Ion ȘTEFANOVICI: “I parted ways ideologically with Mr. Director Asandei because we have different visions regarding the development of the Moldova Region.”
100 economic opportunities for the development of the Moldova Region on the A7 Highway route
REGIONAL ECONOMIC FORUM MOLDOVA 2025
19th Edition – Vatra Dornei, July 9–13, 2025
Thematic Panel:
European and Government Funds: Opportunities, Challenges, and Cross-Border Cooperation
Speaker:
Ion Ștefanovici – President of CAPDR
Topic of the intervention:
“Administrative obstacles in accessing and implementing European funds, focusing on reimbursement delays and the need to streamline RDA mechanisms”
During the panel “European and Government Funds: Opportunities, Challenges, and Cross-Border Cooperation”, part of the Regional Economic Forum Moldova (FERM 2025), Ion Ștefanovici, President of the Center for Analysis and Regional Development Planning (CAPDR), delivered a strong and determined message.
Main topic: chronic delays in processing and disbursing funds, with a focus on dysfunctions observed within the North-East RDA. President Ion Ștefanovici pointed out that the current funding mechanisms are hindered not only by bureaucracy but also by a real lack of available funds in the accounts of development agencies.
Ion Ștefanovici: “We have our own projects delayed by almost a year. The situation is unacceptable.”
The President of CAPDR began by highlighting a serious divergence with the current leadership of North-East RDA, emphasizing that the issues are not isolated, but systemic.
“The same thing is happening even now. I suggested to General Director Asandei to stay in Piatra Neamț and fix things. We are in disagreement, and it must be said openly.”
He also shared a concrete case, where a project submitted by his institution in February 2024 was supposed to be approved by June the same year, but by July 2025 verifications are still not completed.
“A project submitted in February 2024 was to be approved in June 2024. It’s now July 2025 and they’re still checking it. They hold trainings just to justify there’s still work to do.”
A harsh but realistic hypothesis: lack of funds in accounts
Without turning the intervention into an attack, Ion Ștefanovici offered a possible explanation for this widespread delay phenomenon: the effective absence of funds in the accounts allocated for payments.
“My explanation is this – and it’s not an accusation, just a possible explanation: there’s no money in the accounts. I don’t believe there’s any money left. I can’t explain year-and-a-half-long verifications otherwise.”
This statement raises major questions about Romania’s institutional capacity to efficiently manage European funding flows and ensure continuity for approved projects.
Direct effects on beneficiaries: costs, risks, and project abandonment
Ștefanovici warned about the ripple effects these delays generate in the market: price increases, the impossibility to respect initial budgets and estimates, and the real risk of project abandonment without additional funding.
“These delays led to price hikes, unmet estimates, contractor issues, and inability to stick to the approved budget. If you can afford additional funds, fine. If not, you drop the project.”
Moreover, he noted that larger projects don’t only bring larger benefits, but also larger problems when funding is blocked.
“The bigger you are, theoretically the greater the benefits. But proportionally, the problems are bigger too. That’s how life works.”
Support for the private sector: “You need consistent state backing”
In his closing remarks, Ion Ștefanovici addressed a direct message to Iulian Safir, Investment Director of SAFIR, present at the event, underlining the importance of continuous support from authorities for private investors.
“You are a gain for the Region. I don’t know to what extent you’ve had real support from the authorities. Perhaps at some point you did. But it should be constant.”
Conclusion: Immediate action is needed, not just “trainings” and justifications
Ion Ștefanovici’s statements sparked a necessary debate on the administrative and financial bottlenecks that hamper public policy implementation in the North-East Region.
In a setting meant to foster cooperation and progress, the CAPDR President’s message at FERM 2025 is clear: without real funds and payment predictability, projects remain only on paper, while economic actors bear the consequences.
