The projects make a significant contribution to institutional efforts to strengthen infrastructure and preparedness for critical emergency situations by improving the safety and resilience of critical buildings dedicated to disaster and emergency response and to enhance the capacity of the IGSU, the IGPR and the IGJR to respond promptly and effectively in such situations," the release states.
On the occasion of Thursday's meeting, the World Bank delegation presented to the MAI leadership the conclusions of the assessment mission, the state of implementation, as well as the immediate and long-term measures proposed to be taken in order to ensure the continuity of the programme.
The proposed measures are also likely to boost the increase in the level of commitments and payments under the projects and may provide the prerequisites, if necessary, for an eventual request for their extension.
"Interior Minister Catalin Predoiu thanked the representatives of the World Bank for their openness, underscored the strategic importance of the projects and emphasized the desire to continue and optimize them, taking into account, depending on the progress of ongoing projects, the development of new joint projects," the quoted source mentioned.
