Sorin Grindeanu accuses WeBuild of blackmail

Sorin Grindeanu, the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, accuses the Italian company WeBuild (formerly Astaldi), which built the bridge over the Danube in Brăila, of illegally using the non-payment of a debt of 230 million lei by CNAIR to keep the road that connects - over the railway - the Braila Belt to the suspension bridge over the Danube and the road to Jijila.

Being in the area yesterday on the occasion of a visit to the works being carried out on the Brăila-Galaţi expressway 6, Sorin Grindfeanu said: "To be as clear as possible, at this moment they are asking us, not us, the CNAIR to to be more precise, 230 million lei, to allow traffic, although the project is also completed on the Brailean shore and the Tulcea shore (..) somewhere at 90%, so traffic can be allowed to open. No, they're asking for another 230 million or they'll meet their deadline of October 2024. That's bad will. We will not agree, neither at the ministry, nor at CNAIR, with this type of blackmail, and the measures we will take, not only on this work, you will see in the coming weeks and months (...) To give you an idea, in addition to the many other works that they consider us to pay for, they also request about 30 or so million in this sum, because we had them restore the asphalt poured last year and which did not it was of the best quality. That's exactly why we didn't agree with the reception, even now we don't agree to give in to this blackmail that they tried to do considering this electoral period".

The Minister of Transport mentioned that the opening of these road sections would have led to better circulation in the municipality of Brăila but also in the unloading towards Tulcea. He also stated that the days are gone when companies that did nothing were paid based on decisions of the courts in our country.

Sorin Grindeanu concluded: "There are other builders, because at this moment, in Romania, there are almost 800 kilometers of express road and highway under construction. In the vast majority of them, they learned that that period from the past years, with claims, in which you come, do nothing but file claims in court, in order to earn money without working, is over in Romania. They had this habit of coming with 100 engineers to Romania but also with 100 lawyers after them, to win things in court without work. This period is over, there are companies right now that have understood this, one of them is the one here. Almost everything else is too. Some seem not to have understood, but they will understand if they still want to work in Romania".

Instead, the Minister of Transport declared himself satisfied with the Romanian company UMB Spedition, which belongs to the businessman Dorinel Umbrărescu, which carried out more than 80% of the works on the express road 6 Brăila-Galaţi section, and specified that the completion of the execution will take place at the latest at the end of 2024.