MAE issues new warning

Romania stands little chances to benefit this year from non-reimbursable financing for the Sapard Programme, worth 150m euros per year, as the Agriculture Ministry rejected MAE (Foreign Ministry) initiative to set up a new institution to manage these funds, reads a statement released on Tuesday by the Ministry headed by Petre Roman.

According to MAE statement, Romania is not likely to benefit from non-reimbursable financing for the programme this year, because of “delays” and the misconception concerning the specific goals of the Sapard Agency that will manage the flow of foreign funds.

This is the second time MAE issues a warning on the risk of losing Sapard financing. “So much more serious is the fact that the Agriculture Ministry does not promote actions aimed at taking over the pre-accession financial instrument Sapard in due time, especially as European Commission representatives have repeatedly mentioned the delays and difficulties faced within this community programme,” reads MAE statement.