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1. How Youth policy is funded

2. What is funded?

3. Financial accountability

4. Use of EU Funds

How Youth policy is funded

As of March 2025, the institution responsible to the budget for the youth policy is the Ministry of Labour, Family, Youth and Social Solidarity. Part of this budget is allocated to administrative and staff costs for the Ministry. This part of the budget cannot be separated from the allocations for other family and equal opportunities programmes and an exact figure cannot be evaluated as funding for the youth policy.

The budgets for the four framework youth programmes planned until 2025 have been separated and available on the platform including budget related data published on the website of the Ministry of Finances.

In 2022 the budget expenditure for the youth programmes was as following:

• For the Youth Centres’ activities of the County Offices for Youth and Sport: 600 000 lei (about 120 000 Euro)
• For the youth programme, including the National Youth Projects’ competition and the youth projects implemented by the Ministry: 4.8 million lei (about 0.96 million Euro)
• For the student support programme, including the National Students Projects’ competition and the projects targeting to students implemented by the Ministry: 2.4 million lei (about 0.48 million Euro)
• For youth and students camps: 2.8 million lei (about 0.56 million Euro)
• For the youth research programme: 200 000 lei (about 40 000 Euro)
• For the preparation and planning of large investments in the infrastructure of youth and students’ camps: 6.44 million lei (about 1.3 million Euro) 

In 2023, the budget for the program including the support of youth and students’ activities, projects and research was 28.65 million lei (about 5,73 million Euro).

In 2024 and 2025 the approved budget for the same programme was, after modifications, 106 million lei each year (about 21 million Euro), but the 2024 and 2025 programmes include some measures of support for young families, complementing the funding for youth and students projects, camps and research. 

According to the Youth Law, local communities (local and county councils) have to allocate local budget for local youth policies and activities, based on the consultation of the local youth civil society. However, there are not aggregated data on the level of budgets allocated at local level for youth local policies and no legal threshold on the allocation for youth activities at local level.

What is funded?

The Ministry of Labour, Family, Youth and Social Solidarity (and the Ministry of Family, Youth and Equal Opportunities, until December 2024 and the Ministry of Youth and Sport, until December 2021) implemented four framework programmes every year: a programme supporting Youth Centres, a programme supporting youth projects, a programme supporting student projects and a programme for youth research. A programme of support for youth and students’ camps was added to these programmes every year. Since 2023 a single programme was planned and funded by the Ministry of Family, Youth and Equal Opportunities to the support of youth and students’ activities, projects and research. This approach was continued in 2024 and 2025.

The budget is also financing the functioning the Ministry of Labour, Family, Youth and Social Solidarity, its offices at county level and the 15 Students Cultural Houses/Centres organised in the most important university towns in the country. However, due to the limitations exposed above, there is not possible to estimate the budget allocated only for youth policy among other elements funded by the Ministry.

Financial accountability

The Romanian Court of Accounts is the public body to which all public institution are accountable for their use of public funding. The Ministry of Family, Youth and Equal Opportunities is audited annually and the Romanian Court of Accounts can control private institutions (including NGOs receiving grants for their youth projects from the Ministry) for the use of public grants received. The mission of the Romanian Court of Accounts is to conduct the control function over the way state and public sector financial resources are established, managed and used. It subsequently provides the Parliament, authorities, public institutions and taxpayers with reports on the sound use and management, so as to ensure economy, efficiency and effectiveness. Taking actions according to the recommendations of the Court of Accounts is mandatory for any institution or organisation spending public money.

Use of EU Funds

The EU funds used for youth policy are mainly the funds of Erasmus Plus programme - the field of Youth. The evaluations of the European Social Fund (ESF) programmes in Romania (as presented in section 1.4 Youth policy decision-making, point 4. Policy monitoring and evaluation) show that ESF had been mainly used for scholarships, trainings and active measures for employment (counselling, employment mediation etc.) and for projects aiming at preventing school dropouts, but they have not been focused on other youth policy areas.

ESF+ is planned, for the period 2021-2027 to support scholarships, trainings and active measures for employment (counselling, employment mediation etc.) and for projects aiming at preventing school dropouts. The only measures focusing on youth are the ones targeting young NEETs. A total of 879.96 million Euro are allocated. Multiple calls for projects were launched in 2024, having at beneficiaries the Public Employment Service offices, in partnership with civil society organisations and training providers.

Since 2021, the Ministry of Youth and Sports started the implementation of large EU funded projects for the education and employment of young NEETs. Although the funding for these projects is part of the Ministry budget and was transferred to the Ministry of Family, Youth and Equal Opportunities in 2022, it is contributing more to the youth employment component of the youth policy and is reported under chapter 3 of Youth Wiki. The projects are not contributing to the overall development, implementation and coordination of the youth policy.

