The Romanian Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development has submitted to the EC the first projects on environment infrastructure, eligible for European financing provided by the Sector Operational Programme, priority axe 1 “Development and modernizing of water and waste water treatment systems”, according to a Ministry’s press release.

The projects aim at enlarging and rehabilitating, by 2013, the water and wastewater treatment systems in the three counties of Cluj, Salaj and Giurgiu, valued at 250 million euros.

The wastewater sector represents 60% of the European funds allocated for the SOP Environment. The investments target the modernization of the wastewater network, the building of wastewater treatment stations and of potable water systems and the increase of the quality of public services in the field.

The SOP Environment represents the most important source of financing for the environment sector - 5.4 billion Euros coming from two European funds - the Regional Development Fund (FEDR) and the Cohesion Fund, while approximately 1 billion euros represent the Romanian Government’s co-financing.