ABSTRACT
The administrative capacity of the institutions involved in the management of EU Funds is directly correlated with the performance of Cohesion Policy. Romania has consistently been the EU member state with the lowest absorption rate. As confirmed in the recent Country Specific Recommendations (Council of the European Union, 2014), the administrative capacity of the Romanian institutions has been a major factor in the low absorption rate. Three types of regional IBs were created in 2007: RDAs for the ROP, regional directorates under the MA for the Environment/Major Infrastructure programme and regional bodies subordinated to the Ministry of Labour for the HR Development/Human Capital (HRD) programme. The ROP has been perceived as the most successful programme in Romania despite its complex and diverse portfolio of projects. It can be assumed that by the mid-2020s, Romania will have a revised constitution in which the regional layer is empowered with legal personality.
