Preliminary assessment of the second payment request of Romania

On the basis of a sample, the following documentary evidence for each of the units selected:
 iv)    Copy of the signed contracts between the Ministry of Development, Public Works and
        Administration, the National Investment Company and public operators (municipalities)
        during August-September 2022;
  v)    Copy of the “Extract T456”, issued by the Ministry of Education on 19 January 2022,
        containing the extract of the relevant parts of the grant specifications of the project
        proving alignment with the description of the milestone and of the description of the
        investment in the CID annex.

The authorities also provided:

 vi)    Copy of the Government Emergency Ordinance No. 173/2022 of 8 December 2022 on the
        role of the National Investment Company, published in the Official Journal Part I, 1192 on
        12 December 2022, and entered into force on the same day, in accordance with Article
        12(3) of Law 24/2000 on the rules of legislative technique for the drafting of legislative
        acts;
 vii)   Copy of the Ministerial Order No. 749/2021 of 2 July 2021 approving the technical
        regulation ‘Rules on the design, construction and operation of construction for crèches’,
        published in the Official Journal Part I, 582 on 09 June 2021, and entered into force on the
        same day, in accordance with Article 12(3) of Law 24/2000 on the rules of legislative
        technique for the drafting of legislative acts;
viii)   Copy of the Government Decision No. 566/2022 of 28 April 2022 (published in the Official
        Journal Part I, 437 on 04 May 2022) for the organisation and functioning of nurseries and

other early childhood education establishment, published in the Official Journal Part I, 437 on 04 May 2022, and entered into force on the same day, in accordance with Article 12(3) of Law 24/2000 on the rules of legislative technique for the drafting of legislative acts; Copy of the list of the signed contracts. Analysis: The justification and substantiating evidence provided by the Romanian authorities covers all constitutive elements of the milestone. Signature of contracts, with territorial distribution, for nursery, pre-school, early childhood education and care services.

The Commission considers that there is a clerical error in the text of the Council Implementing Decision as regards the description of milestone 456 and has undertaken the assessment on a revised basis. This description of this milestone requires the signature of contracts with territorial distribution for nursery, pre-school, early childhood education and care services. However, the description of investment 1 and the name of the milestone 456 in the Council Implementing Decision correctly reflect the RRP submitted by Romania, by referring to the signature of contracts with public operators for the construction, equipment and operationalisation of 110 crèches, . This latter description is the one that the Commission considers relevant for the assessment of fulfilment of milestone 456. Against this background, the justification and substantiating evidence provided by the Romanian authorities cover all constitutive elements of the milestone. Romania provided a list of the selected crèches (point iii in the Evidence provided) and of the signed contracts (point ix in the Evidence provided), which confirmed the signature of contracts with

public operators for the construction, equipment and operationalisation of 110 crèches as well as the territorial distribution. The selected projects are in line with Ministerial Order No. 1254/2022, which approves the

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