Structural Funds in Romania: Success Stories 2007-2013 For sure, a wager that we have won and I think no one else thought that it is possible – to be honest, except for Eugen Teodorovici who believed that we would win it, I did not believe that either – was that of unblocking all European funds. I want you to know that the amount of almost 3 billion Euros that has arrived this year to Victor Ponta Romania represents money that have reached private companies, Prime Minister money that have reached the teachers, money that have reached the infrastructure, in municipalities, and during the next year, based on this effort, 5 billion Euros will be arriving from European funds for all environment, regional development, human resources development projects. This is something that I can be proud of and for this I can further ask for your help, as this is an important achievement for Romania and a hope for the coming year. The European funds absorption does not represent a goal in itself; however, it does represent a positive signal for foreign investors who shall recognize that as a sign of stability for the economic environment. When this level of absorption gets increasingly higher, those who wish to invest in this country shall have one more reason to do so, as they are going to take a look and think Eugen Teodorovici that it automatically translates into a better procurement process, Minister of European Funds higher levels of transparency, a coherent approach for the economic environment. Highway of the Sun 7 The city below the City 11 A cleaner world 15 Foundations for education 19 sustainability and development The road to the Citadel 23 A step forward towards quality 27 The wisents of Moldova, free again 33 “You shall not pass through here!” 37 At the gates of Danube 41 history history and culture The Hunyadi from Banat 45 The Transylvanian treasure 49 Support for the elderly 55 Entrepreneurship on a regional scale 59 Businesses for the future 63 Opportunities for the Romanian village 67 entrepreneurship entrepreneurship and solidarity Solutions for the labour market 71 One click away from the perfect business 75 When time means life… 81 The home of flight 85 The patient comes first 89 An engine for the third millennium 93 performance performance and Innovation Technology serving society 97 Medicine at European standards 101 A chance for Romanian R&D 109 After Romania joined European Union in 2007, the Structural Funds However, these are some of the projects which proved that Romania represented an extraordinary chance for development, for closing can do it, as well. Romania is able to create new ideas, is able to the functional and infrastructure-related gaps. The extent to which build infrastructure, is able to capitalize on its cultural and touristic our country succeeded or not in taking the most out of this historical heritage, it can operate in the forefront of scientific research, it can opportunity may only be captured through a single measurement innovate and, at the same time, it can help its vulnerable citizens during the most difficult moments of their lives. unit: the absorption rate, the institutional capacity of making use of these financial instruments for the benefit of every single citizen The Ministry of European Funds has the duty and the honour to and community, instruments that amounted close to the value of 20 demonstrate these capacities: by encouraging the use of structural billion Euros for the 2007-2013 programming period. and cohesion funds, by creating clear and simplified procedures, by putting into place a more efficient institutional framework for The end of 2013 represents the best moment for a balance check, the next programming period, by focusing on the added value that when we reflect on the dry reality of figures, as well as over these projects bring to the Romanian economy and society. the impact the projects implemented with the help of Structural Instruments had at national level, by creating opportunities and by As a result, this collection of success stories recorded during the financing ideas that could not have been shaped without the co- implementation of structural funds has not been categorized funding received from the European Union. starting from traditional criteria, such as financing sources or best practice used at micro-management level. These projects are This is why the following pages serve, first of all, as an example. presented here because they create perspectives. They represent The projects presented here are not, probably, the most impressive an actual translation into reality of the chance that Romania has had from the point of view of their magnitude; these are probably not and continues to have through the access provided to structural and the projects that were awarded the highest number of points during cohesion funds. They represent the present, the extent to