Johannes Hahn (in picture, right), Member of the EC in charge of Regional Policy, spoke of the his confidence in Romania's new minister for European Funds Eugen Teodorovici (in picture, left) after their first meeting in Brussels yesterday (January 17 ). Hahn described 2013 as a crucial year for Romania, saying that with the political crisis Romania had “lost momentum” last year. He said that Romania must absorb EUR 5 billion in EU funds to avoid losing them.

However, the Commissioner said that he was confident that Romania would be able to absorb the funds, saying success was in both Romania's and the EU's interests. According to Johannes Hahn, the EU funds will help Romania create growth and new jobs, as well as helping to secure existing jobs for Romanians.

“I want to reassure Romanians that Europe is at your side,” said Commissioner Hahn. He said it was not in the EU's interests to save the money but rather to see it spent in a “sustainable, intelligent, smart way.” The Commissioner said that Romania has one of the most attractive markets for European companies. Johannes Hahn concluded with a reference to the interruption of payments of EU funds, but said he was confident that problems of the past could be overcome.

Liam Lever, liam@romania-insider.com

photo source: ec.europa.eu