Romania’s flood vulnerability persists as EU resilience funds remain untapped

In the past decade, Romania has failed to make significant progress in protecting its citizens against floods, despite having access to substantial European funding. Out of ten projects designed to reduce flood risks and strengthen protection infrastructure, only three were completed.

According to information provided by the Ministry of Investments and European Projects (MIPE) to EUalive’s partner PressOne, just one of these was a new initiative submitted and implemented under the EU’s 2014–2020 funding cycle. The other two projects had originated in the previous financing period, 2007–2013, but had to be carried over into the newer programme because authorities failed to finish them on time.

This means that, over nearly ten years, Romanian institutions – primarily the Ministry of Environment and the National Water Administration (Apele Române), managed to bring to completion from scratch only a single flood-risk reduction project.

At the same time, five projects were left unfinished, with the main beneficiary again being the Ministry of Environment in partnership with Apele Române, whose director was recently dismissed following missed targets under Romania’s Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). One of the abandoned projects was aimed at building complex flood defences for localities in the Danube Delta.

The failure is not unprecedented. In September 2024, PressOne reported that Romania lost €160 million in PNRR financing earmarked for flood prevention along the Danube.

One new project in ten years

MIPE confirmed that between 2014 and 2020, ten projects were launched in the area of flood prevention. By the end of the budgetary period in December 2023, only three had been finalised.

The list includes the phased “Watman” project – an information system for integrated water management – and the development of a national monitoring and warning system for dangerous meteorological phenomena. Both originated from the 2007 – 2013 financing cycle.

The sole new initiative to be completed under the Large Infrastructure Operational Programme (POIM) 2014- 2020 was the “Complex development of the Jiu River for flood defence of Craiova”. With a total budget of over 149 million lei (29.4 million euro), the project aimed to protect Craiova and downstream communities with significant new infrastructure. According to its launch statement, it was designed to reduce future potential damages by providing significant protection at a 0.2% flood probability for Craiova and 1% for settlements downstream of major reservoirs and dams.

Twelve years without results

In contrast, five projects worth over €97 million were left unfinished by the end of 2023, despite EU co-financing that would have covered 85% of costs.

One striking example is the “Flood risk reduction works in the Prut-Bârlad basin”. The financing contract for this project was first signed in 2011, with an expected completion date of June 2016. When deadlines were missed, the project was moved into the 2014-2020 programme. A new contract was signed in December 2017, but by the end of 2023 it still had not been finalised. More than twelve years after the initial contract, the works remain incomplete.

Another case is the Babadag project in Tulcea county. Its financing contract was signed in May 2021 under POIM, with a budget of 82 million lei (16.2 million euro) and a deadline of December 2023. The plan promised to provide flood protection to a town with no existing defences. Yet the project was abandoned before completion.

Unfinished projects move to national funding

Under an emergency ordinance adopted in 2023, some projects left unfinished in the 2014-2020 EU financing period may continue using national budget funds. This is the fate of the Babadag investment and others that failed to meet EU deadlines.

The shift of costs from European grants to the national budget underscores a broader pattern: Romania has repeatedly struggled to absorb EU funds in areas crucial to public safety, only to replace them with domestic resources once the window for co-financing has closed.

As flooding continues to affect parts of the country almost every year, the inability to complete even half of the planned projects highlights deep administrative inefficiency. The missed opportunities not only weaken Romania’s climate resilience but also erode public trust in institutions meant to safeguard lives and property.

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A longer version of this article in Romanian can be found here.

Caption: A road sign lies in flood water in the village of Slobozia Conachi, near Galati city, Romania, 16 September 2024. At least seven people died in the Galati area, with about 10,000 homes damaged and over 2,000 households still disconnected from the electricity grid as a result of flooding caused by heavy rains brought by Cyclone Boris. EPA/ROBERT GHEMENT