Romania will receive nearly EUR 600 million under the new financing cycle of the EEA and Norway Grants, following the signing of new cooperation agreements with Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein. The funding will support projects ranging from green transition and innovation to social cohesion, democratic institutions, and civil society development.
Romanian investments and European projects minister Dragoș Pîslaru, Norwegian foreign minister Espen Barth Eide, and Iceland’s ambassador to Romania, Friðrik Jónsson, signed the agreements during an official ceremony held in Bucharest on Wednesday, May 13.
According to the Romanian Ministry of Investments and European Projects, the newly signed memorandums establish the next funding period for the EEA and Norway Grants mechanisms and open access to more than EUR 596 million in non-repayable financing for Romania.
“Romania is continuing its strategic partnership with Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway through the new EEA and Norway Grants. Since joining these cooperation frameworks, our country has benefited from nearly EUR 1 billion in non-repayable funding. This money did not remain on paper, but reached where it truly matters: it improved the lives of people, communities, schools, and institutions. The new grants worth approximately EUR 600 million will play an equally important role for us,” said minister Dragoș Pîslaru.
The new funding cycle will finance nine programs targeting key sectors for Romania’s long-term development, including climate action, innovation, social cohesion, culture, democratic governance, the rule of law, and bilateral cooperation. Romanian authorities said the programs are designed both to continue successful initiatives from previous funding cycles and to pilot innovative new measures.
Support for civil society will remain one of the priorities of the grants mechanism. The program dedicated to Romanian civil society organizations will be managed by the Foundation for the Development of Civil Society, selected by donor states through a competitive process.
The ceremony was attended by representatives of Romanian institutions as well as more than 40 partner institutions from Norway and Iceland that will contribute to implementing the funded programs.
irina.marica@romania-insider.com
(Photo source: Mfe.gov.ro)
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