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EU funds attracted under PNDR exceed 4.8 billion euros
The EU funds drawn by the Romanian rural environment have exceeded so far 4.8 billion euros, meaning an absorption rate of 55 percent, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Daniel Constantin said on Thursday at the launch of the information caravan on EU funds.
'So far, we have a contracted degree of 74 percent as far as EU funds under the National Rural Development Programme (PNDR) are concerned, and an absorption rate of 55 percent. This means that the capital infusion in the rural environment stands at 4.8 billion euros. In addition, we have over 130,000 projects tabled to the Agency of Payments for Rural Development and Fisheries (APDRP),' Constantin said.
He voiced optimism that Romania will be able to attract all the PNDR funds under the current financial scheme, but for this to happen, Romania should contract 110 percent of funds in 2013.
'We can access 100 percent of the EU funds on rural development in 2014 and 2015, but we should contract 110 percent of funds this year to make sure we attract all the EU funds. APDRP has made significant progress, and this is acknowledged also by the European representatives, because last autumn alone, the agency had seven audit missions from the European Commission in only three months and a half, and things went pretty good. We have to make sure we'll play everything by the book, without financial corrections,' Constantin said.
APDRP on Thursday launched the information campaign named PNDR Comes to Your Village that aims to properly inform the nationwide PNDR beneficiaries and increase the index of effective and correct absorption of the non-refundable funds under PNDR.