EU Commissioner Cretu says Romania not prepared enough to access European funds with quality projects

European Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Cretu stated on Monday in Bacau that Romania hasn't been sufficiently prepared to access European funds for quality projects ever since January 2007, when it joined the EU, mentioning as impediments, in terms of the delays that accumulated over time, the bureaucracy, the additional Romanian legislation in the area, but also the challenges with the court regarding the tenders with long settlement terms.

"I believe that Romania hasn't been sufficiently prepared to access these European funds with quality projects ever since 1 January 2007, when it joined the European Union. We have many delays accumulated throughout the years. We are in the field all the time, we come and draw alarm signals where needed, precisely in order to help. We have experts in the field who help local authorities, Romania's governments which, for us, don't bear a political color. We make sure that in all the member states, this money and this membership to the European Union are maximised and the implementation boosted in the field," European Commissioner Corina Cretu stated.

The European Commissioner is paying a visit on Monday and Tuesday to Bacau, together with Prime Minister Viorica Dancila, touring a series of European funding landmarks and attending the conference called "Urban investments in Europe: challenges for change."