State aid scheme for investments in the infrastructure of maritime and inland ports and in the intermodal / multimodal local infrastructure established in order to improve the quality of the infrastructure, increase the safety of the river and maritime transport and its uninterrupted development during the of the whole year, as well as for the purpose of making investments in local infrastructure specific to intermodal terminals, resulting in increased intermodal transport attractiveness, the integration of ports into efficient transport and logistics chains, the increase in the volume of goods handled in intermodal units and ports, contribute to economic growth and more efficient use and operation of the trans-European transport network.

• modernisation and development of the port infrastructure in the Romanian maritime and inland (river) ports (port infrastructure = infrastructure and facilities for the provision of transport-related port services such as berthing docks, quay walls, floating docks and floating tanks in tidal areas, inland waterways, backwaters and land recovered in waters, alternative fuel infrastructure , the infrastructure for the collection of ship-generated waste and cargo residues)
• modernisation / development of the access infrastructure in the Romanian maritime and inland (river) ports (access infrastructure = any type of infrastructure required to provide access and entry of users to inland or inland ports on land, sea or waterway such as access roads, railways, railways access and locks)
• dredging activities in Romanian maritime and inland (river) ports (dredging = removing sediment from the bottom of the waterway to access a port or port, to allow ships to have access to the port, activities carried out during a calendar year)
• construction / upgrading of intermodal and multimodal terminals in the Priority Locations of the Master Plan of Transport

Eligible costs
In the case of investments in port infrastructure, access and dredging infrastructure, eligible costs are investment costs, including planning costs for:

a) building or upgrading / developing the maritime and inland (river) port infrastructure;
b) building or upgrading / developing the access infrastructure in the maritime and inland (river) port area;
c) dredging activities carried out during a calendar year.

(non-eligible costs: Investments in ports are not eligible for investment costs related to non-transport related activities, including industrial production facilities operating in the port area, offices or shops, nor the costs for superstructures.)

In the case of investments in intermodal / multimodal local infrastructure, eligible costs are the costs of investing in tangible and intangible fixed assets related to the construction or upgrading / development of intermodal terminals.

Maximum amount of individual aid granted to a beneficiary in the case of:

1. Aid to maritime ports: eligible costs of EUR 130 million per project or EUR 150 million per project in a maritime port included in the TEN-T Core Network
2. Aid for inland (inland) ports: eligible costs of EUR 40 million per project or EUR 50 million per project included in the  core network corridor
3. Aid for intermodal / multimodal local infrastructure: EUR 10,000,000 per project and the total project costs will not exceed EUR 20 million

Construction, replacement or upgrading of infrastructure in seaports shall not exceed:

(a) 100% of the eligible costs where the total eligible costs of the project do not exceed EUR 20 million;
(b) 90% of the eligible costs where the total eligible costs of the project exceed EUR 20 million but not more than EUR 50 million;
(c) 70% of the eligible costs where the total eligible costs of the project exceed EUR 50 million but not more than EUR 130 million;
(d) 70% of the eligible costs where the total eligible costs of the project exceed EUR 50 million but not exceed EUR 150 million for the maritime ports included in the core network corridor

Construction, replacement or upgrading of infrastructure in inland ports, port access (maritime / inland) or docking in the port area (maritime / inland) may not exceed 100% of the eligible costs

For investment aids in maritime ports not exceeding EUR 5 million and EUR 2 million respectively for inland (river) ports, the maximum aid amount may be set at 80% of the eligible costs.

Regions (NUTS): Centru, Sud-Vest, Nord-Vest, Nord-Est, Sud-Est, Vest, Sud
Economic sector: Water transport, Warehousing and storage

Schedule

The State Aid Scheme Administrator launches the call for proposals, verifies that the conditions set out in this State aid scheme and those specified in the Applicant’s Guide for Specific Objectives 1.3 – Increased use of waterways and ports on the TEN network – Central and 2.4 – Increasing the volume of goods transited through intermodal terminals and ports and, if it finds that they are fulfilled, sign the financing contracts with the state aid beneficiaries.