Cluj-Napoca and Cluj County have proven to be national leaders in attracting and implementing funds from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), according to an analysis of official data.

At the national level, Romania has benefited from nearly 13 billion euros from PNRR, with an absorption rate of approximately 65% of the total allocated sum. Cluj-Napoca attracted 194.6 million euros from PNRR and other EU programs, funds invested in infrastructure, environment, mobility and education.

The total value of contracted projects in Cluj County was 3.38 billion lei, with only approximately 10% of the value affected by implementation problems (356.7 million lei from 55 projects). This performance contrasts sharply with other regions in the country.

In contrast, Timiș County had 56 failed projects with a value of 1.057 billion lei out of a total contracted value of 3.8 billion lei. In Bihor, where former county councilor Ilie Bolojan was president, the situation has been described as dramatic: 803.2 million lei lost from 2.8 billion lei contracted, in 42 projects. An emblematic case is the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Oradea, withdrawn from PNRR in 2023 due to inability to meet deadlines, and the investment was transferred to another program with an increased bill from 135 to 142 million euros.

Brașov lost 420.8 million lei, Constanța 758 million lei from 3.4 billion contracted, and Dolj County 287.4 million lei from over 2 billion lei contracted.

Differences in performance reflect the variable capacity of local and county administrations to contract and implement European projects.