CE cuts IT funds to Romania due to flaws in public acquisitions

At the end of last year, the European Commission cut the payment flow of EU funds to Romania on the Third Axis of the European Policy – Technological Development In Telecommunications for the Public and Private Sectors- part of the Operational Programme Increase of Economic Competitiveness (POS CCE) after finding flaws in public acquisitions made during certain European projects, according to Romania Libera.

Following an audit carried out by the European Commission, the EC sent a letter on December 23, 2014, announcing that it interrupted payments on the Third Axis – Technological Development In Telecommunications.

The Commission found flaws in the public acquisitions system in relation to the implementation of projects as part of this axis, according to the EC’s DG REGIO — Regional and Urban Policy, in a reply sent to Romania Libera.

The Ministry of European Funds confirmed the information but said the cut in funds is only a temporary measure.

“The payments were interrupted temporary, this being the standard procedure of the European Commission, applied in case of additional controls. The Ministry of European Funds, as the POS CCE Management Authority, will take all the steps to ensure that necessary controls are carried out. The verifications were required after the CE identified, as part of an audit mission, had some suspicions that the stipulations of the directive regarding public acquisitions by beneficiaries within the Third Axis POSCCE- Technological Development In Telecommunications for the public and private sector were broken,” the Ministry of European Funds said for Romania Libera.

According to the Ministry of European Funds, between 2007-December 31, 2014, the entire POS CCE reached an absorption rate of 56.94 percent, meaning EUR 1.45 million, in terms of money spent on European projects and requested by the European Commission, according to Hotnews.ro.

Otilia Haraga