Romania could receive an extra EUR 306 million from Norway, as the SEE Grants and Norwegian Grants programs have been extended until 2014. The funds will contribute to Romania's economic and social cohesion development. Money will go to areas like climate change, renewable energy, green industry innovation and in promoting the concept of decent work.

Romania received EUR 98.5 million in EEA and Norway Grants between 2004 and 2009. "Romania is the second poorest among the beneficiary states. At the same time, it is one of the more populous ones and receives significant shares of the overall EEA and Norway Grants", according to EAA. Money went to health and childcare, environment protection, protection of biodiversity in vulnerable natural areas. Programs funded with money from the EEA and Norway Grants include the conservation and restoration of the ethnographic heritage from ASTRA Museum - Dumbrava Sibiului, healthy parenting in collaboration with Save the Children, Land Administration Knowledge, prevention of child pornography, Conservation of the Historic Landscape of the Saxon Villages in Transylvania, Restoration and Revitalisation of the Butchers’ Fortress in Baia Mare, Restoration of the Gabroveni Inn in Bucharest, Developing Emergent Ecological Markets in Romania. Read about the recent projects in this document EEA and Norway Grants projects in Romania (pdf file).

The trade between Romania and Norway reached EUR 316 million at the end of September 2010.  The EEA is part of the EFTA – the European Free Trade Association; its members are Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. More about the EEA and the Norwegian grants here.

editor@romania-insider.com