Romania is prepared to absorb European funds - PM Tariceanu

Bucharest, Jan 25 /Rompres/ - The Government will examine at its meeting next week the first five operational programmes aimed at accessing the European funds, and at its meeting on February 7 it will analyse the last two ones as well, Prime Minister Calin Popescu-Tariceanu said after taking part in a gathering on the working out of the National Reference Strategic Framework and of the Sectoral Operational Programmes.

Thus, the executive will discuss next week the first five sectoral operational programmes referring transport, environment, resources, regional development and technical assistance, which it will then submit to the European Commission. The last two operational programmes related to the increased economic competitiveness and the development of the administrative capacity are to be approved at the government's meeting on Feb. 7.

The operational programmes should be handed in to the European Commission by end-January, but the prime minister explained the last two programmes must wait for the remarks Brussels has to make. The delay, therefore, is due to the position documents the European Commission has yet to outline and not to the relevant ministries, the premier stressed. The programmes are to get the Commission's approval in four months.

Tariceanu said the state budget provides for 455 million euros for the co-funding of the projects based on European funds and this amount ensures the access to some 3 billion euros worth of funds, taking into account a minimal co-funding obligation of 15 percent.

The premier said his presence at the meeting had sought to underscore that Romania is prepared to absorb the European funds and added he thus had wanted to reject the commentaries carried by the news media and made by some less competent persons from the administration or the political environment, who said the opposite.

[Source: Romanian National News Agency ROMPRES ]