Romania's interim PM calls Parliament from recess to pass laws unlocking over €7 billion in EU funds

Extraordinary session called for July

Bolojan, speaking after a government meeting, said the main activity for the coming week is finalizing the draft laws needed to access PNRR funds. He intends to inform parliamentary groups and party leaders in advance so they can study the projects. The government will send the bills to both chambers to start the debate process.

The main activity in the coming week, which was also discussed today in the Government meeting, is related to the finalization of the draft laws that will need to be placed on the Parliament's agenda and adopted so that Romania can collect the amounts related to the PNRR.

Nine projects with high financial stakes

The package comprises six main and three secondary legislative projects, each valued between €770 million and €970 million. The total exceeds €7 billion, though one report pegged the six main projects alone at over €4.5 billion. Among the priorities are a new public sector salary law, integrity and incompatibility regulations, amendments to the Administrative Code for fair civil service careers, a bonus-malus mechanism for tax agency staff to combat evasion, the long-awaited Urbanism Code (blocked since December 2025), and a decarbonization law for the heating sector.

There are still six important laws to adopt. Three were adopted yesterday, but six of them, with very large sums of money, from a minimum of 770 million euros to a maximum of one billion, are still not adopted. We have the urbanism code. It has been blocked since December in the Administration Committee of the Chamber of Deputies. One billion. Time is short.

Public salary law tied to fiscal discipline

The salary bill is one of the most sensitive. Bolojan said negotiations with the European Commission center on keeping total wage spending within the current cap of 8.1% of GDP. If the new law pushes spending to that limit, the government must identify offsetting measures, either cutting other expenditures or raising state revenues. The Ministry of Labour is incorporating feedback from trade unions into the final draft, with consultations expected to conclude next week.

Urbanism Code stuck in committee

The Urbanism Code, carrying a value of nearly €1 billion in PNRR commitments, has been stalled in the Chamber of Deputies' Administration Committee since December. The impasse involves unresolved issues over the division of powers between the General Mayor's Office and sector mayors, especially after a recent Bucharest referendum. Bolojan stressed the urgency of moving the legislation forward.

Tight deadline for EU disbursements

With the final PNRR tranches needing to be claimed by August 31, 2026, the government is racing to secure parliamentary approval. After technical talks with the European Commission wrap up next week, the bills will be formally deposited. Bolojan will request extraordinary sessions for both chambers in the second half of July, aiming for rapid deliberation and a vote in the decisional chamber.