The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Timisoara (Romania) arrested three suspects yesterday, including two public officials, in an investigation into a criminal scheme that obtained €2.2 million in EU funds for pastures, https://www.eppo.europa.eu/ informs. One of the individuals detained is a sheep breeder who owns a large estate in Romania. According to the investigation, he set up a criminal scheme to obtain EU subsidies for pastures that were ineligible for funds, using public officials from Romania’s paying agency to facilitate the process. Based on the evidence, between 2018 and 2023, the sheep breeder used employees to identify pastures which he did not own and to lease them in the name of his parents and of a commercial company controlled by him, in order to fraudulently obtain EU funds. It is understood that public officials from Romania’s Agency for Payments and Intervention in Agriculture (APIA) – Hunedoara County Centre colluded in the scheme. According to the investigation, the sheep breeder submitted requests for subsidies regarding land that he did not own, or requested support to larger areas than the ones submitted. In addition, he is alleged to have submitted requests for forested areas that are not eligible for support, by enlisting the help of public officials from the APIA. In this manner, the suspect obtained approximately €2.2 million (RON 11 211 935.22) in agricultural EU funds. An additional request for approximately €1.6 million (RON 8 293 626 ) was submitted to the APIA, but the funds were not disbursed, thanks to the timely investigation of the EPPO. The European Delegated Prosecutor in charge of the investigation ordered the detention of the three suspects for 24 hours, and he will request their preventive arrest. In addition, eight more individuals were charged, including another five public officials. In order to compensate the damage to the EU budget, a freezing order was issued. The investigative measures counted on the support of the Anticorruption General Directorate - County Anticorruption Service Timis (Directia Generala Anticoruptie – Serviciul Judetean Anticoruptie Timis) and the Arad County Police Inspectorate - Economic Crimes Investigation Service (Inspectoratul de Politie Judetean Arad – Serviciul de Investigare a Criminalitatii Economice). The investigation is ongoing, in order to ascertain the extent of the suspected criminal activities. All persons involved are presumed innocent until proven guilty by the competent Romanian courts of law.
German company Henkel, with over 500 employees in Romania, has opened a new headquarters in Bucharest, marking a fresh chapter in its three-decade presence in the local market. The space blends Henkel’s “Smart Work” concept with Romanian cultural design elements inspired by Constantin Brâncuși and traditional motifs, while a dedicated quiet zone pays tribute to […]
A couple of years ago, Romania’s Defense Ministry concluded a USD 400 million deal with Israeli company Elbit for the development of seven Watchkeeper X systems, which will be used to detect Russian operations near the border areas. The drones will be delivered in a few months, according to the manufacturer, as reported by Digi24. […]
Ruling on the draft law on the disbursement of privately-managed pensions, namely 2nd and 3rd Pillars, inked by the Financial Supervisory Authority (ASF), promoted by the Romanian government and approved with amendments by the Parliament, the Constitutional Court (CCR) concluded that the capping the single payment granted before the start of the monthly payments to […]
The revised bill that bans the cumulation of the public pension of a special (non-contributive) nature with a wage paid in the budgetary sector, currently available for public debate, will be amended so as to restrict the exceptions provisioned in the original form, labor minister Florin Manole said, according to
The Romanian business community reiterated its firm call to decision-makers to eliminate the minimum turnover tax (IMCA), in view of the discussions on the construction of the state budget for 2026, according to a statement signed by more than 100 employers' federations, business associations, and chambers of commerce in Romania. The Romanian government will address […]
Romanian president Nicusor Dan reiterated in a speech at the 2025 Digital Governance Summit organised by Edge Institute at Cotroceni Palace and published on the Presidency's webpage, thus making it somewhat official, an invitation addressed to the "private community" to draft regulations and sectoral policies that the state is unfortunately unable to design, such as […]