Under Erasmus Plus, at national level, the main activities had been organised for the EU Youth Dialogue, including the national events and the transnational and international activities that offers the space for information and also for debates having as theme active youth participation, opening up a dialogue space with the decision makers. The reunions, seminars and information events, as well as the debates involving both young people and decision makers are also notable activities that aim at boosting up youth participation in the development and implementation of youth policies. Within Erasmus Plus, the Romanian participants were part of training courses and international activities tackling the theme of active youth participation.

The number of Erasmus Plus projects funded in Romania is as follows:

• In 2024, for Key Action (KA) 1, 638 applications were submited, resulting in 191 aproved projects (49 KA151, 60 KA152, 27 KA153, 35 KA154 and 20 KA155). Applications ensured balanced participation across all eight regions and 41 counties, averaging 80 applications per region. All 49 accredited organizations requested funding, leading to the approval of 93 youth exchanges (YE) and 100 youth worker mobilities (YWM), involving 5,273 participants, 34% of whom face fewer opportunities. For third-country cooperation, 19 non-accredited projects (12 YEs, 7 YWMs) were approved, while 30 of 49 accredited projects included third-country activities. Project quality improved in 2024, with 75.76% of applications meeting the funding thresholds, a 4% increase from 2023. For Key Action (KA) 2, 345 projects were submited, resulting in 39 aproved projects (20 under KA210 and 21 under KA220).
• In 2023, for KA1, the number of applications increased by 35% compared to 2022 and with more than 70% compared to 2021, reaching a total of 619 applications. 181 projects were awarded, and 40 of 41 accredited organizations requested funds for activities in 2023. Concerning the cooperation with Third Countries, the number of participants increased by 21% compared to 2022, reaching 1564 granted participants; 20 non accredited projects were awarded (12 YE and 8 YWM). Out of 40 accredited granted projects, 15 were projects involving activities with third countries. For KA2, 314 projects were submited, resulting in 41 aproved projects (23 under KA210 and 16 under KA220).
• In 2022, for KA1, the number of submitted applications increased by 30% compared to 2021, reaching a total of 459 applications (33 KA151, 263 KA152, 97 KA153, 56 KA154 and 10 KA155); 186 projects were awarded a grant (33KA151, 89 KA152, 32 KA153 and 24 KA154 and 8 KA155).  Concerning the cooperation with Third Countries, 1295 participants were granted, 22 non accredited projects were awarded (12 YE and 10 mobilities of YW). Out of a total of 33 accredited granted projects, 12 were project involving activities with third countries. Overall, the initial budgetary allocation for youth mobility projects (KA151, KA152, KA153) involving activities with third countries was 16% from the available budget. In total, 12899 participants were awarded out of which 10485 learners and 2232 staff-youth workers. For KA2, 50% more application were submitted in 2022 compared to 2021, reaching a total number of191 applications (75 KA220 and 116 KA210). 34 projects were awarded a grant.
• In 2021, for KA1, 353 applications (23 KA151, 217, KA152, 78 KA153, 35 KA154) were received and 115 were awarded (23 KA151, 54 KA152, 18 KA153 and 20 KA154), with a success rate of 27%. The 72 non accredited awarded projects were scored between 87-70p (projects involving activities with Programme Countries) and between 82p and 71p (projects involving activities with 3rd Countries). Concerning the cooperation with Partner Countries, 1207 participants were granted, 12 non accredited projects were awarded), with a budgetary allocation of 19.754% from the available budget for KA152 and KA153. 13 accredited projects involve activities with 3rd countries with an initial budgetary allocation of 25.86 % from the available budget for KA151. Overall, the budgetary allocation for YOU for activities with 3rd countries was 22.51% from the available budget. Key Action (KA) 2, 66 KA210 projects and 62 KA220 projects were submitted. Seven KA210 projects (R1) and 30 KA220 projects were approved, representing a 51.38% success rate compared to only 9,2% in 2020.
• In 2020, 24 youth mobility projects (out of 35 applications), 26 strategic projects (out of 195 applications) and seven projects of youth dialogue
• In 2019, 19 projects have been implemented under Key Action 1 - learning mobilities in the field of youth, with 8 115 participants for a total of 4.8 million Euro; 18 strategic projects in the field of youth have been implemented with a total funding of 2.3 million Euro;
• In 2018 in Romania, 150 projects (out of 844 applications) have been funded under the Youth component of the Erasmus+ programme, Key Action 1, mobility projects; 10 projects of Strategic Partnership in the field of Youth (out of 96 applications) and 4 projects of dialogue with young people (out of 38 applications) have been also funded in 2018. 

Overall, 95.5% of the participants in youth mobility projects have been highly satisfied with the experience according to the Study on the perceptions of students and professors regarding the international mobility programmes conducted in 2019.