In an interview for HotNews.ro, Romanian ex-Agriculture minister Dacian Ciolos stated that over 1,000 projects from the National Program for Rural Development are blocked, despite being selected for getting European money, because banks refuse co-financing. Therefore, Ciolos argues that Romania risks losing the funds allocated for 2008 and 2009 for valid projects. The name of the ex-minister is, unofficially, Romania's first choice for a European commissionaire position.
Dacian Ciolos stated in a seminar that Romania is focusing too much on subventions. By that Ciolos meant that some of Romania's policies are conservative in regards to the Common Agricultural Politics relating to French practices, in contrast with Nordic countries, which exercise a more liberal policy. According to him, Romania did not have a conservative attitude in relation to the Ministers' Council or the negotiations with the Commission.
Ciolos sustains that Romania has always had a balanced, dynamic approach addressing the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), marching between a subvention policy and the rural development policy. But he could not see how Romania can have a conservative approach with CAP, designed for the Western EU states. Now that the EU has enlarged, Dacian Ciolos finds it only natural that Romania should support a CAP reform, adapting it to a larger Union.Arguing that the new EU member states are not focused mainly on subventions, he indicated that Romania has more funds for the Rural Development Programme than for subventions, because Romania needs massive investments in the rural sector and an agricultural reform. But it was normal, he said, that agricultural producers are supported until they become competitive. Nevertheless, he doesn't think Romania should focus on subventions, a programme designed ten years ago in West when the guaranteed incomes were
