June 29 (SeeNews) - Romania's government approved a second package of eight strategic investment projects which will be financed through public-private partnership (PPP), prime minister Viorica Dancila said.
"Of these, three are in the health sector, which shows the interest of the Romanian government in improving medical services," Dancila said at the beginning of a televised government meeting broadcast by local TV station Digi 24 on Thursday.
Among the eight projects is a plan to build an airport in Ilfov county, south of Bucharest, a project which was on the agenda of various governments in recent years.
The overcrowding of Romania's largest airport Henri Coanda requires the construction of a new airport in the southern area of Bucharest for both passengers and freight, the government project reads.
The new airport will become a transit point for passengers travelling to the Asia-Pacific and Europe-America regions. Its size will be designed for an annual traffic of approximately 30 million passengers on an area of up to 600 ha featuring at least two terminals.
Another transport project on the government's agenda is to arrange Arges and Dambovita rivers for navigation for the purpose of creating a waterway between Bucharest and the Danube. The objective is part of the European transport network and will generate the long-term economic development of the whole region of southern Bucharest, the government said.
The list also includes the construction of an electric vehicles factory near Bucharest. The area needed for the construction of production halls, warehouses and test tracks, is at least 10 hectares, the government said.
The cabinet aims to finalize the the Siret-Baragan canal, much needed for irrigation. The canal should have a total length of 190 km, of which the first section will be located in Vrancea county. The second section, with a length of 140 km, will cross the counties of Buzau and Ialomita.
Furthermore, the government has in plan three major healthcare projects, namely a national blood, plasma and cell stems bank, and two regional hospitals - in Timisoara and Braila-Galati.
Finally, the government aims to build a ski resort in Fagaras mountains with 150 km of ski slopes and related facilities.
The first package of strategic investments which the government aims to finance through PPP was approved at the end of May. It envisages three new motorways and a new medical complex in northern Bucharest.