BIRN Fact-Check: Has Romania Made a Success of Post-Pandemic EU Funding?

In the final two weeks of August, Romania was suddenly awash with positive news. Almost every day brought reports of a renovated hospital or school, new stretches of motorways or railway lines, completed water and sewage networks, or newly rehabilitated public buildings. Authorities announced new green hydrogen production facilities, reforestation projects covering large areas of land and other investments, all presented as evidence of Romania’s rapid modernisation. The wave of announcements was driven mainly by the August 31 deadline for it to complete numerous projects financed through the European Union’s post-pandemic recovery programme, the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, PNRR. Authorities rushed to showcase projects launched, completed, or brought close to completion, often presenting them as tangible proof that Romania had successfully used the unprecedented EU funding made available after the pandemic. Subscribe to Balkan Insight Premium to read the full article. Please login to your account below if you are already a Premium Subscriber. Buy Premium Subscription Our Premium Service gives you full access to all content published on BalkanInsight.com, including analyses, investigations, comments, interviews and more. Choose your subscription today and get unparalleled in-depth coverage of the Southern and Eastern Europe. Buy Premium Subscription If you have trouble logging in or any other questions regarding you account, please contact us