ECOFIN Approves Romania’s Revised National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP)

The EU’s Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) has approved Romania’s revised National Recovery and Resilience Plan, now valued at €21.41 billion, down from the original €28.5 billion, according to the Ministry of Finance.

Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare noted that the update followed over a year of negotiations with the European Commission and involved three successive governments.

Key Changes in the Revised NRRP

-         total allocation reduced by €7 billion;

-         number of milestones and targets reduced to 390 (from 518);

-         grant component: €13.57 billion;

-         loan component: €7.84 billion;

-         risky or low-probability projects removed;

-         several investments shifted from the loan pillar to the grant pillar;

-         six payment requests structured, with three already submitted.

Romania has so far received €10.7 billion and expects to secure a similar amount by the end of next year.

Earlier this year, the government suspended NRRP-funded projects with low progress (under 30%) to avoid fiscal risks and focus resources on investments with realistic chances of completion.

Comment by the Institute of Danube Research (IDR)

The revision of Romania’s NRRP is strategically important for the Danube macro-region, given Romania’s central role in EU-funded infrastructure, energy transition and digital modernisation along the eastern flank of the EU.

Streamlining milestones and reducing the loan component significantly improves the likelihood of full implementation — essential given delays observed in 2023–2024.

Key NRRP investments concern TEN-T development, rail modernisation and upgrades of Black Sea and Danube ports. This creates synergy with Ukraine’s logistics priorities, especially the Danube ports–Constanța–EU corridor.

Policy lesson for Ukraine.

Romania’s decision to freeze projects with low readiness demonstrates the importance of prioritising high-maturity investments in large-scale donor-funded programmes.