Preliminary assessment of the third payment request of Romania (2024)

that this constitutive element of the milestone is satisfactorily fulfilled.

26 – Review National Spectrum Plans on a regular basis

Recommendation 26 of the EU Connectivity Toolbox encourages Member States to carry out a regular review of national spectrum plans (allocation table and/or award strategy plans) with the objective to take the harmonised bands into use as early as possible.

The roadmap (document iii) required ANCOM to continue to review the National Radio Frequency Allocation Table (TNABF) on a regular basis to ensure that the use of radio spectrum is aligned with technological and legislative developments and market demand, and that spectrum management is predictable.

The Decision No. 111 of 23 February 2024 issued by ANCOM and published in Official Journal No. 183 on 6 March 2024 approves the TNABF (document xxi). According to the provisions in Article 12 (3) of Law No. 24/2000 on the rues of legislative technique for the drafting of legislative acts, this decision entered into force on the date of publication of the decision in the Official Journal. This decision updates the previous TNABF, approved by Government Decision No. 376/2020 and published in Official Journal No. 427 on 21 May 2020 (document xx).

The TNABF is therefore reviewed on a regular basis. The TNABF updated on 6 March 2024 updates the previous TNABF which had been revised on 21 May 2020. This recommendation therefore complies with the requirement that it should be finalised by 2022, given that a revision had already occurred on 21 May 2020.

32 – Use financial aid as a complement to incentivise investments

Recommendation 32 of the EU Connectivity Toolbox encourages Member States to use financial aid from EU-level programmes to complement 5G deployments to incentivise substantial investments in the roll-out of 5G networks.

The roadmap (document iii) required measures to encourage the use of financial support from EU-level programmes to continue, with a view to stimulating substantial investment in the deployment of 5G networks.

A funding agreement for a fund for digitalisation, climate action, and other areas of interest was signed between Romania and the EIB on 29 March 2022, in the context of investment 2.4 “Fund of funds for digitalisation, climate action and other areas of interest” of Component 9 “Business support, research, development and innovation” of the RRP. The document provides on page 8 that the amount allocated to digitalisation-related intervention fields, in line with annex VII of the RRF Regulation, shall be EUR 50 million (document xxii).

Because the funding agreement was signed on 29 March 2022, the requirement in the milestone description that the recommendation should be finalised by 2022 is fulfilled.

35 – Make use of harmonised technical conditions developed by the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT)/Electronic Communications Committee (ECC), if common dedicated frequency ranges are deemed necessary

Recommendation 35 of the EU Connectivity Toolbox encourages Member States to use harmonised technical conditions developed by CEPT/ECC if a dedicated frequency range is deemed necessary to