Among the reforms and investments foreseen and negotiated under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), a consistent part aims at direct financing for the business environment.

Therefore, small and medium companies (SMEs), but also large companies in Romania will be able to benefit from a budget (proposed and still under negotiation) of about €2.2 billion, both for financial instruments and grants, according to the latest published information on the website mfe.gov.ro.

• Financial instruments with intermediaries such as EIB, EIF and most likely also EBRD – €1.35 billion:

1. Portfolio guarantees for solvency, climate action and energy efficiency – about €550 million for SMEs and mid-caps;
2. Venture capital instrument for SMEs – about €500 million for SMEs and mid-caps;
3. Fund of Funds for digitization, climate action and other areas of interest – about €300 million for large enterprises;

• In addition to the financial instruments above, there will be multiple grant schemes (nonreimbursable funds) under the various components – €835 million:

1. Digitization of SMEs – grants, scheme administered by MIPE – about €200 million;
2. A support measure for listing of Romanian companies on the stock exchange, implemented by MIPE, with the support of the Bucharest Stock Exchange – about €35 million;
3. Various support schemes to boost competitiveness, with a focus on innovation and the creation of digital technology, implemented by the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitization – around €200 million;
4. Various support schemes for the promotion of renewable energies, implemented by the Ministry of Energy – about €200 million (the amount is currently being negotiated);
5. Various support schemes for investments, especially in the area of ​​innovation and new technologies applied in the production area, implemented by the Ministry of Finance – about €200 million.

• PNRR in a nutshell:

The European Union has decided to set up a temporary financial instrument dedicated to member states – #NextGenerationEU, with a budget of € 750 billion, separate from the EU’s long-term budget, the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), for the period 2021-2027.

Its main purpose is to provide support to each Member States to meet the challenges posed by the Covid Crisis19 and its economic effects.

Through the PNRR, Romania has a budget of 29.2 billion euro, of which 14.248 billion in the form of a non-reimbursable grant and approximately 14.935 billion in the form of loans.

The plan refers to reforms and investment projects that must be implemented (and paid) by 2026, based on 6 main pillars:

• Transition to a green economy;
• Digital transformation;
• Smart, sustainable and inclusive economic growth;
• Social and territorial cohesion;
• Institutional health and resilience;
• Children, youth, education and skills.