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Prime Minister Ludovic Orban said Monday morning, during a visit at the site of the Steaua Stadium, that in 2014 Romania pledged to complete four stadiums to serve as venues for the EURO 2020 matches to be played in Bucharest, but that he now finds that "almost nothing" has been done in four years.
''The purpose of my presence here is to make sure that these works we committed to complete can be completed. In 2014 we pledged to fulfill a set of requirements in order to be able to organize the four matches of the 2020 European Championship. Virtually one can say that almost nothing has been done in four years, although everyone knew we have a set of commitments to fulfill," said Ludovic Orban.
He added that he cannot imagine that the project of the railway that will link the Bucharest North Station to the Otopeni Airport could be permanently halted by a court ruling.
"Beside the stadiums, we also have other commitments that are related to the completion of the Otopeni Airport, of the railway which is currently facing a possible standstill because of a lawsuit. We hope to get the project unlocked, this morning I discussed with the Transport minister the ways to solve the issues with the airport project and the completion of the railway works. The builder cannot complain of lack of work front, except for that land plot under litigation the court will have to decide on. Anyway, I cannot imagine a ruling that would not allow the carrying out of the works. As far as we are concerned, we must make sure that all the works that have started will be carried out according to schedule, and that at least the works that can be completed are really completed," Orban said.
Premier Ludovic Orban, accompanied by Minister of Youth and Sports Ionut Stroe, honorary adviser to the Prime Minister Gheorghe Popescu and the manager of the National Investment Company (CNI) Manuela Patrascoiu, visited Monday morning the site of the Bucharest 'Steaua' Stadium to check on the progress of the works.
Romania was selected to host four matches of the 2020 European Championship on the Bucharest National Arena. UEFA called on the 12 host countries to also make available another four international grade stadiums for the official training sessions of the national teams. The four venues Romania has chosen to upgrade are the Triumphal Arch, Steaua, Rapid and the Dinamo stadiums.
For legal reasons, the works at the Dinamo stadium are delayed and in the end the new arena will most likely be built on the site of the sport facility's velodrome. The backup variants are the arenas in Ploiesti, Giurgiu, Voluntari and Mogosoaia.
Bucharest will host three Group C matches and one match of the round of 16, which will be played on the National Arena on June 14, 18, 22 and 29, 2020. If it qualifies for the EURO 2020 tournament, Romania's national team will play at least two matches in Bucharest.
