The European Commission officially reimbursed Romania payments amounting to 202.7 million euros (202,746,466.89 €) at the beginning of June 2023. The amount represents the value of payments granted through the Agency for Rural Investment Financing (AFIR) in the first quarter of this year to farmers, processors, entrepreneurs, and public authorities who have made investments in agriculture and rural development.

According to the information received from the National Bank of Romania (BNR), the European funds were transferred to the Romanian state's accounts on June 6, 2023, and they consist of reimbursements from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (FEADR) amounting to 192.6 million euros (192,569,490.8 €) and from the European Union's Recovery Instrument (EURI) in the amount of 10.2 million euros (10,176,976.09 €).

"The reimbursement of the expenses incurred by us reflects their conformity and, above all, the fact that AFIR manages the implementation and payment of European-funded projects in full compliance with European regulations.

To date, the European Commission has reimbursed our country European funds amounting to 7.85 billion euros for investments in agriculture and sustainable rural development financed by AFIR," said George CHIRIȚĂ, the General Director of AFIR.

The amounts requested through the expenditure declaration for the first quarter of this year, from January 1 to March 31, 2023, and reimbursed by the European Commission, correspond to the payments made by AFIR for investment projects financed through the National Rural Development Program 2014-2020, as well as compensatory payments for environmental and climate measures delegated to the Payments and Intervention Agency for Agriculture (APIA).