Pislaru: 600 million euros for Romania

The Minister of Investments and European Projects, Dragos Pislaru, participated on Monday in a working meeting to negotiate the European and Norwegian Economic Area grants 2021-2028 together with representatives of donor states, respectively 600 million euros.

"600 million euros for Romania. Today (Monday, ed.) I started my working visit to Brussels with a very good meeting to negotiate the European and Norwegian Economic Area grants 2021-2028 together with representatives of the donor states. We are discussing 600 million euros on several axes such as green transition, local development, culture, research, justice, internal affairs, capacity development, innovation, business and small and medium-sized enterprises, etc.," the minister wrote on Monday evening, on his Facebook page.

He emphasized that this financing targets, for large cities, programs such as energy efficiency, urban mobility, public lighting, and for small ones, investments in health, social housing or centers for the elderly.

"This funding does not only concern important financial allocations for the benefit of Romania. In other words, it is not just about money, but about how we use this money in practice, learning from the experiences and innovation of our partners - Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland. For large cities, we are talking about energy efficiency programs, urban mobility and public transport, urban regeneration, public lighting, green spaces and biodiversity. For small localities, we are talking about investments in people's health, permanent primary health centers in rural communities and small towns, the inclusion of Roma people, social housing, centers for the elderly," explained Pislaru.

According to him, other very relevant components concern access to justice, combating organized crime, combating gender-based violence, prevention and preparedness for natural disasters, and many others.

To maximize the impact of these programs, Romania will benefit from the support and expertise of partner organizations from donor states - relevant ministries and authorities from Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland, but also from the involvement of the Council of Europe, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and other relevant entities.

"Their contribution will help us ensure that this impressive amount will create real results for the development of Romania and for the benefit of Romanians. We will continue these negotiations in the coming months, but I am hopeful that we will progress quickly and be able to sign the final memorandum of understanding as soon as possible," the minister said.