The European Commission will invest over €222 million from the Cohesion Fund in Romania to improve drinking water supply in the Ilfov County, in the south of the country. The Commission also announced in a press release today that it approved an investment to upgrade and install drinking water and wastewater infrastructures. Around 234,000 people will thus be able to benefit from drinking water meeting EU quality standards. The project will connect more people to the network, ensuring better quality and fewer sewage leaks. “This investment shows the EU’s commitment to increase the living standards of Europeans. While our priority is tackling the effects of the pandemic, we are pursuing Cohesion Policy’s mission to reduce disparities between regions so that no one is left behind”, said Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira. The project should also contribute to reduce water loss, protect biodiversity and create approximately 1,500 temporary jobs during the implementation phase and 72 permanent jobs during the operational phase. Ilfov is an administrative entity consisting of 8 cities, 32 municipalities and 91 villages, located around the capital Bucharest. According to the latest data from the National Statistical Office of Romania, only 51.8% of the population in Ilfov has access to drinking water and 48.9% is connected to the sewage network. As a result of this investment project, 52 areas in Ilfov, covering 99.6% of the population, will be connected to the water supply system and 100% to the sewage network. At present, only 72% of the population in Romania is connected to the water supply network and about 50% to the sewage system.