Corina Cretu: Over 60 pct of public investments in Romania made through EU funds

European Commissioner Corina Cretu stated, during the Structural Funds Gala on Monday, that over 60 percent of Romania’s public investments are made using European funds, according to Agerpres.

Corina Cretu said: “It is our duty to fight for the cohesion policy, which in my opinion is the most visible in people’s day-to-day life. If you want me to talk about results we’ve had until now, there are certainly a lot of negative things, but I think there were also a lot of achievements. These 129 projects represent only a part of the many successes we’ve had. Like I was saying, for Romania, the cohesion policy is a decisive element for the country’s development.”

Cretu thinks that the cohesion policy should continue to support European citizens, because European financing is a sign of a financial solidarity.

She also mentioned the fact that the GDP of Bucharest is higher than the European average thanks to EU funds.

“I trust the Romanian authorities to understand the importance of these aspects, to accelerate access to European money, and also to support the Commission’s proposals for a strong cohesion policy”, Cretu added.

Cohesion policy (regional policy) is one of the most important and complex of the European Union, with the purpose of reducing economic, social and territorial disparities between the various regions and member states of the EU.

The Cohesion fund has a budget of EUR 351.8 billion – about a third of the EU’s entire budget. It is an essential component of the Multianual Financial Framework in this program period, and the main investment instrument to serve the objectives of the EU.