The European Commission has adopted two decisions Tuesday, issuing a positive preliminary assessment to lift the suspension of payment of €714 million to Portugal, and €37.2 million to Romania (net of pre-financing), after acknowledging the progress made in implementing their respective recovery and resilience plans. This comes after earlier suspensions, where the Commission had found certain milestones and targets had not been satisfactorily fulfilled in Portugal ‘s third and fourth payment request, and Romania's second payment request. €37.2 million following measures promoting the green transition in Romania The Commission had found that two specific milestones in Romania's second payment request had not been satisfactorily fulfilled. This had led to a withheld amount of €53.4 million. After the initial suspension, Romania was encouraged to take action over a 6-month period. The Commission has now found that Romania has taken measures to ensure that part of the outstanding milestones have now been satisfactorily completed. Specifically, in June 2023, milestone 129, related to green hydrogen production capacities, along with milestone 133, concerning investment in less carbon-intensive heat generation facilities, were initially deemed as not satisfactorily met. The suspension mechanism allowed the country to receive a partial payment for the milestones and targets that had been satisfactorily fulfilled, while giving it additional time to meet the remaining outstanding requirements. Making use of the extended timeframe, Romania implemented a series of effective actions, which have accelerated the decarbonisation of its industry. The Commission concluded that milestone 133 is now satisfactorily fulfilled. Accordingly, it now proposes to unlock €17.8 million** corresponding to this milestone. In relation to milestone 129, the Commission notified Romania that it continued to consider the milestone as not entirely satisfactorily fulfilled, while recognising the progress made in its completion. Romania now has two months to send further observations to the Commission, after which the release of the outstanding amount related to milestone 129 may still be decided. Romania's overall recovery plan, amounting to €28.5 billion in grants and loans, encompasses a series of reforms and investments to strengthen its economy. The Commission has disbursed over €9.41 billion to Romania, which corresponds to 33% of all the funds in the Romanian plan*, with 14% of all the milestones and targets in the plan fulfilled.
Ten non-governmental organizations in Romania have issued a joint letter criticizing the executive for the emergency ordinance adopted on Thursday, January 16, which provides sanctions, including a turnover tax, for social media giants that fail to obey rules regarding electoral ads. Another government measure under fire from the opposition limits voting in the diaspora according […]
Dacia, part of the French Renault group, will launch several electric models to compete with Chinese brands for the affordable EV car market in Europe. The first electric model will be the next Sandero, which will appear sometime at the end of 2027, the brand's director, Denis Le Vot, said on Thursday, according to Reuters. […]
Happy 2025, dear Insiders, may it be a good year! And let it start with classics, some universal, some underground. Italian director Federico Fellini is one of the biggest names in the history of the medium. To say he was very influential is an understatement. He has his own adjective (Fellini-esque) while scenes from his […]
Romanian national airline Tarom announced the establishment of a new company, Tarom Tehnic, dedicated to providing maintenance and repair services for civilian aircraft, specializing in Boeing, Airbus, and ATR models. The new company is expected to generate revenues of up to EUR 10 million in its first year of operation, according to estimates from the […]
Romania has been named the special guest country at the 2026 Cairo International Book Fair, the Ministry of Culture announced. The event will coincide with the celebration of 120 years of Romanian-Egyptian diplomatic relations. According to the ministry, the news was shared by Dr. Ahmed Fouad Hano, Egypt's minister of culture, during a press conference […]
Bucharest has started implementing a special recycling project that directly benefits stray animals. In Tineretului, Floreasca, and Circului parks, eco-friendly vending machines have been installed to provide food and water for stray cats in exchange for recycling bottles and aluminum cans. “Street cats lead a hard life, especially in winter. Food is essential for their […]
