MIPE Head:Fourth payment request,under negotiation with Commission, trying to increase value to 5.7 billion euros

Payment request number four is currently under negotiation with the European Commission and we are trying to increase its value from 2.68 billion euros to 5.7 billion euros, Minister of Investments and European Projects, Marcel Bolos, declared on Friday in a press conference."The preparation of the fourth payment request is currently under negotiation with the European Commission, because we are discussing a restructured payment request, namely increasing the number of milestones from 46 to 95, trying to advance some of the milestones that have already been met and at the same time increase the value of this fourth payment request, from 2.680 billion euros, as it is currently in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, to 5.7 billion euros. If the renegotiations and procedures with the European Commission proceed at the pace we have proposed, we are discussing an increase in this value of the payment request by three billion euros. It is an important payment request both from the perspective of its value, but also from the perspective of the reforms it includes. We are talking about the tax reform, the pollution tax for means of transport, the Energy Law, with the secondary legislation that we have to approve before submitting the Payment Request, the justice laws, the Urban Planning Code together with the electronic platform for implementing these regulations, the Forestry Code together with the decision to reorganize Romsilva and, of course, the hydrogen strategy and the biodiversity strategy," Bolos specified.The relevant minister emphasized that another important point to be resolved regarding the Fourth Payment Request is the entry into force of the Single Wage Law."Also in connection with Payment Request Four, the Single Wage Law is proposed for postponement until the last payment request that we will have in connection with the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. As you know, it is an important reform for the public sector, but its entry into force is conditioned by the budget deficit target, which must be below 5%, for the single wage law to enter into force.Romania currently has three milestones in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) suspended for payment, and the deadline for their resolution is November 28, 2025, according to the quoted minister. The first suspended milestone is related to the operationalization and functioning of the Authority for Monitoring Performance Indicators of Public Enterprises, the second targets company administrators from the Ministry of Energy, and the third special pensions.The amount of 1.279 billion euros, approved by the European forum for Payment Request number 3, is expected to enter the Treasury by June 10.   According to minister Bolos, Romania currently has three suspended payments under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), with the deadline for the resolution of the respective milestones being November 28, 2025."The first suspended milestone is the one related to the operationalisation and functioning of the Authority for Monitoring and Evaluation of the Performances of Public Enterprises, as the institution with the abbreviated name AMEPIP is known, for which 330 million euros are currently suspended, and by November 28, 2025, we will resolve this milestone number 440, namely the selection and appointment of the AMEPIP management according to the criteria and standards imposed by the European Commission," Bolos mentioned.The second milestone that has been suspended is related to the management of companies subordinated to the Ministry of Energy, 43 of which are currently revoked."The suspended amount is 227 million euros and we are in the following situation: procedures resumed for the appointment of the management of eight companies - Nuclearelectrica, Hidroelectrica, Romgaz, Oil Terminal, Conpet, CE Oltenia, Midia Green Energy and CNCIR. Those that have not been resumed are at the Romania's Energy Participation Management Company - SAPE, Electrocentrale Craiova, Eurotest, Radioactiv Magurele and our Institute of Mineral Resources in the Energy Domain," said the dignitary.According to the relevant minister, regarding the third milestone, which concerns special pensions, Romania has suspended the amount of 231 million euros."For the special pension component - Milestone 215, 231 million euros are suspended. Currently, the draft normative act regarding the equity component in the field of special pensions for magistrates is being debated in committees in the Romanian Senate (...) Also, the calculation basis for determining the amount of special pensions has remained, at least for now, let's see what will change during the plenary debates in the Romanian Senate, at 85% of net income," the official stressed.Minister Bolos also specified that the amount of 1.279 billion euros, approved by the European forum for Payment Request number 3, would enter the Treasury by June 10."On Wednesday, the European Commission issued decision 3487 of 28/05/2025 by which it approved, in relation to payment request number three, the payment of the amount of 1.279 billion euros, of which the grant component is 622 million euros, and the loan component is 657 million euros. Also, by the same decision, the European Commission decided to suspend the amount of 869 million euros, of which the grant component is 814 million euros and the loan component is 55 million euros. The consequence of adopting this decision, which is one with a good component for what it means for the receipts to the Romanian state budget, is that the six-month term for the suspended amount of 869 million euros runs from May 28, 2025 and expires on November 28. We expect the amount of 1.279 billion euros from the European Commission in the Treasury by the 10th June," said Bolos.In his view, the stake in the renegotiation of the PNRR is "replacing investments with a slower implementation pace.""The stake is the replacement of investments with a slower implementation pace, with investments that are financed from the state budget or from our national programmes, so that we can protect our financial interests and not be affected by any penalties we would have for not implementing the investments," explained Marcel Bolos.