Last week, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Bucharest (Romania) charged three individuals with fraud, following an investigation into projects for the modernisation of irrigation systems, supported by the EU, https://www.eppo.europa.eu/ informs. The suspects, who are accused of unduly receiving an advance of €1.2 million, were informed of the charges and of their rights and obligations. At issue are three organisations, which obtained support from Romania’s Agency for Financing Rural Investments (AFIR) for four projects to modernise existing irrigation systems in the municipalities of Buc?ani, Galicea and Olanu, in Vâlcea County. The total amount of the grants for the four projects was approximately €4 million euros (RON 18 575 634,53), in non-reimbursable funds. An advance payment of €300 000 euro (RON 1 399 050.50) was made for each of the four projects. Our investigation showed that false or inaccurate documents were used for the four projects, both when they were submitted to obtain funding and during their execution. Moreover, based on the evidence, the beneficiaries of the funds used the majority of the advance payment for their own benefit, and not for the purpose for which they had been granted. The investigation is ongoing, in order to ascertain the extent of the suspected criminal activities. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) is the independent public prosecution office of the European Union. It?is responsible for investigating, prosecuting and bringing to judgment crimes against the financial interests of the EU.?
A new CURS poll published on Sunday, June 29, shows that if local elections were held in Bucharest next Sunday, reformist party USR would obtain 27%, followed by the Social Democratic Party (PSD) with 22%, and far-right party Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) with 18%. The National Liberal Party (PNL) comes in fourth, […]
Last week, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Bucharest indicted three individuals for an EUR 100 million fraud in a case involving both EU and national funds. Among those indicted is an Italian citizen, alleged to be the leader of the group, which operated between 2019 and 2024. The suspect was detained on February […]
The number of building permits for residential buildings increased by 0.6% in the first five months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, with 14,134 such permits issued, according to data published Monday by the National Institute of Statistics. Increases were recorded in the Western region (+166 permits), Center (+70), North-West (+68), South-East […]
Cluj-Napoca, a major city in Romania’s Transylvania region, is taking a step toward becoming a more animal-friendly city, as a new proposal allowing pets in public institutions has been opened for public debate. Mayor Emil Boc announced the initiative, stating, “A city that is friendly to animals is a better city for people.” The draft […]
The president of S.O.S. Romania, Diana Iovanovici Șoșoacă, announced on Monday, June 30, that three senators were expelled from the party, effectively disbanding the party’s group in the Senate. According to the Romanian Parliament’s regulations, a party must have more than seven members to establish a group in the Senate. With the expulsion of the […]
Chinese social media platform TikTok has reportedly opened a branch in Romania, following public criticism, along with governmental and EU-level scrutiny, after Romania’s last presidential elections. The local company is called Tik Tok Romania, has a share capital of RON 5,000, and provides other IT-related service activities. It will be managed by Laura Andreea Savu, […]
