The structural dialogue of the Commission with Parliament regarding the possible cut of EU funds for Romania starts on November 3
Brussels – The European Commission’s structural dialogue with the European Parliament regarding the potential cut of EU funds for Romania due to its failure to meet commitments related to reducing the budget deficit will begin on November 3, announced on Tuesday the MEP from the Save Romania Union (USR) party Dan Barna, who described this process as “very important.”
Dan Barna made the announcement during a briefing for Romanian journalists in Brussels, specifying that members from the Committee on Regional Development (REGI), in which he is a substitute member, from the Committee on Economic Affairs (ECON), and from the Committee on Budgets (BUDG) will participate in the structural dialogue.
“In practice, the Commission is analyzing the measures of the packages proposed by the Romanian Government and to what extent they allow the continuation of financing mechanisms and fund allocation as they are provided, or if adjustments are necessary. This is an opportunity, within this structural dialogue, for us, the Romanian MEPs present here in the European Parliament, to support Romania’s position as much as possible to avoid the situation of fund cuts. This will happen throughout November, it is a very important process,” said Barna, who is the vice-president of the Renew group in the EP.
The Parliament’s position is not binding, and the final decision will belong to the European Commission.
Romania has been in excessive deficit procedure (EDP) since 2020, a mechanism aimed at ensuring that EU member states maintain the budgetary discipline of their governments or return to it.
The European Commission found in June 2025 that the country had not taken effective measures to correct the deficit and meet the reduction target by 2030. At the Commission’s recommendation, the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) decided in July to revise the corrective trajectory and requested Romania to adopt concrete measures by June 30, 2025, and implement them by October 15, 2025, setting limits for the growth of net expenditures in order to reduce and end the excessive deficit. Thus, Romania should ensure that the nominal growth rate of net expenditures does not exceed 2.8% in 2025, 2.6% in 2026, 4.6% in 2027, 4.4% in 2028, 4.2% in 2029, and 4.0% in 2030, according to a press release from the EU Council on July 8.
Member states must respect budgetary discipline according to EU treaties, meaning that their deficit should not exceed 3% of their gross domestic product (GDP), and their debt should not exceed 60% of GDP. If effective measures have not been taken by the deadline or if the member state does not comply with the recommendations, the Council can impose sanctions.
Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan made a working visit to Brussels on Monday where he discussed with the European Commissioner for Economy and Productivity, Valdis Dombrovskis, about Romania’s macroeconomic and fiscal situation, emphasizing at the end of the meeting that the Government in Bucharest will continue the necessary reforms to strengthen stability and ensure the sustainability of public finances. (23.9.2025)
