State institutions do not consider holding accountable those responsible for delays in the implementation of the NRRP
The Foundation for the Defense of the Citizen Against State Abuses (FACIAS) has called on Romanian state representatives to transparently communicate details on the administrative and disciplinary responsibility of employees who are guilty of failing to meet the objectives and milestones set by the NRRP, with the consequence of losing the money allocated to Romania on them.
In the framework of the project "Transparency and Accountability - Monitoring the NRRP", FACIAS monitors the implementation of the investments and reforms set out in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) and the way the money from the NRRP are spent (contracts concluded, companies obtaining funds, projects financed, expenditure, etc.). FACIAS has requested information from the state institutions on holding accountable officials responsible for not meeting the 2022 milestones - i.e. quarters I, II and III of the NRRP and how to sanction those responsible.
From the reply received from the Ministry of Transport, it appears that the administrative liability of the persons responsible for non-compliance with the NRRP milestones has not been discussed to date. However, other ministries have informed us that the administrative and disciplinary liability is in line with the specific legislation on the management of European funds.
On October 15, 2022, Romania was due to submit its second payment request to the European Commission, thus benefiting from new sources of funding. In the same way as all the stages of this project, this deadline has also been missed, with public statements by representatives of the Ministry of European Investment and Projects suggesting that the new deadline for submitting this request is mid-November.
However, Romania managed to submit the second payment request two months late, just a few days before the deadline set by the European Commission regulation, which stipulates that two payment requests per year can be requested.
There is still a risk that Romania will lose money from the NRRP if the maximum 6-month deadline for implementing certain projects is exceeded, as the European Commission's decision is crucial.
FACIAS believes that all those who have contributed to the poor management and implementation of the projects must be held accountable and charged. In this regard, FACIAS will ask for the sanctioning of the responsible persons in each institution involved in this large process, who have shown carelessness and lack of competence.
The Romanian state has taken on a project that it fails to manage effectively and has promised Romanian citizens results and benefits, and these are late in coming.
There is no communication, no accountability and no sanctions!
FACIAS, as a member of CIVICUS (World Alliance for Citizen Participation), FRA (European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights) and FoE (Friends of Europe), will continue its mission to defend citizens against abuses of the state and will demand sanctions for the lack of responsiveness, professionalism and transparency.
FACIAS Press Office