Proskuryakova: WB has not received official communication from Government about cancellation of Ploiesti-Brasov motorway project

The World Bank has not received any official communication from the Government about the cancellation of the preparation project for the Ploiesti-Brasov motorway, Tatiana Proskuryakova, Country Manager for Romania and Hungary of the World Bank, stated on Friday, saying that she read in the press about this. 

If you read our strategy document, you will see that the investment in the Ploiesti - Brasov motorway is part of our strategy because we received a request from the Government in October or November last year to prepare this operation. I have now understood from the media that we have not received any official communication from the Government about canceling this operation. I understand from the press that the Government no longer wants to continue the project with the World Bank, but that it wants to prepare it by itself. I mean, first of all, I am disappointed because we have invested heavily in the preparation of this operation and we believe we have a very good plan. But what I want to point out here is that the World Bank project intended to prepare the investment, not necessarily to finance it. We have not had a discussion in recent days. I saw the news in the press when I was in Washington. I came back yesterday. We have not yet had a discussion with the Government, but, normally, it is the decision of the Government if it goes ahead with the project or not, Tatiana Proskuryakova told a conference organized by the institution. 

She mentioned that there is a large gap in terms of infrastructure in Romania, and the poor condition of the infrastructure is also due to the fact that the projects are not properly prepared. In fact, this is the reason why the absorption of European funds has been very weak during this programming period, says the head of the World Bank for Romania and Hungary, adding that the World Bank is not against the Government's wish to do things independently, as long as everything is be well prepared. 

Moreover, the World Bank official pointed out that a discussion is currently being held about using a 2005 feasibility study for a public-private partnership (PPP) and under these conditions she has serious doubts that this will work, "because 10 years is a very long period".