InvestEU: Agreement signed with Romania to boost investment for SMEs and green transition
Tuesday, 24 May, the Commission signed a contribution agreement with Romania to use the InvestEU Fund as a tool to support the implementation of the national recovery and resilience plan.
It is the first agreement under the so-called ‘Member State compartment
of the InvestEUprogramme, a new mechanism allowing Member States to make voluntary contributions to the InvestEU Fund to finance additional financial operations under InvestEU.
Under this agreement, Romania will channel part of its Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) funds to the Member States compartment of the InvestEU Fund and the InvestEU Advisory Hub. These resources will unlock more than EUR 700 million in the form of additional financial guarantees allocated to Romania under InvestEU. They are also expected to mobilise at least EUR 2.5 billion in funding to strengthen the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises in Romania and improve the energy efficiency of buildings. The European Investment Fund and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development will act as implementing partners and implement a number of InvestEU financial products to support the objectives of Romania’s recovery and resilience plan.
The agreement signed yesterday underlines the importance of synergies between EU funds and the role that InvestEU plays in achieving the objectives of the Recovery and Resilience Facility. Through the InvestEU programme, the EU will have key long-term funding, mobilising substantial public and private funding in support of a sustainable recovery and EU policy priorities such as the European Green Deal and the digital transition. Through the EU budgetary guarantee of EUR 26.2 billion (the so-called “EU compartment”), the programme is expected to mobilise at least EUR 372 billion of additional investment across the EU.