PR Vest: €7 million for public transport between the West counties, deadline 1 June 2027

The Regional Development Agency West (ADR Vest), acting as Managing Authority for the West Regional Programme 2021-2027, opened call PRV/5.1.C/1 "Inter- and intra-county transport system" on 1 October 2026. The call makes available €7 million, or 36,375,760.24 lei, for a green public transport system linking localities in Timiș, Arad, Caraș-Severin and Hunedoara. The targeted applicant is an inter-community development association made up of the four counties of the region, on its own or in partnership with municipalities and towns, and applications can be submitted continuously until 1 June 2027.

In brief

• Programme: West Regional Programme 2021-2027, Priority 5 "Connected region", regional intervention 5.1.C, call PRV/5.1.C/1
• Authority: ADR Vest, Managing Authority for PR Vest
• Beneficiaries: an inter-community development association (ADI) for inter- and intra-county public transport, made up of at least the four county UATs of the West Region, or a partnership between this ADI (leader) and the UATs of county seat municipalities, municipalities and towns in the region (members)
• Total budget: €7 million (eligible allocation of 7,060,000 euro), equivalent to 36,375,760.24 lei
• Submission period: 1 October 2026 – 1 June 2027, non-competitive call with continuous submission
• Status: call open; the guide was in public consultation from 19 June to 6 July 2026 and was published in its final form on 30 September 2026

What does call PRV/5.1.C/1 fund?

Intervention 5.1.C addresses a long-standing problem in the region: the lack of coordinated public transport between counties and between localities within the same county. The official call page on vest.ro summarises the objective as: "We support the development of a green public transport system between the counties of the West Region!". Unlike urban mobility calls, which funded fleets for a single city, this call requires a regional solution, managed jointly.

There are six officially listed categories of eligible activities:

• purchase of "zero-emission" vehicles, for clean transport;
• development, at regional level, of systems dedicated to passenger management and management (in practice, this covers electronic ticketing systems, passenger information and fleet management);
• purchase of equipment, machinery and installations needed to operate and maintain the vehicles;
• construction, extension, modernisation and reconfiguration of public transport stops;
• development, extension and modernisation of parking areas, up to a limited percentage of the project;
• information, promotion and awareness campaigns on the use of public transport.

The minimum and maximum value of a project, the exact percentage allowed for parking areas and the beneficiary's own contribution rate are set out in the applicant's guide published on vest.ro, which must be read in full before you prepare your application.

Who can apply?

The call is designed for a single type of applicant, which is why it is non-competitive. The official text provides for two options:

• "an inter-community development association (ADI) whose purpose is to manage public transport at inter- and intra-county level, made up of at least the four county UATs of the West Region";
• "the partnership between the ADI mentioned above – as leader – and the UATs of county seat municipalities, municipalities and towns within the West Region – as members".

In other words, the county councils of Timiș, Arad, Caraș-Severin and Hunedoara must all be members of the association, and the association must have the management of inter- and intra-county public transport in its statute. Municipalities and towns cannot apply on their own, but they can join as partners, with the ADI as leader. The MIPE page for the call lists, in generic terms, inter-community development associations, local public authorities and county, municipal and town UATs, but the specific conditions are those in the ADR Vest guide.

How and by when do you apply?

The call opened on 1 October 2026 and closes on 1 June 2027. As it is non-competitive with continuous submission, projects are not ranked against each other: each application is assessed as it comes in, until the €7 million allocation is exhausted. Applications are submitted through the IT system for EU funds for the 2021-2027 period, and the applicant's guide with its annexes can be found on the call page on vest.ro, which is also referenced by the call sheet published by MIPE on oportunitati-ue.gov.ro.

The public consultation on the guide took place in the summer of 2026 (19 June – 6 July, according to the call page; the ADR Vest activity report for the first half of the year gives 22 June – 6 July), and on 15 July 2026 the report mentioned the intervention only in the list of guides published for public consultation, as the call had not yet been launched.

What this means for your institution

Our recommendation for the county councils and town halls in the region is to treat the eight remaining months as a tight timetable, not as breathing space. The critical steps, in the order in which they most often get blocked, are as follows:

• The applicant's legal form. If the regional public transport ADI does not exist or does not have the management of inter- and intra-county transport in its statute, establishing or amending it through decisions of the four county councils is the first thing to do. Without this step, there is no eligible applicant.
• Routes and the public service. Zero-emission vehicles must serve specific routes, with an operator and a framework for delivering the service. Prepare in good time the documents showing who operates the lines and how operating costs are covered after the investment.
• Urban partners. Municipalities and towns that already have electric fleets and e-ticketing systems from the urban mobility calls can bring stops, depots and charging infrastructure into the partnership. Technical compatibility between local systems and the regional one is a common-sense requirement that the evaluators will look for.
• The €7 million budget. The amount is modest for four counties. A realistic project will start with a limited number of inter-county routes and the shared passenger management system, leaving fleet expansion for later stages.

For private transport operators and ticketing system providers, the call offers no direct funding, but it signals public procurement of vehicles, equipment and software in 2027-2028. If you are not sure which category your institution falls into, you can use the eligibility check on the site.

Frequently asked questions

Can a single county council submit the project?

No. Call PRV/5.1.C/1 requires the applicant to be an inter-community development association made up of at least the four county UATs of the West Region (Timiș, Arad, Caraș-Severin and Hunedoara), whose purpose is to manage inter- and intra-county public transport. A single county does not meet the condition.

Can municipalities and towns take part?

Yes, but only as members of a partnership in which the ADI of the four counties is the leader. The guide explicitly names the UATs of county seat municipalities, municipalities and towns in the West Region as possible partners.

Is the call competitive? What does continuous submission mean?

The call is non-competitive, with continuous submission between 1 October 2026 and 1 June 2027. Applications are assessed as they are submitted, with no ranking between projects, within the limit of the €7 million allocation (36,375,760.24 lei).

What types of investment are eligible?

Zero-emission vehicles, regional passenger management and management systems, equipment for operating and maintaining vehicles, construction and modernisation of public transport stops, parking areas up to a limited percentage, and information campaigns on the use of public transport. The details, ceilings and ineligible costs are in the applicant's guide.

When was the final guide published?

The guide went through public consultation in June–July 2026 and was published in its final form on vest.ro on 30 September 2026 (the MIPE sheet dates it 29 September 2026), one day before the call opened.

Official sources

• ADR Vest – call page "Inter- and intra-county transport system" (PR Vest, Priority 5)
• MIPE – call sheet PRV/5.1.C/1 on oportunitati-ue.gov.ro
• ADR Vest – Activity report January–June 2026 (allocation for intervention 5.1.C)

Information checked on 19 October 2026. Conditions may be changed by the managing authority — check the guide in force before you submit.