Highway segments A7 and A8 in Romania forfeit Resilience Facility funding due to tardiness, according to the minister.
Romania's A7 and A8 Highways Lose Funding from PNRR
A significant development in Romania's infrastructure sector has been unfolding since August 2024, as segments of the A7 and A8 highways have lost funding from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). The loss of funding is due to public procurement errors and delays in project execution, which have caused these sections to miss the EU PNRR support.
The exact segments affected have not been detailed in the publicly available data as of July 2025. However, multiple reports confirm that important sections of both the A7 and A8 highways have been excluded from PNRR funding due to project delays or procurement issues.
The minister of investments and European projects, Dragos Pișlaru, announced on July 15 that several segments in Romania's A7 and A8 highway projects have lost funding from the PNRR. The minister did not specify which segments were affected, but he assured that a full reassessment had taken place and that Romania would not lose any non-reimbursable funds from the PNRR.
Approximately EUR 6.3 billion worth of projects are affected, and it remains uncertain whether they will be completed by the August 2026 deadline or if they will meet the required percentages. Some highway segments will be fully financed from national funds, allowing their construction to continue despite the loss of PNRR financing.
The A7 highway, connecting Ploiești to Siret, passes through Buzaști, Focșani, Bacău, Pășcani, and Suceava. The A8 highway, known as the "Union Highway," links Târgu Mureș to Ungheni via Ditrau, Poiana Largului, Târgu Neamț, Pășcani, Târgu Frumos, and Iași.
Authorities are seeking alternative funding sources for priority sections of the A7 and A8 highways. Delays in launching the projects are the cause of the problems with the highway segments. No further information was provided on which projects may be affected or what the impact of these funding losses will be.
The statement was reported by Biziday.ro and irina.marica@our website. Some non-functional contracts have been halted, including several highway segments that have shown no physical progress. Minister Pișlaru has promised to release a public list of stalled projects once final negotiations are complete.
In the meantime, the loss of funding from the PNRR has sparked political calls for the dismissal of CNAIR (the National Company for Road Infrastructure Administration) chiefs, highlighting the significance of these losses. The minister did not specify which segments of these highways will be fully financed from national funds.
As the situation unfolds, Romania continues to navigate the challenges of meeting its infrastructure goals while addressing the issues that have led to the loss of funding from the PNRR.
Due to procurement errors and delays in project execution, segments of Romania's A7 and A8 highways, initially supported by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), have forfeited their EU funding. As a result, the Ministry of Investments and European Projects is pursuing alternative financing for crucial sections of these highways, even as some segments will be financed solely from national funds.
The delay in launching projects on these highways is a significant factor in the problems faced by affected sections, as Romania navigates the challenges of meeting its infrastructure goals while addressing the issues that have led to the loss of funding from the PNRR.
