EXCLUSIVE How much money has Romania already spent from the NRRP since January? Ministry of Finance: ‘No money has been used’, ‘to be used’, and ‘no requests for funds have been received’/ Three institutions avoided direct answers and passed us from one institution to another 

Romania has so far not used any money received from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), more than seven months after receiving more than €3.79 billion. Three institutions questioned by Economedia avoided giving a clear answer, with subject and predicate, as to whether or not money from the NRRP has been spent and sent us from one to another. Only the Ministry of Finance responded, vaguely, on the various components, loans, and grants, that either „no money has been used”, or „no applications have been received”, or „is to” transfer money from PNRR grants, after investments are first paid from the state budget.

Romania has an allocation of €29.18 billion for the implementation of the NRRP, of which grants amounting to approximately €14.24 billion and loans amounting to €14.94 billion.

Our country has already received two pre-financing tranches totaling around €3.79 billion (13% of the total amount), in December 2021 and January 2022, which have been transferred to the Ministry of Finance’s accounts. This is €1.85 billion of non-reimbursable funds related to the NRRP, representing the 13% pre-financing of the grant component, and €1.94 billion, representing the 13% pre-financing of the loan component.

The National Bank of Romania ( BNR) referred us to the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of European Investment and Projects: „Since the Ministry of Finance is the holder of the NRRP funds and the Ministry of European Investment and Projects monitors the implementation of the NRRP, we believe that the relevant ministries can provide detailed answers to your questions”, the BNR replied to Economedia’s request. In February, the BNR detailed the inflows and outflows from the foreign exchange reserve at Economedia’s request but did not mention outflows related to the NRRP.

The Ministry of Investment and European Projects also avoided replying, and told us that Economedia’s request „has been redirected to the Ministry of Finance, the public institution responsible for dealing with your request and from which you will receive a reply”.

The Ministry of Finance replied after insistence and more than a month after the request, without giving a clear answer as to whether or not money from the NRRP had been spent. The institution replied only vaguely and partially.

Thus, according to the Ministry of Finance, out of the amount of the loan component, „no amounts were used to finance the state budget deficit and/or to refinance government public debt”.

At the same time, the Ministry of Finance states that „no estimates/requests for funds related to the grant component have been received from the reform and/or investment coordinators”.

In addition, the Finance Ministry also states that „once the beneficiaries have incurred the expenditure, the reform and/or investment coordinators shall authorise the expenditure and make the payment from the amounts allocated from the state budget, which shall then be replenished with amounts transferred by MF from the funds received from the European Commission for the grant component of the NRRP”.

Thus, the Finance Ministry states that either no amounts have been used from the PNRR or amounts are to be transferred.

By comparison, in February, the Ministry of Finance replied very clearly: ‘to date, no money has been spent, it is still fully in the account of the Ministry of Finance’.

Finally, the Ministry of Finance also referred us back to the Ministry of European Investments „for further information on the status of implementation of the NRRP projects”.

Earlier this month, the Ministry of Development announced that it had authorised the first payment request under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), amounting to 79,100 lei, for the rehabilitation and thermal efficiency of the City Hall building in the municipality of Fălticeni, Suceava county. However, the Ministry did not say whether this has been paid for.

G4Media.ro also previously reported that Romania had missed the first payment of €2.6 billion under the NRRP that it had wanted to make at the end of July. The European Commission said the outcome of the evaluation is postponed until September. Subsequently, the Ministry of European Projects said that it had resolved the Commission’s last request for this payment, relating to information on beneficiaries in the IT system, which allows the European Commission to go ahead with the payment request submitted by Romania.

The second application for payment from the NRRP will be submitted in the fall, according to Minister for European Investment and Projects Marcel Bolos.