Reimbursement Mechanism for the ESF Projects in Romania. Case Study: SOP HRD 2007-2013

The causes of the low absorption rate are deeply connected with the limited capacity of the institutions responsible for the implementation of the structural funds in Romania. Delays in the payment of refunds have a tremendous impact on the implementation of projects financed from European funds, the applicants and the partner organizations, and thus on the absorption of EU funds in Romania. This paper was prepared based on information collected through an online poll conducted on www.fonduri-structurale.ro in the period February-April 2011, attended by organizations that are implementing projects funded under the Sectorial Operational Programme Human Resources Development 2007-2013. The pooling of data showed that the average value of remittance of money waiting from MA SOP HRD is around 146 days.