The leaders of Romania's ruling coalition decided at a meeting on June 3 to call on the European Commission to renegotiate the National Resilience Program (PNRR), a EUR 29.2 bln scheme to be completed by the end of 2026.

The ruling coalition wants to finance irrigation systems and more energy projects, arguing that the circumstances have changed since the Resilience program was drafted last year.

This time, the call came from the Liberal Party (PNL), which supervised the negotiation of the scheme with the European Commission last year.

"It is a difficult regional context, which heralds a food and energy crisis, so Romania will try to attract PNRR funds in these areas," Rareş Bogdan, first vice-president of the National Liberal Party (PNL), told G4Media.

The main elements to be revisited will be including irrigation systems among the financed projects, adding more energy projects, providing grants for the recapitalization of companies and modernising more hospitals.

The tentative deadline for PNRR renegotiation is the end of July. It means that the government has about two months to convince both the European Commission and the member states, given that amendments to the PNRR must also be approved unanimously by the EU Council (member states' representatives).

(Photo: Robbiverte/ Dreamstime)

andrei@romania-insider.com