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Europe's patience is wearing thin. After 18 years in the EU, Romania is facing its maturity test
The European Union’s new draft budget for the next seven years stands as a true test of maturity for Romania, which, coincidentally or not, will mark 18 years since joining the EU in 2025. The budget proposed by the European Commission totals nearly 2 trillion euros, to be spent over the 2028–2034 period
21/07/2025
Out of hundreds of EU-funded biodiversity projects, authorities have managed to complete only 22 in six years
PressOne asked the Ministry of Investments and European Projects how many of the biodiversity conservation projects funded during the 2014–2020 period have actually been completed. According to the response received, out of 131 such projects, only 22 have been finalized — just 16.8% of the total. How did it come to this?
21/07/2025
What did Romania do with half a billion euros for nature preservation?
Romania had over 490 million euros available for biodiversity conservation, with most of the funds allocated for the development of management plans for natural areas within the Natura 2000 network. However, there are still sites without a management plan, or with plans that include measures that are too general."
07/07/2025
Why Romania is watching NATO’s Baltic experiment closely
In the Baltic Sea, NATO is testing drones, sensors, and AI to detect attacks on pipelines and data cables at an early stage. The exercise is not just a technical innovation – it also represents a major strategic shift that is set to be formally adopted at the summit in The Hague. It will have significant implications for the Black Sea.
24/06/2025
Romania has over 250 million euros available for flood risk reduction, but authorities have not submitted any projects
Both climate change and the lack of long-term intervention by the state contributed to the scale of the flooding in Covasna and Harghita, according to experts consulted by PressOne. Romania has more than €250 million in European funds available for this purpose. The money has already been allocated, but the authorities have not yet submitted any projects.
10/06/2025
Extremism vs. poverty: The map of disadvantaged areas where Nicușor Dan clearly lost the elections. How much EU money reached Romania’s “sovereigntist” communities
"Sovereignist" Romania is concentrated in nine counties, where AUR candidate George Simion won over 55% of the vote in the May presidential elections. All nine counties are part of Romania's "disadvantaged areas," for which the European Union provides cohesion funds for development and raising living standards, with the aim of reducing regional disparities.
04/06/2025
The Romanian State, Unable to Count Its Bears and Build Them a Sanctuary. ”The Work Is 15% Completed”
Almost two years after the completion of the first phase of the EU-funded project, there is no exact figure for the number of bears in Romania, nor for the complex that would have housed around 100 mammals.
31/03/2025
F-35 vs. Disadvantaged Areas: How Will Romania Be Able to Spend 3,5% of GDP on Defense and Combine EU Cohesion Funds with Military Investment
Europe is "rearming" after the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, recently gave the signal and proposed a plan called "ReArm Europe," aimed at mobilizing around 800 billion euros.
23/03/2025
Romanian Government Seeks NRRP Funding for Software Projects It Already Paid Millions For
A total of 181 million lei (more than 36 million euros) in European funds have been lost on environmental projects that have either "expired" or were never seen by anyone. Now, the Romanian state is requesting NRRP funds to bring the same projects back to life.
19/03/2025
A Patriot for Ukraine: How Romania Reluctantly Delivered a High-Performance Defense System. The Challenges of Traveling from Point A in a NATO Country to Point B in a War Zone
Romania’s donation of a Patriot anti-aircraft system to Ukraine was finalized in September 2024 after initial hesitations. The move, supported by emergency legislation, also authorized Romania to reconstitute its air defense capabilities, reinforcing both national and allied security.
13/11/2024
The sad lesson of the Ukrainian war for Romania. How vulnerable are the country’s energy networks to Putin's new weapons of terror in Ukraine
Romania's energy grid, designed 80-90 years ago, faces vulnerabilities from outdated infrastructure and reliance on key facilities like Cernavodă.
13/11/2024
“I’m very hungry, God bless you.” The stories of Romanians in the Netherlands who rely on the kindness of strangers
The stories of Romanians who, out of poverty, end up begging on the streets of Holland, to survive on the goodwill of passers-by after being exploited by their employers.
29/10/2024
The Map of Contrasts (II). What Life Is Like in Southern Romania and What the Future Holds for Counties Like Călărași, Giurgiu, and Teleorman
In a dedicated series, PressOne analyzes each of the eight regional development programs to understand the likelihood that, in their current form, they will contribute to reducing the economic, social, and developmental disparities across the country. The second part of the series is dedicated to southern Romania.
25/09/2024
The Map of Contrasts (III). Bucharest-Ilfov, an Island of Prosperity Surrounded by Poverty
In the final part of the series dedicated to the regional programs under the 2021-2027 European funding exercise, PressOne analyzes the operational programs of the Bucharest-Ilfov and Central Regions.
25/09/2024
Photovoltaics In the Rural Areas. How Pensioners From a Village in Arad Managed To Pay Lower Energy Bills
PressOne sought the perspective of a mayor from a small locality in Romania on the national energy system, given that the distribution networks are in a dire state, and the efforts of a community inevitably hit a wall, most often raised by the Romanian government itself.
09/09/2024