EC Unlocks EUR170M SAPARD Funds For Romania

The European Commission sent Saturday a letter to Romanian authorities, informing them SAPARD payments worth EUR170 million have been unlocked, Romanian agriculture minister Liviu Harbuz told MEDIAFAX.
 
The letter was sent to the President, the Prime Minister and the agriculture minister.
 
The unlocking of the funds was determined by the correction of deficiencies signaled by the European Commission in the EU fund granting system.
 
Romanian authorities ceased, in the summer of 2008, the payments made through SAPARD program, following the EC decision to suspend discounting expenses on irregularities found with the Agency for Rural Development and Fishing, which managed the payments.
 
The EC asked Romania to remedy all irregularities by implementing an action plan, the payments being discounted following an audit-based certification that all problems were solved.

Mediafax