The Minister of Investments and European Projects, Dragos Pislaru, will notify the European Public Prosecutor’s Office regarding the acquisition of electric minibuses for pupils, after irregularities were identified in the use of European funds, and will also send the findings of the checks carried out by his ministry’s Control Body to the Anti-Fraud Department and the Competition Council.

„I have decided to notify the European Public Prosecutor’s Office regarding the acquisition of electric minibuses for pupils. I will also order that the results of the verification carried out by the Control Body of the Minister of Investments and European Projects be forwarded to the Anti-Fraud Department and the Competition Council. I have taken these measures following the identification of several irregularities that raise questions about how European money was used,” Pislaru wrote on Monday on his Facebook page.

He states that the project call „Electric Minibuses for Pupils” was designed to support local communities and to provide children in rural areas with safe, modern and environmentally friendly transport.

„Unfortunately, the analysis of the documentation submitted by county councils shows that implementation was inconsistent and lacked centralised coordination. Instead of an integrated system with centralised procurement and uniform standards, each county conducted separate procedures, setting its own specifications, estimated values and delivery conditions,” Pislaru explained.

In total, 74 separate procurement procedures were carried out by authorities in 40 counties.

„This decentralisation, although justified by the desire for local flexibility, generated absolutely reprehensible effects: significant price differences for similar minibuses and an absence of clear justification for major cost variations. Instances were identified in which the same type of electric minibus (16+1 seats) was purchased, in different counties, at significantly different prices – from a minimum of 99,000 euros to a maximum of 263,000 euros per unit, without technical changes that would justify the differences,” the minister noted.

According to him, equipment was received outside the delivery deadlines, with price differences sometimes reaching up to three times the lowest price.

Minister Pislaru believes there are no technical or financial grounds to justify the major cost discrepancies and that the significant difference in prices for similar minibuses raises suspicions of collusion between companies (cartel pricing), with the price not reflecting real market levels.

„Because the price offers are not substantiated, they generate a potential budgetary loss, representing an indication of inefficient or non-compliant procurement in light of the obligation to respect the principles of legality, efficiency and economy in the optimal use of the PNRR [the National Recovery and Resilience Plan] allocation and the corresponding national budget,” the minister also wrote.

He added that there are discrepancies between the lists of beneficiary localities submitted in the funding applications and the localities that ultimately received minibuses according to the handover-receipt records.

Dragos Pislaru maintained that the competent institutions – the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Anti-Fraud Department and the Competition Council – must determine whether the price differences and the use of the minimum mandatory information from the guidelines were simple administrative errors or practices that undermine the sound management of European funds.

„The Ministry of Investments and European Projects does not act as a prosecutor or judge. In other words, we do not have the legal authority to issue definitive verdicts or to rule on potential breaches of the law. What we must do, however, at administrative level, is learn from these situations and apply the lessons for the future. We will work together with line ministries to ensure that future European project calls include the obligation of solid market analysis, realistic reference prices and more effective institutional coordination,” Pislaru stressed.

In his view, Romania needs an administration that functions in a unified and responsible manner.

„EU money is public money, and Romania’s modernisation depends on its correct and transparent use. When dealing with public funds, we cannot afford negligence, improvisation or lack of rigour, and I will never tolerate such situations,” the minister said. AGERPRES