Fifteen locations in Bucharest, Gorj, Giurgiu and the Danube Delta area were searched on May 24 upon the request of the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), as part of an investigation on supposed frauds with European funds with prejudices of over 3 million euros, a press release of the European institution informs. EPPO suspects three persons of setting up an organized criminal group in 2018 for fraud with European funds meant to develop the Danube Delta (Regional Operational Program 2014-2020). For that, the suspects organized a fraud mechanism by means of 7 companies, which they controlled either directly or by proxy.Two of the suspects laid the disposal of the group four companies which had fraudulently accessed European funds which they used in other areas outside the Danube Delta.Suspects had a system which, based on fake documents, created false facts about project implementation, the existence of financial resources from personal contribution to projects and the transparent organization of purchase procedures, whose manipulation led to an artificial price increase. The third suspect supplied equipment (bought with 70% European funds) to the four companies controlled by the other two people, at over evaluated prices, the difference between the real price and the one declared to managing authorities remaining at the disposal of the group. In order to over estimate the equipment value three other companies were used, all of them controlled by a third suspect. The equipment was imported to Romania by the first company and then it was sold, at a much higher price, to the second one, registered in Bulgaria. The latter sold it at even higher prices to firms controlled by the other two members of the group. In order to create an apparent justification for this price increase, a third firm was used, in whose accounts they transferred the sums resulting from price increases. The total prejudice is estimated to be 14,437,000 lei (about 3 million euros). The three suspects were indicted on Wednesday and bail was established for each of them, a total of 1.7 million euros. Searches were made with the aid of policemen from EPPO support structure in Romania, of the Economic Crime Investigation Department within IGPR, of IJP Gorj – the Economic Crime Investigation Service and the Special Task Force of Romanian Gendarmerie , EPPO press release shows.
Romania took the presidency of the Central European Initiative (or CEI) on Wednesday, November 26, according to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE). The organization is a regional intergovernmental forum established in 1989, following the fall of the Berlin Wall. It gathers 17 Member States in Central, Eastern, and South-Eastern Europe […]
Trade between Romania and Poland continues to grow, with annual bilateral exchanges in goods now valued at more than EUR 12 billion, according to figures presented by the Polish-Romanian Bilateral Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PRBCC). The data was released during a reception in Bucharest marking Poland’s Independence Day and Romania’s National Day. Polish investments […]
As Romania moves closer to implementing the EU Pay Transparency Directive, local employers are preparing for one of the most consequential shifts in workplace regulation in over a decade. The directive, set for transposition by June 2026, introduces strict new rules on salary disclosure, pay reporting, and equal-pay verification, aiming to close persistent gender gaps […]
A young Romanian has developed a new system that allows people to return entire bags of recyclable packaging at once, replacing the traditional method of inserting bottles one by one into reverse-vending machines. The concept, called IZI, was created by Ștefan Parascanu, who returned to Romania after studying and working in the United Kingdom. The […]
JTI, the global owner of both Winston and Camel, announced on Thursday, November 27, a plan to build a new, state-of-the-art factory in Ștefăneștii de Jos, Ilfov County. Designed to replace the current Bucharest production site, which is operating under space constraints, the facility is scheduled for completion in 2027. Ground works at the new […]
The City Hall of Oradea, in northwest Romania, has begun installing new smart parking meters as part of its ongoing modernization and digitalization of the municipal parking system. The first batch of devices has already been placed in central areas, and the entire system is expected to become operational by the end of the year. […]
