Absorption of EU funds sees a mere 0.2% rise despite PM threats

The drawing of European funds has been one of the criteria in the evaluation of ministers’ activities, as announced by premier Emil Boc, an evaluation meant to decide last night who was leaving and who was staying in the Government.
In July, the European funds absorption rate rose by just 0.2% against the preceding month, showing that, despite the Premier’s threats, things failed to improve. In all, Romania had absorbed a mere 10.3% (10.1% in June) of an overall 19.6 billion euros allocated by the EU to Romania for 2007-2013.
“Unfortunately, you have not been sufficiently incisive and tough with those implementing the projects. I would like to hear more accounts every day, every month, on local authorities or private operators that fail to absorb EU money, that do not spend EU money once the contracts have been signed. (…) The Prime Minister is the bad guy (…),” the Prime Minister said yesterday during the Government meeting, a few hours ahead of the meeting of PDL (Democratic Liberal Party) parliamentary groups where the ministers’ evaluation was due, as was a decision on who was to be replaced.
Since July 9th, when the Prime Minister announced that those who did not absorb EU funds would leave the Government, and up until the end of August, 197 million euros were paid out to EU fund beneficiaries, according to Government data.