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The level of absorption of European funds that the Rural Investment Financing Agency (AFIR) can reach by the end of the year will not be higher than 57.78%, Agriculture Minister Adrian Oros said on Thursday.
At a news conference in Botosani, he contradicted his predecessor Petre Daea, who argued that AFIR will reach an absorption rate of 80%.
"While thing are going well at the Agency for Agricultural Payments and Intervention (APIA), at AFIR we are still evaluating. The European Commission evaluates every year the developments in pillar II, of AFIR. What are the conclusions? We are failing to meet a single stage indicator of interventions , if the [European] Commission accepts the payment amounts sent in the third quarter and the fourth quarter, we will reach an absorption level of 57.78% and not 80% as my colleague who held this position until November 4 said," the minister stated.
He also said that AFIR has funded projects worth over 100 million euros which implementation is seriously delayed.
"Moreover, there are projects in transition, from 2007-2014, that have not yet been completed, of over 100 million euros. Our opinion and the Commission's was that these should have been the first ones to be prioritised and then other projects started. Of course, there was something else being wanted," added Oros.
