PM asks local authorities to get involved in use of European funds; 2022 budget, also discussed

Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca called for accountability and involvement of local authorities in the use of European funds, during the meetings he had on Friday with their representatives. Consultations were also held, in the same context, on the completion of the state budget draft for next year, according to a press release of the Executive.

The head of Executive had, together with the Minister of Finance, Adrian Caciu, the Minister of Development, Public Works and Administration, Attila Cseke, and the head of the Chancellery, Mircea Abrudean, separate meetings with the representatives of the Romanian National Association of County Councils, and the Association of Romanian Rural Towns.

Through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027, Romania will benefit from almost 80 billion euros.

Representatives of the local administration raised the issue of facilitating access to funding from European funds, requesting support from the Government to ensure co-financing of projects.

According to the Executive, it was agreed to establish a support mechanism, respectively the formation of administrative consortia that would offer the local communities the expertise of some specialists in the field of absorption of European funds, Agerpres.ro informs.

The consultations focused on the draft state budget for next year, discussing the mechanisms for allocating government financial support to local budgets and balancing the amounts allocated to them.

The PM pointed out that today, in the Government, it will be decided to reduce the VAT to 5pct for the supply of thermal energy, both for the population and for schools, hospitals and other public institutions, a measure that will be applied during the winter months, to mitigate price growth.

Financing the local transport of students and the payment of scholarships, financing of the child protection system and public centres for people with disabilities, the provision of the necessary funds for the allowances of personal assistants of people with disabilities, the financing of nurseries were other topics of discussion.

During the meetings, the Minister of Development, Public Works and Administration, Attila Cseke, presented the "Anghel Saligny" National Investment Programme, in which context the projects submitted by the local authorities in the perspective of financing through this mechanism were analyzed.