Romanian Partnership Agreement with the European Union for the 2014-2020 programming period will be supported by the European Investment Bank’s loan of EUR 360 million. Growth-oriented investments will be financed under operational programmes targeting competitiveness, human capital and large-scale infrastructure, EIB said after the agreement was signed.
The loan will focus on energy, environmental improvement, research, development and innovation (RDI), information and communications technology (ICT), employment, education and social amenities. The package follows the EUR 1 billion National Strategic Reference Co-Financing Loan for transport and environmental projects provided under the 2007-2013 programming period and the EUR 300 million loan for environment sector projects under the Large Infrastructure Operational Programme during the 2014-2020 programming period, signed at EIB’s headquarters in Luxembourg on June 16.
At the same time, the EU bank has signed two project advisory support service agreements worth EUR 19 million, with the National Public Procurement Agency (ANAP) and the Ministry for European Funds. The first assists ANAP to establish a national public procurement strategy, part of the fundamental conditionality set by the EU for the current programming period. The second will support project implementation by beneficiaries under the EU’s Large Infrastructure Operational Programme (namely the National Roads and Motorways Company, the National Railway Company and water and waste sector beneficiaries, mainly including regional operational companies). EIB’s project advisory support – technical assistance programme provides advisory services to the managing authorities and beneficiaries of European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) in Romania under the 2014-2020 financial perspective.
“This EIB loan will co-finance priority public infrastructure projects with a total value of some EUR 7.7 billion, with strong expected economic growth effects under several EU operational programmes (mainly comprising RDI, ICT and social projects), and will underpin further structural transformation in the labour market by improving skillsets,“ EIB’s vice-president Cristian Popa stated. „The project advisory support service agreements represent the continuation of the EIB technical assistance underway since 2014. They will enhance the assistance already provided through Jaspers (Joint Assistance to Support Projects in European Regions) since 2008 to Romanian authorities, administrations and state enterprises with the objective of preparing high quality projects accelerating the absorption of EU funds under the current 2014-2020 programming period.“
