Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu toured sections 1 and 2 of the Ploiesti - Buzau (A7) motorway

Press statements by Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu and the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Sorin Grindeanu after touring sections 1 and 2 of the Ploiesti - Buzau (A7) motorway

[Check against delivery]

Marcel Ciolacu: Good afternoon! Considering that once in two to three days, I have heated talks with Mr. Grindeanu regarding the funds he spent so far, especially since rectification is approaching, I wanted to accompany him on this visit to see the way things are on site, not only the figures. We must be fair and say that there have never been so many investment projects and so many reimbursements in the history of the Ministry of Transport, and this is the first time - maybe because I am directly involved with Mr. Grindeanu - that I have seen an overall vision. We leave from Craiova to Constanta, where we see the Bucharest beltway after 32 years, the same as in Moldova, waiting for the motorway, as coordination is needed so that almost everything closes at the same time - both the Moldavian motorway and the Bucharest Ring Road, and everything that means Oltenia, southern Romania, going to Constanta. Connections are very important because they will give a clear coherence to traffic.

But for this motorway of Moldova, it would have been much easier now to get past this moment. From my point of view, the utmost priority is the last financial year. We have exceeded an absorption rate of over 93% at the moment. We only have October, November, and December to comply with the payments deadline.

I also had a discussion yesterday evening with the minister from the Ministry of Investments and European Projects, a discussion applied to each project. It is normal that Mr. Grindeanu, today on the road, told me that he can add another 500 million euros if there is room to bring invoices for POIM, which is a good thing.

I would like, for the first time in Romania's history, to reach an absorption rate of 98-99%, maybe 100%, taking into account over-contracting, but we need inter-ministerial coordination. After this priority, large infrastructure remains the government's priority which multiplies the most in the economy, and I think it is time that Moldova has a motorway. It is necessary to go (with the projects) throughout the south of Romania to Constanța, and it is necessary that the capital of Romania finally has a beltway.

Reporter: Are you content with what you have seen so far, on the ground here?

Marcel Ciolacu: A single section a bit late [of the Moldavia motorway], otherwise all the companies are mobilized and I don't think it's due to our presence, but it can be seen that a different pace has been imposed. There is money, European money, and money from the state budget. You see that amounts remained unspent from the past financial exercise. We are in full financial exercise, and we have a lot to settle yet. I am very satisfied with the pace that the Ministry of Transport, Minister Sorin Grindeanu, is imposing at this moment, especially on large infrastructure and I am very satisfied that I am together with Sorin and we can see that finally, Moldova will have a motorway.

(…)