Minister Adrian-Ioan Veștea attended the General Assembly of the Association of Romanian Communes (ACoR), during which a series of requests and issues faced by local public authorities in implementing existing legislation and carrying out projects were discussed.

On this occasion, the Minister of Development appreciated the activity of the associative structures of public administration and their involvement in the process of implementing well-founded and applied public policies, connected to the realities of local communities in Romania.

"The Association of Romanian Communes represents a benchmark for central public administration authorities, as it manages to identify and bring to the government's attention the most pressing issues faced by local communities in providing public services to citizens, but also proposes well-founded solutions for addressing them," Minister Veștea mentioned.

At the same time, opportunities for financing local development projects were presented, through the programs coordinated by the Ministry of Development, which contribute to the modernization of the Romanian countryside, such as the National Local Development Program (PNDL), the National Investment Program "Anghel Saligny," the National Program for Public or Social Interest Constructions (PNCIPS), or the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).

"Through the two stages of PNDL, 9,542 objectives, totaling 33.4 billion lei, have beneficiaries from rural areas, and through the 'Anghel Saligny' Program, out of the 2,944 signed contracts, 82% target objectives implemented in rural areas (2,426 contracts), worth over 24 billion lei," the minister specified.

Additionally, almost 4,000 contracts with beneficiaries from rural areas, totaling over 1 billion euros, were signed through PNRR for wave renovation, local fund, and kindergarten construction.

Last but not least, the Ministry of Development, through the National Investment Company (CNI), implements a series of projects, in various fields, aimed at supporting the development of rural communities.

"We will develop programs for revitalizing culture in rural areas, through the rehabilitation or construction of cultural institutions, the rehabilitation of places of worship (central element of rural communities), rehabilitation of road sections affected by natural disasters, or the construction of social centers or sports halls for students in these communities."

Thus, out of the 1,109 contracts currently underway at CNI, over 740 are implemented in rural areas, with a total value of 5.78 billion lei.

"We will continue to invest in local infrastructure and identify new sources of financing because we need unified and coherent policies for community development," Minister Adrian-Ioan Veștea concluded. (Photo: Freepik)