Romania included in new EU funding strategy for eastern border regions

The European Parliament's Committee on Regional Development (REGI) has adopted a proposal to target new funding strategies for regions along the European Union's eastern border. Romania is among nine member states identified for this approach, alongside Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Bulgaria.

The proposal suggests that up to 10% of budgets from relevant European instruments could be reserved for these regions during the 2028-2034 period. The initiative aims to address specific vulnerabilities caused by geopolitical pressures and the war in Ukraine, including security risks, commercial disruptions, declining investment, depopulation, and labor shortages.

The strategy focuses on five main pillars: security and resilience, regional growth and prosperity, leveraging local advantages, connectivity, and measures for populations and communities. While the proposal has been adopted by the committee, it must still be debated in the European Parliament plenary in November and does not yet constitute a finalized financial allocation.