EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESS RELEASE Brussels, 5 June 2014 EUR 47 million of regional funds for a transport project connecting Craiova to the Calafat-Vidin bridge The European Commission has approved €47 million in total from the European Regional Development Fund to further develop the road infrastructure between Craiova and Calafat in the south-western part of Romania. The national road DN56, which is part of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), is the only connection between Craiova and the Calafat-Vidin bridge linking the neighbouring regions of Bulgaria and Romania. The Calafat-Vidin bridge, also called the ‘New Europe Bridge’ is of vital strategic importance for the EU: a key link in a priority route stretching from Northern Europe, the Baltics, through Central Europe, Romania and Bulgaria, and eventually to Greece. The bridge received €106 million in EU investment and is the second bridge along the 630 km border between Bulgaria and Romania. The upgraded road network between Craiova and Calafat will improve further accessibility to the bridge, and develop growth and competitiveness in the region. Following the approval, Commissioner for Regional Policy Johannes Hahn, commented: "This improved connection to the Vidin-Calafat bridge on the Romanian side will create vital opportunities for business, research, the local communities and public services, both in the Romanian as in the Bulgarian border regions. The upgraded transport route will greatly reduce the travel times for passengers and freights, and further boost the economic development of Romania and Bulgaria." The project "Rehabilitation of National Road DN56 – section Craiova-Calafat" aims to modernize 80 km of the national road DN56 between the cities of Craiova and Calafat. The investment comes under the priority axis 2 "Convergence" under the Operational Programme for Transport in Romania. The European Union, through the European Regional Development Fund, will finance the project with €47 million out of a total investment of €55.4 million. The implementation is expected to create 270 jobs during construction. Background This is a "major project", of which the total investment (VAT included) is above €50 million and thus subject to a specific decision by the European Commission, whereas other types of projects are approved at national or regional levels. Romania has been allocated approximately € 19.7 billion in total Cohesion Policy funding from 2007-2013. Contacts : Shirin Wheeler (+32 2 296 65 65) - (mobile: +32 460766565) Annemarie Huber (+32 2 299 33 10) - (mobile: +32 460 793 310) IP/14/640 More information: EU-funded 'Major Projects' Contact Managing Authority Cohesion Policy and Romania New Europe Bridge Twitter - @EU_Regional @JHahnEU 2.