Romania’s agriculture minister Achim Irimescu said that the ministry would examine the way the EU funds have been spent, as well as their effects in rural areas, given that over the years the agencies that manage the EU funds for agriculture and rural development have recorded penalties of over EUR 755 million as well as decommitment of almost EUR 1 billion of the Rural Development National Plan.

“We have transferred many funds in rural areas, but I think we have yet to see their effects. Although we are not the most penalized (country) at EU level, we’ve asked for an analysis to see why we have reached this situation,” he said, reports local Agerpres.

The minister explained that some beneficiaries didn’t have money to implement the program thoroughly, and the agency gave them another chance to find money. Companies kept postponing, and almost EUR 800 million projects were cancelled by 2015.

“For us it’s serious because we could have made more investments in the rural area,” said the agriculture minister.

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