The ministries are negotiating the funding of social grants for students from European funds. Daniel David: “The first payments could be made in February”
The ministries in Romania are holding talks with the European Commission so that the social scholarships of the students can be financed from European funds. The proposal aims at an allocation of 60 million euros for the year 2026, announced the Minister of Education, Daniel David.
Romanian ministries are in talks with the European Commission. PHOTO: Shutterstock
“These days, at the initiative of the Ministry of Education and Research, technical discussions are taking place with the Ministry of European Investments and Projects (MIPE) and the European Commission, in order to identify financial allocation solutions – through European funds – with the aim of supporting students' social grants”, said the minister.
It is about the social scholarships from both state and private universities.
Daniel David explained that the current fiscal-budgetary crisis imposed difficult measures, including the resizing of the scholarship fund, but they were necessary to stabilize the educational system: “The fiscal-budgetary crisis assumed as an antidote the application of some difficult measures (among them was also the resizing of the scholarship fund for students). Some measures were taken as immediate, saving fiscal-budgetary solutions, others to foreshadow long-term reforms.”
According to the minister, the proposed 60 million euros would bring the scholarship fund back to the level of 2024-2025, even after adjustments, and would make it about 35% higher than that of 2023.
“Now is the time to stabilize and grow and, in this sense, we start with the students. (…) This approach, which targets the social component, both for students from the budget and for those from fee-based courses, should not only help students, but also reduce the pressure on the universities' contribution, which could also be oriented towards performance”. stated Daniel David.
The minister emphasized that Romania has too few students compared to the general population and that financial support is essential to avoid university dropout.
“In the technical discussions at the ministry, we requested that, immediately after approval, the program be implemented, so that the scholarships can be accessed from the beginning of 2026. The estimate is that the first payments will be made in February (for the month of January)”, Daniel David also transmitted.