which the assessment stage or those which were always successful during Romanians have succeeded in manifesting their resourcefulness and the ordeals of procedural and on-the-spot verifications. solidarity, as well as the future, the extent to which Romanians shall succeed in building a modern and inclusive society. Structural Funds in Romania: Success Stories 2007-2013 01 sustainability and development Highway of the Sun The Bucharest-Constanta highway represents a landmark for the Romanian national transport network, as it is included in the European TEN-T7 Corridor, which links the harbour of Constanta to the Western Europe. Therefore, the Highway of the Sun, as it was rightfully designated, does not represent only a key prerequisite for development of Black Sea-based tourism, as it is currently perceived by the Romanian or foreign travelers, but also a strategic element in ensuring the transit of goods to and from the biggest harbour in the country and for the social and economic development of the South East Region. The Highway of the Sun is not necessarily a brand new project, however, it has earned itself the fame of a project that has always been delayed and never finalized. The first road segment between Fetesti and Cernavoda was inaugurated in 1987 and it had 18 kilometers. It represented quite a complex endeavour for the time, as the works included construction of bridges, highway viaducts and also the refurbishment of the Borcea branch and of the railway infrastructure built over the Danube River. In 1990, a contract was signed for building the road segment between Bucharest and Fundulea. The overall value of the works back then was of 35.6 million dollars. The works should have been finished in two years, however, in 1992, they stopped because of lack of funds. Five years later, the works were resumed again, in order to have the new road segments ready only in 2004 (Bucharest-Fundulea and Fundulea–Drajna Noua, totalizing 106 kilometers). Meanwhile, the 18 kilometers initially delivered had deteriorated and they had to be dismantled and fully refurbished. 7 Aceasta este prima iniţiativă din România pentru plasarea acestui animal maiestuos în condiţii de sălbăticie, cel mai greu animal terestru supravieţuitor în libertate din Europa. Vânat până la dispariţie între anii ’20 şi ’30 ai secolului trecut (în pădurile poloneze), el a fost reintrodus treptat în captivitate în mai multe ţări europene, după ce a fost clasificat drept specie vulnerabilă. În România, refacerea acestui preţios element al faunei Munţilor Carpaţi a început în anul 1958, prin aducerea unei perechi de zimbri (Podarenk şi Polanka) din Polonia în pădurea Slivuţ-Haţeg, în judeţul Hunedoara. De acolo, exemplare s-au transferat în mai multe părţi ale ţării, de la grădini zoologice, până la rezervaţii şi parcuri naturale, trăind în captivitate sau în regim de semi-libertate (împrejmuiri de dimensiuni mari). Proiectul de reintroducere în libertate a zimbrului se desfăşoară sub coordonarea Administraţiei Parcului Natural Vânători Neamţ şi a fost demarat în cadrul unei iniţiative de conservare a bio-diversităţii, finanţată prin intermediul Instrumentelor structurale alocate României pentru perioada de programare 2007-2013. Prima eliberare a zimbrilor a avut loc în martie 2012, când cinci exemplare au fost introduse într-un areal de aproximativ 5.000 ha, o zonă izolată cu păduri de foioase, ideală pentru supravieţuirea acestei specii. Thus, in 2009, the Highway of the Sun was still missing the 52 The conclusion of these works allows the significant decrease of kilometers to its point of destination, from Cernavoda up to the the travelling time between Bucharest and Constanta, which thus entrance to Constanta harbour. The final delivery of this road reaches a value of only one hour and 51 minutes, by increasing segment (made up from the Cernavoda–Medgidia and Medgidia– the maximum speed limit from 100 km/h (outside cities and other Constanta segments) was possible ahead of the deadline (first time localities) to 130 km/h. Also, the road segment between Constanta for such works undertaken in Romania so far) in 2012 also due to the to Cernavoda shall contribute to an improvement of the road safety non-reimbursable contribution amounting to 297,232,537 lei from and to the decrease in the number of road incidents on a route in the European Union, through the Cohesion Fund. very high demand, especially during the summer season that entails the travel of a very large number of vehicles from Bucharest to the Black Sea resorts. 339 Actually, only now, after the successful completion of these works and after commissioning the last road segment operating as a genuine highway, from Medgidia to Constanta, we can start talking about a true Highway of the Sun, a road with an overall length of 202 kilometers, which connects the sunrise to the sunset, from a Romanian perspective.